Inquiry-based learning in the remote learning sphere

: an education 4.0 response to the emergency remote teaching challenges

Abstract

The term 4.0 was presented at the “Hannover Fair” (Germany) in 2011, as a transfiguring concept of Industry, Education, and Information operations. Currently, looking at education, the acceleration of the technology integration process is an inevitable consequence of the constraints associated with the recent pandemic situation. Thus, the opportunity arises to deepen the study of the harmonization of digital transformation in education to the challenges posed by emergency remote teaching. This study aims to measure and characterize the consequences of the abrupt transition to a fully online system, articulating “Inquiry-based Learning (IBL)” solutions to the emerging concept of “platformization” of education. This purpose forces us to evaluate innovative alternatives to respond to the reduction in levels of communication, personalization, engagement, and knowledge retention, namely through the conceptualization of an institutional digital platform for sharing/consumption of explanatory videos. This study uses a triangulation approach of quantitative and qualitative data to generate assumptions about students' perceptions of remote learning, IBL and the “platformization” of education. The sample is composed of 18 Portuguese higher education students, to allow for a more in-depth and detailed study. Results confirm the drop in the levels of communication, engagement, and knowledge retention in the remote regime, highlighting benefits inherent to autonomous/collaborative research, supported by positive inferences on the conceptualized digital platform in order to counteract academic isolation.

Date of Award	13 Jul 2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Jorge Julião (Supervisor) & Marcelo Gaspar (Co-Supervisor)