Inculcating curiosity: pilot results of an online module to enhance undergraduate intellectual virtue

Abstract

There has recently been a great deal of theoretical interest in the relevance of the intellectual virtues for education, including undergraduate education. This study introduces a novel online module, as part of a larger university-wide initiative, to introduce and potentially inculcate intellectual virtue in students. Using a non-experimental pretest/posttest design, we report pilot results on student satisfaction with the module and gains across several learning outcomes. Using a Bayesian approach, results suggest that the module increases scores on student curiosity, knowledge of virtues, and understanding of their importance to education. Moreover, the data suggest that minority and historically underprivileged subgroups do not experience differential satisfaction with the module. This study thus provides preliminary statistical evidence for scaling up this educational resource. Recommendations for future research are also discussed, with implications for measuring and assessing intellectual virtue, as well as other learning outcomes relevant to higher education. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2021.1919988 .