Inquiry Learning: Level, Discipline, Class Size, What Matters?

Inquiry learning is a pedagogical approach that focuses on the processes and skills required to conduct research. It is a pedagogical approach that has been demonstrated to have positive learning outcomes. McMaster University has been committed to this form of learning for more than ten years in three of the faculties on campus (i.e., Humanities, Science and Social Sciences). This commitment has been in the creation of stand-alone, small class size first year inquiry classes. The current research, involving document analysis of 545 course outlines from the Faculty of Social Sciences demonstrates that inquiry learning is concentrated in first and fourth year primarily with modest amounts in second and third year courses. Results reveal cross-discipline variation. Some disciplines exhibit higher levels of inquiry (i.e., Social Work, Labour Studies and Political Science) than others (i.e., Gerontology, Geography and Anthropology). Although inquiry was more likely to occur in small classes there were examples of inquiry learning in classes with more than 250 students

Hearing Aid Attribute & Feature Importance Evaluation (HAFIE) questionnaire

HAFIE questionnair

Development and initial evaluation of the Hearing Aid Attribute and Feature Importance Evaluation (HAFIE) questionnaire

Objectives: To develop and validate a novel questionnaire aimed at providing a structured, evidence-based methodology for hearing aid recommendation and selection using self-reported importance ratings for different modern hearing aid features. Design: The initial questionnaire items were created through a concept mapping approach that involved input from hearing aid users. Hearing care professional focus groups (n¼10) were conducted to assess questionnaire content and design, and to guide modifications. Validation of this initial 34-item version of the questionnaire was conducted using an anonymous online survey tool (Qualtrics). Exploratory factor analysis was used to assess the factor structure of the dataset, using principal axis factoring. Questionnaire reliability and inter-item correlation were assessed. Items with low factor loading and high cross-loading were removed. Study sample: Two hundred and eighteen adult participants with a self-reported hearing loss (median age ¼ 48 years, range ¼ 18–95 years) completed the questionnaire. Results: Analysis and item removal resulted in a 28-item questionnaire. Three factors were identified, dividing the hearing aid features into the subscales: “Advanced connectivity & streaming”, “Physical attributes & usability”, and “Sound quality & intelligibility”. Conclusion: This study has resulted in a patient-oriented questionnaire that allows clinicians to gather patient input in a structured manner