SoTL research is often instigated and directed by the instructors or facilitators who are responsible for a given course, program, seminar, or workshop. The facilitators, or sometimes an outside person is the researcher, while the students are the subjects. Even in participatory action research, the learners are still primarily treated as subjects. Recently, the author designed and delivered a graduate level course where the entire course design became the subject of a co-operative inquiry. In co-operative inquiry, “members of the group contribute both to the ideas that go into their work together, and also are part of the activity that is being researched. Everyone has a say in deciding what questions are to be addressed and what ideas may be of help; everyone contributes to thinking about how to explore the questions; everyone gets involved in the activity that is being researched; and finally everybody has a say in whatever conclusions the co-operative inquiry group may reach. So in co-operative inquiry the split between 'researcher' and 'subjects' is done away with, and all those involved act together as 'co-researchers' and as 'co-subjects'. “(Heron, 1992).In other words the learners are also the researchers alongside the instructor. This presentation is intended to outline the methodology known as co-operative inquiry, to briefly report on the author’s experiences with this approach in a graduate level Education class, and to solicit collaborators in pursuing possible opportunities to explore this approach further in undergraduate courses.

1. Informing
Pedagogy Through
Co-operative
Inquiry
Calls for Collaboration, Triangulation, and
Development
Katrin
Becker
Sat. 8:30-9:30
Katrin Becker
SoTL- 2013
1

2. Overview
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Katrin Becker
Who AM I?
The Usual Scenario
What is Co-operative Inquiry?
How Might We Proceed?
One Case
Lessons Learned
Call to Action
Resources
SoTL- 2013
2

3. Who Am I?
Katrin
Becker,
PhD
Katrin Becker
SoTL- 2013
3

4. Group 1:
Group 2:
Group 3:
Group 4:
Group 5:
Reports On
Particular Classes
Reflections On
Years Of Teaching
Experience,
Implicitly Or
Explicitly Informed
By Other
Scholarship On
Teaching
Larger Contexts:
Comparisons Of
Courses &
Comparisons Of
Student Change
Across Time
Formal Research
Summaries And
Analyses Of Sets Of
Prior Studies
A. It worked!
D. Essays
Developing Good
Ideas
G. Qualitative
Studies Designed
To Explore A Key
Issue.
J. Experimental
Analyses
K. Annotated
Bibliographies.
B. Before & After:
Qualitative
Assessments Of
Changes In
Practice.
C. Before & After:
Quantitative
Assessments Of
Changes In
Practice.
Katrin Becker
E. Summaries Of
Expert Knowledge
Gained By SelfReflection And
Experimentation In
Ones Own
Teaching.
F. Integration Of
Larger Frameworks
With Classroom &
Curriculum
Practice
H. Quantitative
Comparisons Of
Different Courses
Or Sections
I. Comparisons Of
A Wide Array Of
Different Courses
Using A Common
Assessment
Instrument.
L. Brief, Annotated
Summaries Of Key
Findings In The
Research
Literature.
M. Formal
(Quantitative)
Meta-Analyses
Genres of SoTL
Credit: Craig E. Nelson, Professor Emeritus of Biology, Indiana University
SoTL- 2013
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5. Where I do Most of My Work
Group 1:
Group 2:
Group 3:
Group 4:
Group 5:
Reports On
Particular Classes
Reflections On
Years Of Teaching
Experience,
Implicitly Or
Explicitly Informed
By Other
Scholarship On
Teaching
Larger Contexts:
Comparisons Of
Courses &
Comparisons Of
Student Change
Across Time
Formal Research
Summaries And
Analyses Of Sets Of
Prior Studies
A. It worked!
D. Essays
Developing Good
Ideas
G. Qualitative
Studies Designed
To Explore A Key
Issue.
J. Experimental
Analyses
K. Annotated
Bibliographies.
B. Before & After:
Qualitative
Assessments Of
Changes In
Practice.
C. Before & After:
Quantitative
Assessments Of
Changes In
Practice.
Katrin Becker
E. Summaries Of
Expert Knowledge
Gained By SelfReflection And
Experimentation In
Ones Own
Teaching.
F. Integration Of
Larger Frameworks
With Classroom &
Curriculum
Practice
H. Quantitative
Comparisons Of
Different Courses
Or Sections
I. Comparisons Of
A Wide Array Of
Different Courses
Using A Common
Assessment
Instrument.
L. Brief, Annotated
Summaries Of Key
Findings In The
Research
Literature.
M. Formal
(Quantitative)
Meta-Analyses
Genres of SoTL
Credit: Craig E. Nelson, Professor Emeritus of Biology, Indiana University
SoTL- 2013
5

