Reposted from the Natural History Museum of Utah.

The world can be confusing. Each day, we’re faced with complex challenges, tough decisions and opinions and perspectives that differ from our own. While some of this confusion is just “part of life,” our current digital landscape increases these challenges through an influx of voices, information and misinformation.

Now, more than ever before, parents and educators are eager to teach young minds to think critically, a skill which involves looking at information objectively—evaluating facts, questioning beliefs and identifying assumptions to arrive at a reasonable conclusion. It’s an important, analytical process and it’s a powerful tool in navigating the complexities of our world.

In 2013, NHMU and the Joseph and Evelyn Rosenblatt Charitable Fund shared a desire to raise better critical thinkers, forming a partnership that explored ways to teach this vital skill to middle school students. With a museum full of scientific collections and experts to learn from, they imagined how they might get these resources into classrooms across Utah.

To figure that out, they teamed up with University of Utah researchers, K-12 teachers, curriculum developers, game designers and digital learning professionals to identify the key components of critical thinking and evaluate how these fundamentals could be taught via digital learning tools. What emerged—after several rounds of prototyping—was a program that sparked a powerful shift in science education.

What is Research Quest? 

Research Quest is a digital learning platform that brings authentic scientific investigations into classrooms. These investigations invite students to “think and work like researchers—collecting and analyzing real data, examining digitized museum collections and tackling compelling, standards-aligned research questions in the natural sciences.” These investigations put students in the driver’s seat as they examine a fossilized dinosaur jaw or conduct a virtual dissection of a bat.

This “case-based” style of learning is both effective and fun. In fact, a 2026 article in the Journal of Innovation in Educational and Cultural Research focused exclusively on how this learning approach improves critical thinking skills. The authors write, “By introducing real-life problems that require thoughtful solutions, this approach actively engages students in meaningful learning experiences. It supports the development of critical thinking by placing students in realistic scenarios that demand logical reasoning and decision-making… It promotes deeper engagement with content, helps develop information literacy and cultivates a more reflective and analytical approach to learning.”

Research Quest’s popularity is an additional indicator that the content is resonating with young learners. The program, which was initially created as a resource to be used in Utah-based classrooms, has become a global phenomenon. It’s being implemented in classrooms on every continent except Antarctica, including in countries such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Trinidad, Vietnam, the U.K., the United Arab Emirates and Kenya (to name just a few).

“Research Quest takes students away from boredom and apathy and puts them in the driver’s seat as an archeologist or fossil expert. I love watching my students stoke their imagination to spawn unique ideas to explain various mysteries,” said Mike Sumner, a science teacher and longtime Research Quest user at Tooele Junior High School in Tooele, Utah. “Whether students reach consensus or are left in open debate about their competing explanations, Research Quest isn’t just another virtual lab with a worksheet; it is an adventure in science.”

The Research Quest Legacy 

This “adventure in science” is seeing tremendous growth, frequently celebrating exciting new milestones—two of its most recent achievements are being celebrated with a little extra enthusiasm. The Research Quest team has officially provided over one million learning sessions globally, an achievement that happened to coincide with the program’s 10-year anniversary. But it isn’t just the NHMU team that’s celebrating. Around the world, educators who have found value in this innovative program are expressing their appreciation.

“Congratulations to the NHMU Team for 10 amazing years of Research Quest investigations!  As educators who have integrated these investigations into our curriculum, we have witnessed firsthand the rigor of authentic scientific inquiry, critical thinking and data analysis for our students,” said Lynn Gutzwiller, a science specialist who has been using Research Quest for 10 years. “Here’s to many more years of helping students discover the incredible mysteries of the world around us.”

Research Quest is made possible by generous support from the Joseph and Evelyn Rosenblatt Charitable Fund, the IJ and Jeanné Wagner Foundation and the Dick and Timmy Burton Foundation. Their ongoing support, combined with a generous grant from the Utah Department of Workforce Services’ Utah Cluster Acceleration Partnership program, funding from the Utah State Legislature’s Informal Science Education Enhancement program and grants from the National Science Foundation, has allowed Research Quest to become a valued teaching resource for teachers and students throughout Utah and across the U.S.

Learn more about the Research Quest milestones here.

Header photo by Alex Goodlett/NHMU