EnquiryBased Learning EBL:

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Enquiry-Based Learning (EBL) Engaging students
to link theory and practice through their
natural curiosity Centre for Excellence in
Enquiry-Based Learning (CEEBL) www.manchester.ac.
uk/ceebl
Liz Theaker Senior Clinical Teaching Fellow,
School of Dentistry Faculty Coordinator,
CEEBL Norman Powell Research Associate, CEEBL
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Introductions

• Please tell us
• Who you are
• Your role
• Area of work
• Your expectations for today

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• CEEBL mission statement
• To expand and enhance the practice,
  understanding and profile of EBL,
  institutionally, nationally and internationally,
  with the result that everyone engaged in CEEBL
  and EBL will become capable, committed, curious,
  collaborative, scholarly and lifelong learners
  through enquiry.

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Building on excellence.

• PBL in Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Engineering
• Manchester Method in the Business School
• Pioneering application of EBL in English
  Literature
• Management of externally-funded EBL Staff
  Development Project across six NW UK HEIs
• Students as Partners initiative
• FDTL projects, NTF awards
• Publications, research

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Key CEEBL Activities
Recognise and reward teaching excellence
Continue innovation and development
Draw on existing pedagogic research and undertake
further research and evaluation
Develop projects and partnerships at local,
national and international levels
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Enquiry-Based Learning
PBL Exploration of scenario drives learning
experience
Small scale investigations Field work or case
study adapted to disciplinary contexts
Projects Research Encouragement of
research-based approach to projects and processes
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Enquiry-Based Learning?

• Nothing new!
• Learning driven by a process of enquiry or
  investigation
• Engagement with complex, real-life scenarios
• Student centred
• Demands action
• Connects theory and practice
• Supported process
• Develops skills
• Social
• Fun?

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Louise Goldring and Jamie Wood
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Why EBL?

• Transition into (and through) Higher Education
• Integration knowledge, cultural, social
• Lifelong learning information explosion
• Inter-professional and interdisciplinary learning
• Links between teaching, learning and research
• Employability/professional body requirements

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Support for Learning

• Practice in a safe environment
• Creation and retention of knowledge
• Research skills
• Accommodates different learning styles
• Presentation of findings
• Feedback
• Reflection

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Professional Skills

• Team-working
• including Leadership
• Communication
• Written Oral
• Organisational
• Planning Management
• Information
• Retrieval Critical Appraisal
• Life-Long Learning/CPD

• Sources
• Professional Bodies
• Computing
• BCS
• Engineering
• (EC-UK) UK-SPEC
• Pharmacy
• RPSGB
• QAA Subject Benchmark Statements

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Life Skills

• Encourages exploration, curiosity
• Creative problem-solving
• Responsibility
• Time-management, organisation and planning
• Communication
• Leadership
• Empathy, tolerance and understanding

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What we expect from students.

• Accept responsibility for their learning
• Work co-operatively
• Determine a plan of activity and agree individual
  responsibilities for the work
• Use resources effectively and appropriately
• Share findings and collate research
• Negotiate deadlines and targets
• Present their findings
• Undertake assessment tasks

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What is expected from tutors/facilitators

• Devise the stimulus, audit resources, determine
  the assessment method(s)
• Prepare the students benefits and expectations,
  change of role, groups
• Ensure that assessment process and criteria are
  understood
• Provide a clear starting point
• Facilitate the group processes and the learning
• Guide lines of enquiry by asking questions
• Support for any difficulties with groups or
  individuals

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When is a problem not a problem?

• When it is a
• Trigger
• Query
• Puzzle
• Enigma
• Scenario etc etc..

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Possible routes to creating a problem.

• Classic works
• Critical incidents
• Real case-histories or patient care-plans
• Present and past controversies
• Application of important concepts to everyday
  situations or personal situations
• Video-clips, novels, newspaper articles, research
  papers, cartoons
• Re-write a typical exam question as an
  open-ended, real-world problems
• Work with colleagues to decide the approach!
• Test the problems on students

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Characteristics of good problems.