6. Situating Co-operative Inquiry in SoTL
Group 1:
Group 2:
Group 3:
Group 4:
Group 5:
Reports On
Particular Classes
Reflections On
Years Of Teaching
Experience,
Implicitly Or
Explicitly Informed
By Other
Scholarship On
Teaching
Larger Contexts:
Comparisons Of
Courses &
Comparisons Of
Student Change
Across Time
Formal Research
Summaries And
Analyses Of Sets Of
Prior Studies
A. It worked!
D. Essays
Developing Good
Ideas
G. Qualitative
Studies Designed
To Explore A Key
Issue.
J. Experimental
Analyses
K. Annotated
Bibliographies.
B. Before & After:
Qualitative
Assessments Of
Changes In
Practice.
C. Before & After:
Quantitative
Assessments Of
Changes In
Practice.
Katrin Becker
E. Summaries Of
Expert Knowledge
Gained By SelfReflection And
Experimentation In
Ones Own
Teaching.
F. Integration Of
Larger Frameworks
With Classroom &
Curriculum
Practice
H. Quantitative
Comparisons Of
Different Courses
Or Sections
I. Comparisons Of
A Wide Array Of
Different Courses
Using A Common
Assessment
Instrument.
L. Brief, Annotated
Summaries Of Key
Findings In The
Research
Literature.
M. Formal
(Quantitative)
Meta-Analyses
Genres of SoTL
Credit: Craig E. Nelson, Professor Emeritus of Biology, Indiana University
SoTL- 2013
6

7. The Usual Scenario
image: mediwiki: Evelyn Simak
image source: http://www.trialanderroracres.com/
Katrin Becker
SoTL- 2013
7

8. The Usual Scenario
image: mediwiki: Evelyn Simak
image source: http://www.trialanderroracres.com/
• Instigated and directed by the instructors
or facilitators responsible for course.
Katrin Becker
SoTL- 2013
8

9. The Usual Scenario
image: mediwiki: Evelyn Simak
image source: http://www.trialanderroracres.com/
• Instigated and directed by the instructors
or facilitators responsible for course.
• Outside researcher.
Katrin Becker
SoTL- 2013
9

10. The Usual Scenario
image: mediwiki: Evelyn Simak
image source: http://www.trialanderroracres.com/
• Instigated and directed by the instructors
or facilitators responsible for course.
• Outside researcher.
• The students are the subjects.
Katrin Becker
SoTL- 2013
10

11. What is Co-Operative Inquiry?
All Members
• Contribute to work
• Are participants in the activity
Heron, 1992
Katrin Becker
SoTL- 2013
11

12. What is Co-Operative Inquiry?
Everyone:
•
•
•
•
Has a say in
• Deciding what questions are to
be addressed.
• What ideas may be of help.
Contributes to thinking about how to
explore the questions.
Gets involved in the activity that is being
researched.
Has a say in whatever conclusions the
co-operative inquiry group may reach.
Heron, 1992
Katrin Becker
SoTL- 2013
12

13. What is Co-Operative Inquiry?
So in co-operative inquiry
the split between
'researcher' and 'subjects'
is done away with,
and all those involved
act together as
'co-researchers' and as 'co-subjects'.
Katrin Becker
SoTL- 2013
Heron, 1992
13

14. Participatory
Action
Research
Co-Operative Inquiry is a form of PAR.
Chevalier, J. M. and Buckles, D. J. (2013) Participatory Action
Research: Theory and Methods for Engaged Inquiry, Routledge UK
Katrin Becker
SoTL- 2013
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15. Participatory
Action
Research
Co-Operative Inquiry is a form of PAR.
The learners are
still primarily
treated as
subjects.
Chevalier, J. M. and Buckles, D. J. (2013) Participatory Action
Research: Theory and Methods for Engaged Inquiry, Routledge UK
Katrin Becker
SoTL- 2013
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16. What roles do the students play?
All Members
• Contribute to work
• Are participants in the activity
Heron, 1992
Katrin Becker
SoTL- 2013
16

17. What roles do the students play?
All Members
• Contribute to work maybe
• Are participants in the activity
Heron, 1992
Katrin Becker
SoTL- 2013
17

18. What roles do the students play?
All Members
• Contribute to work maybe
• Are participants in the activity
Heron, 1992
Katrin Becker
SoTL- 2013
18

