Centers For Inquiry-based Learning
Established at Four Major Universities
Four centers have been funded by the Educational Advancement Foundation to support IBL activities.1 Help has been provided by certain key individuals along with substantial “in-kind” support from each of the four universities.
The two main goals (both achievable by sequences of extensive IBL courses) are the maximum development of each person’s ability:
- to teach, and
- to do research.
The ability to teach well and to do research (from problem solving through creative, original work) is optimized by each student experiencing the IBL course sequence; i.e.: “Learning by Doing”.
Many studies confirm that active engagement is an important key to learning – two of the most recent are published by the National Academies Press. 2 IBL has proven to be an effective way to stimulate active student engagement.
The professors personally involved in teaching and managing at these locations are listed with contact information.
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Professor Ralf Spatzier –Spatzier#umich.edu;
734-763-3269
UM
Center for Inquiry Based Learning
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
Professor Dianne Herrmann – diane#math.uchicago.edu:
773-702-7332
Professor Paul Sally – sally#math.uchicago.edu;
773-702-7331
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA 2 National Academies Press
(http://www.nap.edu)
Professor Michael Starbird –Starbird#math.utexas.edu;
512-471-5156
Inquiry Based
Learning Project
Center for Mathematical Inquiry
Professor Jeffrey Stopple –Stopple#math.ucsb.edu;
805-893-2179
Professor Bill Jacob – Jacob#math.ucsb.edu;
805-893-8048
UCSB Department
of Mathematics Center for Mathematical Inquiry