Integrating Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) into a Computer Science classroom
Abstract: Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) has been used in classrooms for over twenty-five years. It was initially created to teach introductory chemistry but in the last few years has proliferated into the computing discipline. This paper will describe its integration into an introductory programming course for freshman college students. It will discuss the impact on the students, the classroom, and the instructor. Applying POGIL into the classroom requires care as it is important to allow students to feel free to work in tightly knit groups but requires timely intervention when strong personalities take control of the learning process. The overall experience for the teacher is both challenging and rewarding at it changes the approach of lab work into a structured mechanism whereby facilitation of exercises requires the management of time, discussions, and questions in a carefully structured environment. Students, at times, can find the process both engaging and exhausting and with care this balance can lead to more robust learning of complex concepts.