Guided-Inquiry Learning in Environmental Health

The field of environmental health requires the knowledge of many facts and terms, and it also requires mastery of an array of concepts that can be difficult for many students to thoroughly comprehend. Guided-inquiry learning is a process by which students "discover" basic concepts through active investigation. In this article, the authors describe several guided-inquiry learning modules used in their undergraduate environmental health program and their experience in using them. Some modules are used in professional courses while others are used in a general education course. Overall, the authors experienced increased student engagement and interest with guided-inquiry learning. Students are able to comprehend some abstract concepts more quickly and seem to retain the concepts longer.