Workshop on Assessment and Student Learning
Critical Thinking Domain

October 29, 2010

Workshop Facilitators
Dr. Kristina Behan (Clinical Laboratory Sciences), Dr. Martin Hornyak (Management and MIS), and Dr. Kuiyuan Li (Mathematics & Statistics) discussed assessment and instructional strategies to improve critical thinking skills and Britt McGowan (Pace Library) discussed instructional strategies and assignments that will develop student skills in information literacy components that promote critical thinking skills.

 

Presentation Power Points
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Critical Thinking – Assessment on Gatekeeper Math Courses (PDF Power Point Presentation)
Dr. Kuiyuan Li

Clinical Laboratory Sciences
Embedding and Assessing Critical Thinking Skills (PDF Power Point Presentation)
Dr. Kristina Behan

Workshop Resources

Information Literacy Standard #3 is one that particularly promotes critical thinking.

Performance Indicators for this standard state that the information literate student should be able to:

• Summarize the main ideas to be extracted from the information gathered
• Articulate and apply initial criteria for evaluating both the information and its sources
• Synthesize main ideas to construct new concepts
• Compare new knowledge with prior knowledge to determine the value added, contradictions, or other unique characteristics of the information
• Determine whether the new knowledge has an impact on the individual’s value system and takes steps to reconcile differences
• Validate understanding and interpretation of the information through discourse with other individuals, subject-area experts, and/or practitioners
• Determine whether the initial query should be revised

ACRL Information Literacy Standards for Higher Education 

Information literacy assignments that promote critical thinking:
Journal Summary Assignment: Memory & Cognition (PDF)- created by Claudia Stanny

Web Evaluation Assignment - from UWF’s History Methods (HIS3002) course, created by Melissa Gonzalez, History Librarian

Evaluating Sources Checklist – from UWF’s Academic Foundations (SLS1109) course, created by Britt McGowan, adapted from Meriam Library’s Evaluating Information – Applying the CRAAP Test.

Library Tutorials:
These tutorials that promote critical thinking in terms of information literacy may be assigned to students.  Each comes with a quiz, and the students may forward their results to their instructors.
Critical Thinking/Evaluating Sources

Primary vs. Secondary Sources

Scholarly Journals vs. Popular Magazines

Assessment:
Sample Rubric for Evaluating Information and Its Sources Critically from RAILS (Rubric Assessment of Information Literacy)

AAC&U VALUE Rubrics

AAC&U has developed rubrics for critical thinking and information literacy.  These learning outcomes are frequently included as program learning outcomes for General Education and undergraduate programs.

You may download a copy of these rubrics from the AAC&U website.

AAC&U will ask you to enter an email address and complete a brief questionnaire before accessing the rubrics site.

 

Updated 05/17/13 cdw