• Must engage students and motivate them
• Relationship to the real world
• Encourage students to make decisions or
  judgements based on information and facts
• Beyond knowledge and recall
• Should encourage collaboration and co-operation
• Open-ended, connected to existing knowledge
• Compatibility with learning objectives of the
  course

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What do students say about EBL?
All of us hold the key to loads of information.
We are all sources of information as much as the
bookshelves and the teacher. It taught me how to
work with others
You had to plan and so you learnt so much and it
was work you WANTED to do because YOU CHOSE to do
it
You go out of a PBL session with your head
buzzing.
Its like..intravenous learning
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This has been a very demanding course in terms of
how challenging the work has been.
You have responsibility to the whole group, not
just yourself, everyone has to pull together
.five other people researching a topic and
sharing information has led to a wider breadth of
knowledge than I have previously experienced.
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Where to use EBL in your own practice?

Benefits for students
Challenges for students
Benefits for staff
Challenges for staff
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Faculty Projects

• Medical and Human Sciences
• School of Dentistry converting its 5 year
  programme to EBL
• Engineering and Physical Sciences
• Developing Professional and Design Skills for
  Undergraduates and Professionals
• Construction Industry Training Board (CITB)
• Faculty of Life Sciences
• Third-year project students generating CAL-EBL
  activities to support second-year courses
• Humanities
• Professional Doctorate in Practical Theology

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Small Projects

• 12-14 Projects per year spread across
• Four faculties all levels (school pupils to
  taught PG)
• Third year of projects
• Case Studies
• Medical and Human Sciences
• Applying Chemical Knowledge to Medicines
• Engineering and Physical Sciences
• Encouraging Groups to take responsibility for
  their Learning in Computer Science
• Life Sciences
• Life Sciences Enterprise Project
• Humanities
• Embedding Interdisciplinarity

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Faculty Co-ordinators with expertise in
EBL Student Interns Sabbatical Officer Expert
Consultants International Advisor
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Engineering and Physical Sciences Faculty
ProjectProfessional Development Workshops for
the Built Environment

• Survey of Built Environment Industry (828
  responses)
• The general conclusion is that higher education
  currently prepares graduates adequately for
  detailed well-defined design activities but does
  not provide them with the required skills to
  understand and undertake the holistic design
  process.
• The main criticism being that the educational
  programmes are not linked to the real world.
• Bailey C G, Johnson K.A., Alonso-Rasgado T A,
  Orzechowski M.A.. 2007. "The quality of design
  within the built environment". The Structural
  Engineer. Vol. 23/24. Issue 85. pp 49-55.
  December.

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Engineering and Physical Sciences Faculty
ProjectProfessional Development Workshops for
the Built Environment

• Developed Workshops on 15 design themes
• Specific Issues
• Design for minimising energy use
• Design for sustainability
• Design for health, safety and welfare
• Future maintenance and durability requirements
• Management/Organisation
• Working in distributed teams
• Working in multidisciplinary design teams
• Increased use of ICT for management
• Managing the design process
• Communication
• Presentation skills
• Risk Review
• Design for best value
• promoting creativity and innovation
• Risk assessment methods I (Business Project
  Strategy)
• Risk assessment methods II (Design)
• Review and evaluation process

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Engineering and Physical Sciences Faculty
ProjectProfessional Development Workshops for
the Built Environment

• 5 Working in Distributed Teams
• Unit A Construction and Design
• Unit B Walkway Layout, Project Costs
• Unit C Walkway Components
• Communications
• Direct Meeting 1000 5 mins only
• Long Messages 250 1 side of A4
• Short Messages 50 1 Post-It?

