Conduct an Inquiry

If you've found this, it means you're ready to begin your learning and assessment project for conducting an inquiry for developing a digital outcome. 

If you're Year 12 you'll be conducting an inquiry to propose a digital technologies outcome. Your work will be assessed against Achievement Standard AS91890.

If you're Year 13 you'll be conducting a critical inquiry to propose a digital technologies outcome. Your work will be assessed against Achievement Standard AS91900.

This guide will take you through all you need to know. So let's get started. 

Kath Murdoch's Inquiry Cycle

Inquiry is quite simply an investigation into a problem, issue, topic or idea. Through this investigation you gain a lot of new knowledge which will ultimately allow you to make conclusions and "take action". It's essentially a framework to support thinking and understanding. 

While it sounds big and fancy, I think that actually inquiry is just the natural stages of human curiosity, what we go through to learn about something, to become better at something, and to achieve something new and exciting. 

Watch the video below, then the excerpt for this one...

https://youtu.be/qdygXq27WvY?si=VlmXaSvc5acWCfC2&t=234

Why is Inquiry important?

An Inquiry helps with the following:

Deep understanding: At the heart of inquiry is developing your understanding through research and the consideration of different viewpoints and ideas. This makes it much more likely that the end result will be successful and useful.

Clarity of Purpose: It helps to clearly define the research objectives, questions, and hypotheses, ensuring that the researcher (and stakeholders) are aligned on the purpose of the study.

Resource Planning: It allows for the estimation of the resources required, including time, budget, and personnel, which is crucial for effective project management. 

Ethical Considerations: It addresses ethical considerations and implications and ensures that the research (and the project that emerges from it) will be conducted in an ethical manner.

Feasibility Assessment: It provides an opportunity to assess the feasibility of a project, helping you know what you need to know and be able to do before you dive in.