Defining My Inquiry & Collecting Resources
For my free inquiry project, I’m exploring financial literacy through open and distributed learning. I want to understand how freely available resources can help anyone improve their money management skills, and what makes these resources effective and engaging. Traditional educational systems often fail to provide adequate preparation for real-world financial decision-making, so this inquiry investigates whether open educational resources can bridge this critical gap.
This week, I focused on defining my inquiry question and gathering initial resources to explore:
How can open and distributed learning make financial literacy accessible to everyone?
To start, I collected a variety of freely available platforms:
- Khan Academy – Personal Finance
- Wealthsimple Learn
- Educational YouTube channels like The Plain Bagel and Nischa
I explored each resource to see how it introduces concepts like budgeting, saving, and investing. I also started reflecting on what makes a resource approachable and engaging, and how learners might interact with these platforms differently depending on their background or experience.
This first week helped me clarify the direction of my inquiry and identify a range of open learning resources to explore further. In the coming weeks, I’ll evaluate these resources more deeply, analyze engagement strategies like gamification, and reflect on equity and accessibility in financial education.
I’m also planning to engage directly with some of these platforms as a learner to better understand the user experience. This experiential component will complement my analytical review and provide insights into the lived experience of learning financial literacy through open resources.