Critical Thinking: Developing a Process for Assessment

The assessment of critical thinking as a skill has been developing over a period of years. During the 2004-2005 school year, a general education faculty coordinator attempted to develop criteria for this area. A variety of resources were used, and it was difficult to center in on specific agreed-upon strands for assessment. At this time, critical thinking was part of the general education initiative.

In 2006-2007, it was decided that according to Bush Grant documents, the assessment of critical thinking rested within the major programs. After discuss among College Academic Assessment Committee (CAAC) members, it was decided that this was, perhaps, a good placement since all majors had high-level coursework or projects in which critical thinking was embedded. It was decided that the committee would survey department chairs to determine whether or not this placement was feasible. Survey results showed that in every program, chairs felt critical thinking could be easily assessed within the majors, often using existing assignments or student projects.

To help facilitate this process, CAAC began looking at critical thinking rubrics. Melissa Luedtke, CAAC chair, found a variety of samples that were evaluated by the committee. It was decided to use rubrics that reflected pieces of Bloom’s Taxonomy, since the syllabi templates also followed this philosophy. Three final samples were compared, and one was chosen to be used as a pilot.

In the spring of 2007, six faculty used the rubric. Opinions about its value were generally positive, and an all campus pilot was launched in the fall of 2007. Upon a one-year pilot, the placement of the assessment of this skill and the effectiveness of the rubric will be reevaluated by CAAC.  

Plan to Access Critical Thinking Fall 2006

Critical Thinking Rubric

Survey

Survey Results 2006