Criteria for selection of issues

-Investigable (not necessarily empirical)
-Bounded and well-defined
-Significant (not necessarily statistically)

Considerations for investigation of issues

-Length of time needed
-Complexity of procedures
-Availability of subjects
-Availability of support (resources, personnel, funds)

Questions can involve investigation of issues rather than achievement of goals; e.g. “How do students who do not meet prerequisites fare compared to those who do?

In Opening Lines (Unit 2 B, page 19), Mills Kelly describes how his department chair framed Mills’ question by asking, “How do you know that using the Web as opposed to depending on paper (the way most of us have taught history) is transforming student learning – and, if so, whether for good or for ill?” Other types of questions like “What does the current learning environment for students in my course look like to them?” , “How do they perceive my instruction?” or “How do students who yield evidence of deep understanding in my course, gain that level of understanding?” can lead to investigative studies.