Assessing Critical Thinking Skills in a Social Problems Course
Presentation Type
Workshop
Start Date
9-29-2020 1:45 PM
End Date
9-29-2020 2:35 PM
Abstract
The purpose of this session is to share a set of course redesign improvements made in a Social Problems course to foster students’ critical thinking skills.
Description
Courses on social problems are prevalent within sociology programs across the United States and form a vital part of the undergraduate general education experience (Malcom, 2006). Leon-Guerrero (2019) conceptualizes a social problem as, “a social condition or pattern of behavior that has negative consequences for individuals, our social world, or our physical world” (p. 4). In other words, a social problem is a major issue that adversely affects society in a significant way. Critical thinking skills, then, are essential for navigating the complexities associated with social problems (Lemoyne & Davis, 2011; Malcom, 2006). The purpose of this session is to share a set of course redesign improvements made in a Social Problems course that sought to foster critical thinking skills as a central part of student learning. To evaluate the influence of these improvements, we feature findings from the Critical thinking Assessment Test (CAT), an assessment that the students from two iterations of the course took at the beginning and the end of the course. The CAT uses 15 primarily short answer essay responses to assess critical thinking that can be given in an hour class period (although it is not a timed assessment). We will also share recommendations for implementing course redesign improvements that promote critical thinking skills.
Assessing Critical Thinking Skills in a Social Problems Course
The purpose of this session is to share a set of course redesign improvements made in a Social Problems course to foster students’ critical thinking skills.
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