Meaningful Inquiry

University Libraries and Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC)

In this evidence-based endorsement, participants will learn about persistent racial and social class equity gaps in higher education and consider the ways in which a common practice – the research assignment – may contribute to those gaps. Using an equity framework, participants will learn practical strategies for designing meaningful and equitable research assignments and transparently communicating expectations for performance. Topics to be covered include information literacy, Decoding the Disciplines, Transparency in Learning & Teaching (TILT), student motivation to learn, and asset-based pedagogies.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this endorsement, participants should be able to:

  • to describe the potential relationships, both positive and negative, between racial and social class equity gaps, student performance/success, and inquiry-based (research) assignments.    
  • to describe the information literacy threshold concepts, as well as the behaviors and mindsets related to information literacy.    
  • to apply the Decoding the Disciplines and Transparency in Learning & Teaching (TILT) to their teaching, including course and assignment design, with the goal of creating inclusive and equitable learning environments and enhancing student learning.    
  • to identify practical ways in which instructors can design equitable inquiry-based assignments to increase students’ motivation to learn and academic engagement.
Participation Requirements

Participants must register for and complete the Meaningful Inquiry workshop, which is offered 2-3 times a year. The in-person workshop is 2.5 days (15 hours total), and the virtual workshop is mostly asynchronous but has a required synchronous group discussion component (5 hours total).

The modules consist of content related to the learning outcomes, as well as multiple activities that require participants to apply or reflect upon what they are learning. There are homework assignments after each module, in which participants will apply or reflect on what they have learned or ask them to consider questions related to what they will be learning in the next module. The fifth and final module includes a structured activity designed to help participants work through how they could implement what they have learned in their course(s), as well as time to share their progress with their peers.

For more information on this program, please contact Amanda Folk at folk.68@osu.edu.

 

Option A: Self-Paced Workshop

For this option, participants complete modules in a self-paced CarmenCanvas course and participate in a combination of required and elective synchronous online workshops. To complete this endorsement option, participants must:

  • Complete the four-module Carmen course, including participation in each of the discussion boards
    • To enroll in the course, please fill out this form
  • Participate in two required online workshops:
    • Motivating through Meaningful
    • TILTing Research Assignments
  • Participate in two elective workshops related to the Meaningful Inquiry learning outcomes
  • Submit an action plan and goal-mapping activity and participation log to the facilitation team.

 

To find Ohio State workshops that qualify for Meaningful Inquiry credit, including information about the two required workshops, please visit the Meaningful Inquiry website. On that site, you should find a page outlining required and elective workshop offerings for the current semester. This page will be dynamic and additional information may be added throughout the semester. If you are interested in one of the information literacy-related workshops offered by Jane Hammons but are not able to attend synchronously, please reach out to us at LIB-Teach@osu.edu as an asynchronous alternative might be available. Also, if you attend a synchronous workshop that you think should qualify as an elective, please reach out to Amanda Folk with a description of the workshop and how it connects to the Meaningful Inquiry learning outcomes. Please visit the Meaningful Inquiry site to see upcoming required and elective offerings.

Estimated Time to Completion: 14 hours

 

Option B: In-Person Workshop

Participants must register for and participate in the majority of the 2.5-day, 5-module workshop. This option is typically offered once a year, usually in August.

The modules consist of content related to the learning outcomes, as well as multiple activities that require participants to apply or reflect upon what they are learning. There are post-workshop activities in several modules that participants can choose to complete on their own. The fifth and final module includes a structured activity designed to help participants work through how they could implement what they have learned in the workshop in their course(s), as well as time to share their progress with their peers.

To receive notification of upcoming in-person workshop offerings, please join the Meaningful Inquiry mailing list at https://go.osu.edu/meaningfulinquiry

Estimated Time to Completion: 15 hours

 

Option C: Virtual Cohort-Based Workshop

This is a 5-module workshop that is typically offered during a defined period of time, such as over the course of 2 to 5 weeks. This will be offered on an ad hoc and infrequent basis, though we will consider offering it on-demand to groups of instructors who are interested in this option. Participation in all of the asynchronous discussion boards and the majority of the 5 synchronous group discussions qualifies as completion, as well as submission of an action plan and goal-mapping activity to the facilitation team.

This offering has asynchronous material in Carmen but also has a synchronous group discussion for each of the 5 modules. The fifth and final module includes a structured activity designed to help participants work through how they could implement what they have learned in the workshop in their course(s), as well as time to share their progress with their peers.

To receive notification of upcoming virtual workshop offerings, please join the Meaningful Inquiry mailing list at https://go.osu.edu/meaningfulinquiry

Estimated Time to Completion: 15 hours

 

VERIFICATION OF PARTICIPATION

The final teaching endorsement application will require you to upload a completion of criteria certificate obtained from University Libraries.

Required Hours
14-15 hours