Using an inquiry-based learning approach to support engagement with information and scholarship in health care education

Abstract

Health care professionals, be they researchers, clinicians or educators, routinely face the need to find and apply best evidence in the context of complex situations. In order to navigate an increasingly large body of evidence advanced information literacy skills are required. More than simply a set of skills, information literacy is an approach that makes possible all other professional activities and goals in evidence-based practice (EBP). The Association for College and Research Libraries (ACRL) recognized this by shifting focus from information literacy competencies to overarching ideas or frames. While it is unlikely that healthcare organizations and accreditation bodies will rescind specific competencies, it is important for educators to recognise and explore the overarching ideas identified by the ACRL Framework, and perhaps identify and engage with other foundational ideas unique to healthcare. Workshops and lectures that teach linear strategies using easy-to-teach examples do not teach skills that students can easily apply to real and complex scenarios requiring critical thinking and iterative strategies. The use of pedagogical approaches such as inquiry-based learning (IBL) have historically been useful in this regard. We have successfully used IBL at the McGill Ingram School of Nursing to teach EBP competencies and engage with higher-level concepts.