Inquiry – INQR 101

Course Description

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Rationale

Inquiry 101 exists to introduce students to the value of research and a basic understanding of scholarship in the life of a University student. By providing undergraduate residential students with a research-centric course experience that emphasizes responsible stewardship of knowledge and information literacy, students will gain an appreciation and understanding of the necessity of inquiry, research, and scholarship in generating and disseminating knowledge, an awareness of research opportunities at the University, an ability to demonstrate information literacy, a basic familiarity with research ethics, and a holistic understanding of research within a biblical worldview. Students will develop an initial level of research self-efficacy while also being prepared to engage the concepts of RSCH 201.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Quizzes: Inquiry 101 Pre-Test and Post-Test

These Tests are designed to measure student knowledge, values, skills, and experiences related to research and scholarship in their programs at the University. The Pre-Test must be taken by the end of Week 1, and the Post-Test must be taken during Week 8’s final course day. Each Test will: be closed-book/closed-notes and will consist of multiple choice and fill-in-the-blanks questions. (CLOs: A, B, C D, E, F, G, H). This assignment aligns with the following FSLOs: CIL 1, 2, and 4; CT 1.

Discussions (3)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will create a thread in response to the provided prompt for each Discussion. Each thread must demonstrate course-related knowledge. In addition to the thread, the student will reply to at least one classmate’s thread. For each Discussion, the initial thread must be 200–300 words and the reply must be 50–200 words. All posts must demonstrate correct, formal writing style. (CLO: A, B, D, E, F, and G;  FSLO: CLI 2 and 4; CT 1, 2, and 5).

Inquiry and Research Library Seminar Assignment

Note: Student attendance is mandatory. This is a required component of the course that involves student attendance at a library workshop. This workshop involves writing and working within the library to select sources that pertain to research topics and provides students with an overview of available scholarly resources. After attending the workshop, students will use the library’s resources to locate various types of sources for their Inquiry Project and submit a one page document (200-400 words) regarding the experience and how it enhances their ability to locate sources regarding their project’s topic. The submission must demonstrate correct, formal writing style. (CLOs: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H). This assignment aligns with the following FSLOs: CLI 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Inquiry Portfolio Project Assignments (6)

This course-long portfolio, developed over multiple weeks, focuses on preparing students to engage a particular research topic while practically utilizing the various steps of the inquiry process. The steps include selection of a research topic, development of a research question, locating various sources for that topic, creating a statement of intent, and preparing to engage a topic through the application of gained information literacy skills.

Note: This project requires the submission of various steps, to be completed over the duration of the course:

1. Weekly Inquiry Project Portfolio Work (completed during weeks 2 through 6).
   1. Each step will require a minimum of 75 words:
      1. Topic Selection
      2. Development of a Research Question
      3. Location of Sources (also requires a template)
      4. Inquiry Process Findings
      5. Statement of Intent
2. Final Submission: Inquiry Project Portfolio Template (completed in week 7).

Any submissions that do not follow the detailed instructions for each step will be subject to automatic failure. (CLOs: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H). This assignment aligns with the following FSLOs: CLI 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5; CT 1, 2, 3, and 5.

Inquiry Portfolio Project: Final Essay Assignment

This project involves both a reflective and practical component. It requires students to discuss their inquiry process along with how they have utilized their scholarly work within their academic experience throughout that semester. Students will discuss how they applied concepts of inquiry, information literacy, and Christian Worldview to a particular topic, along with explaining how the inquiry process has prepared them to engage the topic on a scholarly level. The assignment will be 2-3 pages of written work with a required 500-1000 word count. The submission must demonstrate correct, formal writing style. (CLOs: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H). This assignment aligns with the following FSLOs: CLI 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5; CT 1, 2, 3, and 5.

Quizzes (6)

Weekly Quizzes will cover material from both weekly textbook readings and weekly presentations within Course Content. Each quiz will: be open-book/open-notes; consist of 10 multiple-choice, true/false questions; and have a 1-hour time limit. Quizzes may only be taken once. (CLO: A, B, D, E, F, G, and H; FSLO: CIL 1, 2, and 4; CT 1).

Extra Credit GENED Assessment Test

Students may complete a comprehensive General Education Assessment for extra credit. Questions are drawn from the six foundation skills (Civic & Global Engagement, Communication & Information Literacy, Christianity & Contexts, Critical Thinking, Social & Scientific Inquiry, and Technological Solutions and Quantitative Reasoning). Extra credit point(s) will be awarded for each correct response and will be factored into overall student grades.