A Visitor Centre is to be built at the South
Green Nature Park with raised walkways which will
link the various elements.
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Engineering and Physical Sciences Small
ProjectEncouraging Groups to take responsibility
for their own learning in Computer Science

• Team Graham Gough Peter Jinks
• Aim
• To build professional, academic and personal
  skills in the students
• 20 credit, 1st Year Module, 2 Semesters
• 150 students, 25 groups of 6
• Cycle of expanding enquiries
• Cumulating in a web-enabled database application
  of their choosing

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Engineering and Physical Sciences Small
ProjectEncouraging Groups to take responsibility
for their own learning in Computer Science

• Phases and what they mean

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Engineering and Physical Sciences Small
ProjectEncouraging Groups to take responsibility
for their own learning in Computer Science
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Engineering and Physical Sciences Small
ProjectEncouraging Groups to take responsibility
for their own learning in Computer Science
Before I came to uni, I didnt like to join in
discussions. I didnt have any of those
whatchacallitsthose things
Students
You mean interpersonal skills?
Yeah, those. Im still not sure I enjoy joining
in, but I am more confident. At least I am here
talking to you
I was worried that the applications were much too
ambitious, and thought we would have to manage
down the student expectations, but they just did
it
This is the closest they will get to work
experience without actually getting work
experience
Staff
Course Leader
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Life Sciences Faculty ProjectData-driven EBL
embedding research in Life Sciences practicals

• Team leaders Carol Wakeford, Tristan Pocock
• Aims
• to generate EBL support material to enhance the
  Research Skills Modules and Laboratory Skills
  Modules taken by all FLS students.
• to produce an EBL enhanced final year tutorial
  programme to prepare our students to tackle
  integrative problems in the Life Sciences

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Life Sciences Faculty ProjectData-driven EBL
embedding research in Life Sciences practicals

• 2006-2007 32 final year students
• 40 credit Final Level Project Public
  Understanding and Communication of Science
• Student selected topic to yield a scenario or
  data-driven problem
• Training Course face to face sessions plus VLE
• VLE
• Course Office
• Presentations and Practice
• Virtual Lab
• Resource Repository
• Course calender and events

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Life Sciences Faculty ProjectData-driven EBL
embedding research in Life Sciences practicals

• Types of EBL resources produced
• Linear resources e.g. Molecular Cloning
• Mulit-path problems e.g. Drug selection
• VLE Based learning materials e.g. Critical
  analysis of ethical or data-based evidence
• Evaluation carried out as part of project
• 20 E-resources now embedded in the curriculum to
  complement Year 2 practicals

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Life Sciences Small ProjectThe Life Sciences
Enterprise Project (LEPS)

• Team Martin Henery, Maggy Fostier Tracey
  Speake
• Aim
• Deepen subject specific knowledge and enhance
  employability
• 40 credit, 3rd Year unit, 1st and 2nd Semesters
• 30 students in 6 groups of 5
• Single Enquiry
• Develop a business plan for the commercialisation
  of knowledge and technology

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Life Sciences Small ProjectThe Life Sciences
Enterprise Project (LEPS)Semester 1

• Team theme chosen by supervisor
• Select and research a service or product for
  development
• Skills tutorials, business workshops, WebCT
• Literature review, feasibility study, poster
• Feedback
• Student Team decide which of the 5 proposals they
  wish to take forwards
• Team presentation of proposal plus rationale for
  selection

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Life Sciences Small ProjectThe Life Sciences
Enterprise Project (LEPS)Semester 2

• Research and develop business plan
• Weekly Project Meetings with Life Sciences and
  Enterprise supervisors
• Workshops, lectures, seminars, WebCT
• Advice , coaching, mentoring as required
• Weekly reflective pieces (individual), business
  plan and presentation/pitch (group)

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Life Sciences Small ProjectThe Life Sciences
Enterprise Project (LEPS)
By working through a problem and coming up with
solutions rather than following guidelines I feel
like Ive learned more about how to generate an
end product
Student
I still think EBL is quite hard but my research
techniques have become more productive Im a
more efficient independent learner.
Student
I now realise that the route taken to producing
the final product is just as important as the
final product itself
Student
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Humanities Faculty Project Professional
Doctorate in Practical Theology

