The POGIL Project will launch its inaugural issue of the POGIL Activity Clearinghouse (PAC) on Sept. 22.

The PAC was developed by a team of trained POGIL authors and practitioners and is designed to increase the availability of high-quality POGIL activities that incorporate a strong guided-inquiry structure, explicit development of process skills, and are embedded within a well-considered facilitation plan.

Each PAC issue will showcase newly developed student-centered instructional activities at various stages of development including:

• Activity Ideas that are intended to foster collaborations for authoring new materials.
• Activities for Review that have received formative peer feedback based on rubrics developed by The POGIL Project to inform future activity revisions.
• Activities for Testing that have progressed through the rubric feedback stage and require peer feedback from use in classroom by POGIL instructors at a variety of institutional settings.

The goal of this process is to create materials that meet the standards approved by The POGIL Project.

The first issue includes one Activity Idea seeking collaborators interested in developing a POGIL activity on statistical thermodynamics. Additionally, the issues will feature five Activities for Review on topics spanning psychology, microbiology, biochemistry, mathematics, and anatomy & physiology. Finally, two exercise physiology Activities for Testing are included for experienced POGIL practitioners to test in their classrooms.  A summary of the peer-feedback for each activity is posted and highlighs strengths and suggestions for improvements. The PAC committee hopes both new and experienced POGIL authors will find this transparent feedback process instructive for the authorship of new materials.

Sean Garrett-Roe (University of Pittsburgh), a member of The POGIL Project Steering Committee and a former chair of the PAC committee said, “Authors of activities don’t have to feel alone anymore. We now have an infrastructure to help them connect with each other and get the feedback and support they need to create great activities for students.”

The PAC will post the next issue of activities in Spring 2021, and expects to follow a schedule of three issues a year - fall, spring, and summer. All authors interested in submitting activities to the PAC will need to attend a Collaborative Peer Feedback Workshop. Details can be found on the POGIL website.