Quality Enhancement Plan:
Experiential Inquiry and Research
Rice University
Reaffirmation of Accreditation
November, 2015
Co-chairs
Maria Oden
Bob Stein
Office of Institutional Effectiveness
Stephanie Post
QEP Planning Committee
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Maria Oden (Co-chair), Engineering
Robert Stein (Co-chair), Political Science
Kathleen Beckingham, Biosciences
Janet Braam, Biosciences
Holli Clements, Director of External
Affairs, School of Music
Lynn Fahey, Graduate Student Association
Jeffrey Fleisher, Anthropology
Rob Griffin, Civil and Environmental
Engineering
Rosemary Hennessy, English
Matthias Henze, Religion
John Hutchinson, Dean of Undergraduates
Steve Lewis, Senior Fellow, Associate
Director Chao Center for Asian Studies
Amanda Macune, Kinder Institute for
Urban Research
Ipek Martinez, Associate Dean, School of
Social Sciences
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Seiichi Matsuda, Dean Of Graduate &
Postdoctoral Studies
Gia Merlo, Vice Dean For Health
Professions
Jake Nyquist, Student Association
Caroline Quenemoen, Executive Director,
Center for Civic Leadership
Matt Taylor, Associate Vice Provost for
Academic Affairs, Associate Dean of
Undergraduates
Madhuri Venkateswar, Student
Association
Ron Witte, Architecture
Jie Wu, Kinder Institute for Urban
Research
Stephanie Post , Office of Institutional
Effectiveness
John Cornwell, ex officio, Office of
Institutional Effectiveness
Overview
The goal of the QEP is to expand and enhance
experiential inquiry and research* opportunities
for Rice undergraduates and to provide training
opportunities for graduate students.
*Research is broadly defined to include research, design, and
other forms of creative work as appropriate within each
discipline.
Definition of
Experiential Inquiry and Research
Experiential Inquiry is a creative and reflective process
where students learn a hands-on approach to examining
and investigating open-ended, authentic questions
through discovery-based methods. Students are taught to
explore content knowledge in unfamiliar areas. They
learn the processes, skills and tools necessary to
rigorously and objectively inquire about challenges in
their topic of interest. With these experience-based skills
and knowledge, they can address questions or challenges
as defined by their academic discipline. Ultimately,
students will actively pursue solutions to these openended, authentic challenges and will produce a tangible
work product such as a report, journal article,
composition, performance, or prototype.
Experiential Inquiry QEP Program
Pathway for undergraduates in each discipline to participate in research
Experiential
Inquiry
Courses
Provide students the
scaffolding necessary
to conduct research
Experiential Research
Courses and
Opportunities
Work
Product
Students take the skills they
have acquired in inquiry
phase and participate in an
authentic research project • Journal article
• Freshman/sophomore
school-based project courses • Full course(s) topic focused
• Research with faculty
• New or existing course(s)
• Co-curricular/Center based
topic focused
projects
• Module in existing course
Graduate Fellows: Trained to Support Courses
•
•
•
•
•
Report
Poster
Composition
Performance or
Final Prototype
Learning outcomes
Undergraduate Students
• Identify a course plan that prepares them for and
leads to experiential research opportunities.
• Acquire rigorous, discipline-specific inquiry skills.
• Apply theories or construct models to explore, address,
and/or solve open-ended, authentic questions or
problems.
• Enhanced communication skills to present their work
effectively to diverse audiences.
Graduate Students
• Acquire pedagogical knowledge and skills concerning
experiential inquiry and research