• Team Elaine Graham (jointly Anglia Ruskin
  University)
• Aimed at part-time, work-based candidates who use
  their own practice as the subject of their work
• Practice Research Practice
• Practical Doctorate
• Practice-based practice context knowledge
  base
• EBL PBL, fieldwork in professional context,
  Action Research
• Reflective Practice
• for the researching professional rather than
  the professional researcher (Bourner, Bowden
  Laing, 2000219)

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Humanities Faculty Project Professional
Doctorate in Practical Theology

• Strand A Research Outcomes
• Portfolio
• Key Voices Lit Review (Year 1)
• Publishable Article (Year 2)
• Establishing Advanced Research (Year 3)
• Research Dissertation (Year 4 5)
• Strand B Research Log Learning Journal
• Journal as record of achievement
• Journalling as added value for learning
• Journalling and time management
• Strand C Peer Group Cohort
• Residentials (3 x 48 hours) Summer School

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Humanities Faculty Project Professional
Doctorate in Practical Theology

• Evaluation
• Practical Theology as Action-Research
• Practice ? Theory ? Practice
• Implications for Supervisors
• Researching Professional not Professional
  Researcher
• Further Development
• transformative action research, professional
  enhancement
• Diversity and Quality
• Recognition

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Humanities Small Project Embedding
Interdisciplinarity

• Team Julia McMorrow, Charlotte Woods,
• Isobel Braidman, Caroline Bowsher
• and Susana Lorenzo-Zamorano
• 1 semester generic module
• 5 disciplines
• Geography, Medicine, Education,
• Spanish and Biological Sciences
• First 6 weeks
• students worked in small interdisciplinary teams
  of 3 or 4

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Humanities Small Project Embedding
Interdisciplinarity

• Learning outcomes were skills-based, e.g.
• appreciation of other disciplines ways of
  working
• teamworking - negotiation - communication,
• creativity - reflection.
• Not content-dependent so generic module.
• Self-selected negotiated topics. Had to be of
  societal or environmental relevance, have a role
  for each discipline, and feasible by (largely)
  bibliographic research.
• Facilitated through the VLE
• social and project related communication
• making support documents readily available
• submitting tasks and receiving feedback
• displaying visual materials (photos posters)

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Humanities Small Project Embedding
Interdisciplinarity
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Humanities Small Project Embedding
Interdisciplinarity
I've enjoyed having people listen to me about my
discipline because no one ever asks
..explaining conceptual stuff to people who
aren't in your subject is really important .. you
meet people like patients, colleagues whatever
who aren't in that specialist area and you've got
to explain yourself.
..the main challenges are misconceptions that
all of us had towards the other person or the
other discipline, or the others view of the
world in general, not always in a negative sense
like a prejudice, but its there and we have to
break it up and get together to a common space.
I was really impressed with the Languages
people. They dont just study the language and we
dont just study maps
I feel that the only real skill that they bring
is the ability to speak Spanish
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Medical and Human Sciences Faculty ProjectThe
Manchester Dental Programme(TMDP)

• Five year integrated enquiry base learning
  curriculum
• Why EBL
• integration, early clinical experience
• benefits to students
• less constraining than PBL
• a coherent learning/teaching style throughout the
  course

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Medical and Human Sciences Faculty ProjectThe
Manchester Dental Programme(TMDP)

• Team leader Iain Mackie (David Bearn up to
  September 2007)
• Aim
• To develop, implement and evaluate EBL practice
  across the five years of the undergraduate
  Bachelor of Dental Surgery Programme in the
  School of Dentistry
• Why?
• Staff concerns - integration of theory
  practice, clinical competence, development of
  transferable skills
• Student concerns - disjointed theoretical and
  clinical aspects
• Both groups - lack of both vertical and
  horizontal integration

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Medical and Human Sciences Faculty ProjectThe
Manchester Dental Programme(TMDP)

