1. Fall 2011: Critical Thinking

2. General Education Requirements

3. General Education Philosophy

4. General Education Outcomes

5. GE Assessment of Critical Thinking 21 courses, 30 sections in Fall 2011 sample 3-point rubric used (exceeds, meets, doesn’t meet expectations, or N/A) Survey Monkey to input responses, data Instruments used: essay test questions, final projects, research papers, presentations, critical analyses/ evaluations

6. Data from Fall 2011 Sample

7. Extent to which students met expectations: GE AreaExceedsMeetsDoes not meet Extent developed Always/frequently # courses evaluated Overall38.21%42.69%19.10% 8 / 1321 A: Nat Sci44.73%43.46%11.81% 1 / 45 (12 sections)* B: Soc Sci30.59%41.67%27.65% 4 / 37 (8 sections)* C: Human36.67%52.22%11.11% 2 / 35 D: Lang & Rat36.90%32.14%30.95% 1 / 34

8. The Process – Comments What is being measured? (students ability to think critically or ability that they gained in the course) Need to norm with examples, other faculty Problem of students who don’t complete final exam/ project/ assignment measured Some issues entering data for those with <1 section Some would select other assignments in the future In the future – will use stratified random sample Other suggestions for process?

9. Improving Critical Thinking (the pedagogical discussion) What kinds of assignments encourage critical thinking? How to share tips and suggestions with colleagues? What kinds of assignments were assessable? What kinds of assignments were more challenging to assess? Other ways to improve students’ critical thinking?