Designing for Curiosity: How Physics Taught Me to Build Inquiry-Driven Courses

Designing for Curiosity

After thirty years of teaching physics and a decade as an instructional designer, I’ve come to realize that curiosity, not content, is the true engine of learning. Physics has always been my favorite laboratory for exploring how people make sense of the world. Over time, I’ve discovered that the same laws that explain motion and energy also apply to how students engage and grow. Whether I’m helping students visualize Newton’s laws or supporting faculty with course redesign, my goal remains the same: to design experiences that spark curiosity and invite discovery.

From Falling Apples to Learning Moments

In my early years of teaching, I noticed that students rarely remembered formulas until they saw them come to life. So I stopped leading with theory and started leading with experiments—dropping objects, swinging pendulums, and using online simulations to help concepts take shape. Those moments of surprise—when something behaves differently than expected—are where curiosity begins.

As an instructional designer, I apply that same principle. A great course doesn’t start with objectives on a slide; it starts with a question that makes learners lean in. Inquiry isn’t a buzzword—it’s the force that sets learning in motion.

Curiosity as the Driving Force

In physics, every motion requires a force. In learning, that force is curiosity.Designing for curiosity means crafting challenges that make learners want to know more. Instead of leading with information, I ask: What problem will make students curious enough to seek understanding?

Questions like:

• “Why does an ultrasound show some tissues better than others?”

• “How do we know the universe is expanding?”

• “What happens if we remove friction—from physics or from life?”

Each question becomes a force that propels learning forward.

Lessons from the Lab

Years in the physics lab taught me to value experimentation and iteration. Students learned best when they could test, fail, and refine their thinking. Today, I design courses the same way—structured enough to support learning, but open enough to encourage exploration.

Whether it’s a case study, a simulation, or a reflective prompt, I see every well-designed course as a learning lab—a safe space to experiment with ideas and make meaning through discovery.

Balancing Structure and Wonder

Curiosity thrives on both freedom and structure. Clear outcomes, consistent feedback, and authentic assessments give learners the scaffolding they need to explore with confidence. My work as a designer is to balance that structure with wonder, to keep the rigor while preserving the spark that makes learning joyful.

Closing Thoughts

Physics taught me more than how the world works—it taught me how people learn. Designing for curiosity means designing for the questions that keep us moving forward. Whether in a classroom, lab, or online module, every learning experience is an experiment in motion—powered by curiosity, guided by design, and grounded in the joy of discovery.