• Design Prinicples
• Integration Enquiry Based Learning
  Teamworking
• Design Process
• Five theme teams (vertical integration)
• Five year teams (horizontal integration)
• Each year team member represented a particular
  theme
• Core EBL activities for each year of 80 students
  with matched, clinical and technical skills
  sessions, laboratory classes, WebCT based
  resources

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Medical and Human Sciences Faculty ProjectThe
Manchester Dental Programme(TMDP)

• Five Themes
• Man in Health Disease
• The Mouth in Health Disease
• Clinical competence Patient Management
• Scientific learning and thought
• Teamwork, Communication, ICT Reflective Practice

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YEAR 2 INTEGRATING KNOWLEDGE SKILLS ATTITUDES
1
1
2
3
4
5
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Medical and Human Sciences Faculty ProjectThe
Manchester Dental Programme(TMDP)

• Rolled out years 1 and 4 2006-2007
• Ongoing years 2 and 5 2007-2008
• Planning year 3 2008-2009
• Feedback
• Students positive, particularly with respect to
  integration anticipated negatives with respect
  to PBL
• External Examiners good integration, innovative,
  appropriate
• The purists wont like it!

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Medical and Human Sciences Small
ProjectApplication of chemical knowledge to the
clinical understanding of medicinesDr Sally
Freeman and Ms Mary Sattenstall

• Issue
• perceived lack of relevance - dull chemistry
• compartmentalisation of knowledge - inability to
  apply basic science to the clinical situation
• transferable skills - communication teamwork
  independent learning
• Strategy
• contextualise chemistry
• Activity
• information retrieval and processing
• report and poster
• Outcome
• improved chemistry-specific and generic skills
• concerns re lack of contribution of some group
  members

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Medical and Human Sciences Small
ProjectApplying Chemical Knowledge to Medicine

• Team Sally Freeman Mary Sattenstall
• Aim
• Integrate chemistry and pharmacy
• 10 credit, 1st Year module, 2nd Semester
• 185 students in 30 groups of 5-8
• Single Enquiry
• Importance of chemical properties on the action
  of medicines for chosen therapeutic area

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Medical and Human Sciences Small
ProjectApplying Chemical Knowledge to Medicine

• Introduction to EBL Workshop
• Select therapeutic area medicines
• List key generic chemical properties
• Retrieve chemical properties for medicines
• Present how chemical properties affect
  pharmacological effects of medicines
• Report Poster or Presentation

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Medical and Human Sciences Small
ProjectApplying Chemical Knowledge to Medicine
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Medical and Human Sciences Small
ProjectApplying Chemical Knowledge to Medicine
The EBL exercise enabled us to build on our team
work skills and work together on a project that
enabled us to learn information that is relevant
to pharmacy
Students
a more interactive way of teaching where staff
were able to get to support their students and
get to know them better
Staff
Course Leader
provided 1st year students with an opportunity
to work with each other and hence provide
opportunities for informal peer-support networks
to form
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Plan an EBL activity

• Learning Outcomes
• Delivery Methods
• Resources
• Assessment
• Evaluation

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In conclusion

• We believe that EBL is the most natural, creative
  and enduring method of learning
• EBL is conformable to nature it creates learning
  situations that replicate those encountered by
  people in everyday life.
• It is creative because the spirit of enquiry
  releases the individual and group power of
  learners to seek imaginative responses to
  problems
• It is enduring because autonomous control of
  processes ensures a deep engagement with every
  stage of learning

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Enquiry-Based Learning (EBL) Engaging students
to link theory and practice through their
natural curiosity Centre for Excellence in
Enquiry-Based Learning (CEEBL) www.manchester.ac.
uk/ceebl
Liz Theaker elizabeth.theaker_at_manchester.ac.uk
Senior Clinical Teaching Fellow, School of
Dentistry Faculty Coordinator, CEEBL Norman
Powell norman.powell_at_manchester.ac.uk Research
Associate, CEEBL