Using POGIL (Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning) In A LowerLevel STEM Course

Abstract

POGIL (Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning; POGIL.org) is a constructivist  technique based on group work oriented around a model. The learning objectives in a POGIL-based course include process-oriented objectives such as working in groups and interpreting figures and models. POGIL activities lead the group to become oriented to the model, to utilize deductive reasoning about the model, and then engage in inductive reasoning applying learning from the model to clinical situations. I utilized POGIL in a medium-sized classroom of typically first-year STEM (Anatomy and Physiology I and II) students for 6 semesters in another institutional context. Approximately half of the content was presented through POGIL and the other half through active lecture. Here I compare the performance of the same students on exam questions either covered in POGIL or through active lecture. Discussion includes whether POGIL would be applicable to George Mason University.  Participants will be able to discern whether constructivist activities such as POGIL have a significant improvement over active-learning lectures in lower level STEM courses.