19. What roles do the students play?
Learner:
•
•
•
•
Has a say in
• Deciding what questions are to
be addressed.
• What ideas may be of help.
Contributes to thinking about how to
explore the questions.
Gets involved in the activity that is being
researched.
Has a say in whatever conclusions the
co-operative inquiry group may reach.
Heron, 1992
Katrin Becker
SoTL- 2013
19

20. What roles do the students play?
Learner:
•
•
•
•
Has a say in
• Deciding what questions are to
be addressed.
• What ideas may be of help.
Contributes to thinking about how to
explore the questions.
Gets involved in the activity that is being
researched.
Has a say in whatever conclusions the
co-operative inquiry group may reach.
Heron, 1992
Katrin Becker
SoTL- 2013
20

21. What roles do the students play?
Learner:
•
•
•
•
Katrin Becker
Has a say in
• Deciding what questions are to
be addressed.
• What ideas may be of help.
(maybe)
Contributes to thinking about how to
explore the questions.
Gets involved in the activity that is being
researched.
Has a say in whatever conclusions the
co-operative inquiry group may reach.
SoTL- 2013
Heron, 1992
21

22. What roles do the students play?
Learner:
•
•
•
•
Katrin Becker
Has a say in
• Deciding what questions are to
be addressed.
• What ideas may be of help.
(maybe)
Contributes to thinking about how to
explore the questions. (maybe)
Gets involved in the activity that is being
researched.
Has a say in whatever conclusions the
co-operative inquiry group may reach.
SoTL- 2013
Heron, 1992
22

23. What roles do the students play?
Learner:
•
•
•
•
Katrin Becker
Has a say in
• Deciding what questions are to
be addressed.
• What ideas may be of help.
(maybe)
Contributes to thinking about how to
explore the questions. (maybe)
Gets involved in the activity that is being
researched.
Has a say in whatever conclusions the
co-operative inquiry group may reach.
SoTL- 2013
Heron, 1992
23

24. What roles do the students play?
Learner:
•
•
•
•
Katrin Becker
Has a say in
• Deciding what questions are to
be addressed.
• What ideas may be of help.
(maybe)
Contributes to thinking about how to
explore the questions. (maybe)
Gets involved in the activity that is being
researched.
Has a say in whatever conclusions the
co-operative inquiry group may reach.
SoTL- 2013
Heron, 1992
24

25. My Proposal
Include
the
Students
as Equal Partners
in Inquiry
Katrin Becker
SoTL- 2013
25

26. How Might We Proceed?
Need to address:
• Ethics issues.
• What kinds of questions can we explore
this way?
Katrin Becker
SoTL- 2013
26

27. One Case
• Master's Level Education Course
• Course Topic: Digital Game-Based
Learning (DGBL)
• Taught summer 2012 & winter 2013
• ~ 35 participants
• Reason for Inquiry:
• Experimental Gamified Design
Katrin Becker
SoTL- 2013
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28. One Case
• Students were teachers.
• Proposed Co-operative Inquiry 1/2-way
through course.
Katrin Becker
SoTL- 2013
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29. Lessons Learned
•
•
•
Katrin Becker
More Support / Direction
Advance Preparation
• decide on research questions / direction
• prepare means of data collection
• provide multiple ways to participate
• template for publications
Not Suitable for Novice Learners
SoTL- 2013
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30. What does it look like?
•
•
•
•
•
Katrin Becker
Still one P.I. (lead)
Onboarding
Ethics
Data Gathering
Dissemination
SoTL- 2013
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31. Call to Action
Who's Interested?
Katrin Becker
Adjunct, Computer Science & Information Systems
Mount Royal University
kbecker@mtroyal.ca
Katrin Becker
SoTL- 2013
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32. Resources
• Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (2000). Handbook of qualitative
research (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications.
• Heron, J. (1992). Feeling and Personhood: psychology in another
key. London: Sage.
• Jan, P. (2013). A New Scholarship of Classroom-based, Open,
Communal Inquiry. Teaching and Learning Inquiry: The ISSOTL
Journal, 1(1), 23-33.
• MacDonald, C. (2012). Understanding Participatory Action Research:
A Qualitative Research Methodology Option. [Article]. Canadian
Journal of Action Research, 13(2), 34-50.
• Peer, K., & Martin, M. (2005). The leaner-centered syllabus: From
theory to practice in allied health education. The Internet Journal of
Allied Health Sciences and Practice, 3(2).
• Richlin, L. (2006). Blueprint for learning : constructing college
courses to facilitate, assess, and document learning (1st ed.).
Sterling, Va.: Stylus Pub.
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