10/30/2008
Not an example of an effective
assessment of critical thinking:
Assessment of Critical
Thinking
General Education
Requirements
Effective Assessment
One of the most significant shifts that has
happened in assessment in the last fifteen
years has been a shift away from a focus
on inputs to a focus on learning outcomes
This shift is reflected in the General
Education Requirements drafted by the
GEPRC
Standardized Assessments
ACT Collegiate Assessment of Academic
Proficiency (CAAP) Critical Thinking Test
– Measures skills in analyzing, evaluating, and
extending arguments
– Each passage in the test presents a series of subsubarguments in support of a more general conclusion or
conclusions
– A variety of formats are used (case studies, debates,
dialogues, statistical arguments, etc.)
– Test consists of 32 items, is administered in 40
minutes, is scored out of 80 points
1. The ability to demonstrate a reasoned
understanding and evaluation of truth claims,
demonstrate a reasoned understanding and
evaluation
the evidence
and
l ti off th
id
d argumentt
supporting truth claims, and formulate and
adequately defend truth claims is called
–
–
–
–
A.
B.
C.
D.
elitist thinking
InterInter-lobar processing
critical thinking
really, really deep thinking
Results on the Field
Less emphasis on course
requirements and credits
More emphasis on
specific
p
outcomes, stated
in student performance
language
Requires action on the
part of the students to
demonstrate learning
G
UWSP Results
– Was administered in fall 2007 to 200 seniors
and 178 freshman
– UWSP seniors (M=64.2) scored significantly
higher
g
than freshmen ((M=61.4))
– UWSP freshmen scored below and UWSP
seniors scored above the national average for
sophomores (M=62.6)
1
10/30/2008
What a standardized assessment
like the CAAP can tell us:
What a standardized assessment
like the CAAP cannot tell us:
How UWSP students perform on a norm
norm-referenced critical thinking test
How UWSP scores compare to the
national average
g
The change in performance between
freshman year and senior year
Scores within subsub-groups like gender,
ethnicity, GPA, major, enrollment status
(part--time/full
(part
time/full--time)
How well UWSP students should do on the
CAAP
Whether or not the improvement from freshman
to senior year is due to specific experiences in
UWSP courses
Whether or not UWSP students are achieving
UWSP goals for critical thinking
What changes in curriculum and instruction
might be made to improve critical thinking
performance
Local assessments
Suggestions for local assessment
of critical thinking
Can be developed to assess UWSP goals for
critical thinking
Can highlight specifically what UWSP students
do and don’t understand about critical thinking
g
Can be smoothly integrated into UWSP
coursework (embedded)
Can take a variety of forms and be matched
with content (simulation, debate, project,
written narrative, problem solution, etc.)
– Performance
Performance--based and embedded
– Integrate multiple aspects of the general education
learning outcomes
Work with a team to apply critical thinking to a general
education or major area topic and present their reasoning
process in an appropriate visual, oral, or written format to a
real or simulated audience
– Generate assessment evidence that can be used for
support and improvement of General Education
curriculum and instruction
Final Thoughts
Cross-campus dialogue around General
CrossEducation goals like critical thinking has
the potential for helping the campus
community to:
– Build a sense of shared mission
– Develop a common vocabulary
– Improve our curriculum and instruction
– Enhance the general education experience for
students
2