This paper outlines a new approach that permits the use of an inquiry-based style of learning while still meeting the requirements typical of a more traditional lecture and content-based format. The students are informed of the overall course objectives and given the freedom to choose how they will meet these goals. The goals and outcomes of the course or unit are described in detail using a rubric; a large set of problems to solve is collected or created, and the solutions to the problems are analyzed and mapped onto the course rubric. By providing students with this very large set of pre-analyzed problems from which to choose, it is possible to permit learners a great deal of freedom. The mechanism for verifiable accountability is created through the mapping of the solutions onto the course rubric. This design was used in a first-year single semester course in the fall of 2003, and a preliminary assessment of this method’s viability is provided.
