This report presents the conclusions of research to investigate and assess the role and the potential of inquiry-based learning (IBL) in Theology Religious Studies and Biblical Studies (TRS).
In 2007/8 the Subject Centre for Philosophical and Religious Studies (SC for PRS) collaborated on this research project with the Centre for Inquiry-based Learning in the Arts and Social Sciences (CILASS CETL). The SC for PRS' interest in IBL emerges in part from an earlier study which it commissioned on pedagogical research in the context of TRS.3 It is the view of both CILASS and the SC for PRS that learning through inquiry-that is through self-directed research with the support of academic and other staff-is a powerful and exciting way for students to develop both subject knowledge and a range of essential skills. The SC for PRS believes that IBL is a highly appropriate pedagogy for TRS where the potential for truly innovative work by learners and teachers alike is considerable.
This research has reflected on this potential by mapping IBL activities in case study TRS communities and consulting the existing body of literature on IBL particularly as it relates to the arts and humanities. This report and the workshop which also formed part of the research project draw conclusions based on this research which will contribute to a shared understanding of the potential and challenges associated with the practice of IBL in TRS thus developing capacity to establish innovative approaches to IBL in this discipline. The SC for PRS also believes that the existing approaches to IBL in TRS departments which are detailed in this report are sustainable and transferable to different disciplines including philosophy. We also look towards a future role for this research in informing other work on disciplinary differences in IBL at CILASS and beyond.
