Creative Inquiry

• Students can use CI research experiences to set them apart when applying for future education programs or careers.
• Participants in a collaborative research experience will have spent one semester or more in intense study, gaining experience in research methods, earning college credit, and producing a body of work for publication and/or presentation on or off campus.
• Students learn to think critically and develop skills such as problem solving, teamwork, media literacy, and effective communication that will help them in their chosen careers or prepare for a university transfer destination.

CI supports immersive, credit-based scholarly and creative pursuits in any field of study.

• GTC students will be ready to join undergraduate research programs at the junior and senior level at their transfer destination with confidence.
• GTC students pursuing career-related research in CI apply their knowledge from project development to end product, which develops critical-thinking skills highly valued in the business environment.

CI is open to all currently enrolled students. Because CI courses require independent work, the following guidelines are highly recommended for participation:

• Completion of 24 credit hours or more
• Cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher
• No previous unsuccessful completions (D, F, or W) in the subject area of the CI course. If the student has a W, the student must submit a letter of appeal to the chair of the CI Advisory Committeedetailing the circumstance. The CI Advisory Committee will make the final acceptance decision.
• No record with the dean of students
• Two letters of recommendation from former instructors, submitted to the chair of the CI Advisory Committee
• Student’s focus meets with instructor’s research focus

In addition, faculty members may have their own guidelines of accepting students into their CI courses.

CI students spend a semester delving into a subject area of interest while earning three credit hours. Many times the spark comes from listening to instructors speak about their particular area of expertise, maybe during class or even after. Something instructors mention causes the wheels to turn in the students' minds, and students realize that they would really like to learn more. Not only can students learn more, but in the CI program, they can work one-on-one with a faculty member guiding their research.

Students interested in this type of independent study need to discuss their options to participate with a faculty member in the area of study. GTC offers CI courses in all academic divisions:

• AHS 299 Research in Health Sciences
• BIO 299 Research in the Biological Sciences
• BUS 299 Research in Business
• CHM 299 Research in Chemistry
• EGR 299 Applied Research in the Technical Fields
• ENG 298 Research in English
• HSS 298 Research in the Humanities
• MEC 299 Research in Advanced Mechatronics
• MTT 299 Research in Advanced CNC
• NUR 299 Research in Nursing
• PSY 299 Research in Psychology
• SOC 299 Research in Sociology