UBC Reports | Vol. 47 | No. 05 | Mar.
8, 2001
Conference to focus on inquiry-based learning
Approach promotes critical thinking and problem solving
Maximizing the educational experiences of students is the
focus of the
first UBC Learning Conference to be held May 14-15 in the Great Hall
of the First Nations House of Learning and Ponderosa Centre.
Called Bringing the Excitement of Discovery to Student Learning,
the conference
will explore inquiry-based learning strategies in which students'
learning processes
mirror research processes. Effective use of these
strategies encourages
such skills as critical thinking and problem solving in learners.
The conference is sponsored by the Centre for Teaching and Academic Growth
(TAG) and the President's Office.
"The purpose of the conference is to discover what's happening on campus with
regards to inquiry-based learning and find out what's working and how it can be
improved," says conference co-ordinator Ingrid Price.
Participants will have opportunities to learn from each other via a series of
concurrent sessions.
Gary Poole, director of TAG, hopes both proponents and critics of
inquiry-based learning will attend the conference, which will also be open to
students.
The conference will also include keynote addresses from speakers chosen for
their prominence in the area of inquiry-based learning.
Bruce Alberts, president of the National Academy of Sciences and a member of
the Boyer Commission on undergraduate education, is among the
scheduled speakers.
Brief proposals for sessions are welcome from faculty, staff and
students. Proposals should be sent to Ingrid Price, conference coordinator
by fax to 604-822-9826 or e-mail to ingrid.price@ubc.ca by March 9.
For more information on the conference and proposal guidelines
visit www.cstudies.ubc.ca/facdev/UBClearns.
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