Ideas to Action (I2A)
Presentation to the Council of Academic Officers
Dr. Patty Payette, Executive Director, Ideas to
Action
September 2, 2008
Ideas to Action
Ideas to Action: Using Critical Thinking to
Foster Student Learning and Community
Engagement
I2A
UofL’s quality enhancement plan (QEP)
QEP: SACS Reaffirmation of
Accreditation
Commission on Colleges of the
Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools (SACSCOC)
http://www.sacs.org
2005: call for “Big Ideas”
“Our extensive consultation with all
University constituencies yielded a
surprisingly strong and clear call for
education focused on the skills and knowledge
needed to deal with real-world issues and
problems, an education in which students can
see the importance of the parts (the courses)
to the whole (their education as citizens and
workers).”
skills and [QEPreal-world
Proposal, 2007]the parts to the
knowledge
issues &
whole
problems
http://louisville.edu/ideastoaction/files/f
inalreport.pdf
I2A: Components
Sharpen our
existing focus
on building
critical thinking
skills in the
general
education
program…
…..continuing
through
undergraduate
major courses
with an emphasis
on progressively
more challenging
problems, and
performance
standards…
…resulting in a
culminating
experience,
demonstrating
students’ practical
application of
critical thinking
skills.
I2A Thematic Priority: Community Engagement
I2A: Central Messages
• Centered on enhancement of student learning and
undergraduate experience
• Driven by institutional mission and continuous
improvement
• Strategic Plan 2020 themes tied to I2A
• Transformative process; ongoing and integrative
• Sustained and shared focus on teaching innovation,
curriculum development and climate for learning
• Practical plan with measureable results over 10 years
• Twin themes: Critical Thinking and Community
Engagement
I2A & Higher Education in the 21st
Century
• Shift from “coverage” to “uncoverage”
• Focus on student learning outcomes and
accountability
• New emphasis on intellectual, technical and practical
skills
• Emerging literature on brain research, integrative
learning, digital literacy, effective pedagogy
• Shifts in traditional structures and divisions in the
academy
• Holistic view of the student experience
• AAC&U: College Learning for New Global Century
Ideas to Action Organizational Chart
PROVOST
VICE PROVOST FOR UNDERGRADUATE
AFFAIRS
I2A EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR
DEANS
DELPHI CENTER
I2A SPECIALISTS
TASK GROUP
 Critical Thinking
 Assessment
 Culminating
Experiences
 I2A Team
 I2A Facilitators
 Academic & Student
Affairs Staff
 Students
UNIT I2A
FACILITATORS
FACULTY
I2A Staff
Dr. Patty
Payette
Dr. Cathy
Bays
Dr. Edna
Ross
Executive
Director
I2A
Specialist
for
Assessment
I2A
Specialist
for Critical
Thinking
Dr. Eileen
McFall
I2A Specialist for
Culminating
Experiences
Hannah
Anthony
Program
Assistant
I2A Task Group
• 33 members drawn from across campus
• Faculty, academic & student affairs
staff, students, I2A staff
• I2A Facilitators from schools/colleges
• Subcommittees serve as smaller
working groups
http://louisville.edu/ideastoaction/leadership
I2A Components:
Critical Thinking
• Common vocabulary for discussing,
modeling, measuring critical thinking
• Richard Paul-Linda Elder model of critical
thinking adopted for I2A
http://www.criticalthinking.org
A Well-Cultivated Critical Thinker:
(Richard Paul and Linda Elder, the Foundation for Critical Thinking:
http://www.criticalthinking.org/)
 Raises vital questions and problems, formulating them
clearly and precisely
 Gathers and assesses relevant information, using abstract
ideas to interpret it effectively
 Comes to well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, testing
them against relevant criteria and standards
 Thinks open mindedly within alternative systems of
thought, recognizing and assessing, as needs be, their
assumptions, implications, and practical consequences
 Communicates effectively with others in figuring out
solutions to complex problems
Paul-Elder Critical Thinking Model
Intellectual Standards
Accuracy
Clarity
Relevance
Logical
Sufficiency
Precision
Depth
Significance
Fairness
Breadth
Which leads to
deeper
Intellectual Traits
Humility
Autonomy
Fair-mindedness
Courage
Must be applied
to
Elements of Reasoning
Purposes
Inferences
Questions
Concepts
Points of view Implications
Information Assumptions
Perseverance
Empathy
Integrity
Confidence in
reasoning
to develop
Advantages of a P-E Model
• Makes explicit complex thinking
that is often implicit, intuitive
• Integrates into existing content
and highlights disciplinary
contexts and “cognitive moves”
• Common framework for institutional
measurement
• Students “connect the dots” across
domains
Faculty Learning Community
(FLC) on Critical Thinking
• 12-15 cross-disciplinary faculty meet
regularly for focused support and
sharing
• Faculty complete individual projects
integrating Paul-Elder into their courses
• Group activities, readings, sharing,
discussion
Faculty perspective on FLC
and P-E model
“I think that for decades I have given my
students many opportunities to engage in
critical thinking, and I have modeled critical
thinking in class discussions. But I don’t think
I can claim ever to have taught critical
thinking in a systematic way. The model
gives me a way to share a critical thinking
vocabulary with students and to chart their
progress. I know and can tell my students
exactly what I am looking for.”
Spring 2008 Pilot Program Participant, Department of
English
Pilot/FLC Participants
Undergraduate Unit
Arts and Sciences
Pilot
FLC
10
5
Business
1
CEHD
1
Kent School
1
Speed School
1
3
Deadline for nominations for FLC Spring 09:
December 5, 2008
http://louisville.edu/ideastoaction/flc
Faculty perspective on FLC
and critical thinking
“I now think very hard about the way
I think about things, and I try to
convey this to the students. More
importantly, I’m trying harder to
think about the way that the
students think about things.”
Spring 2008 Pilot Program Participant,
Department of Engineering
I2A Components:
Assessment
• Vision
– Process: Systematic, ongoing
– Assess:
Critical thinking
Connect learning to the community
– Purpose:
Quality enhancement
Accreditation accountability
• Goals
– Value-added to existing measures
– Direct and indirect measures
– Faculty input and participation
• Task Group Subcommittee
– “Big Picture” and “Nuts and Bolts”
– Representation: Diverse faculty, staff,
administration
I2A Components:
Assessment Outcomes
Student Learning Outcomes:
General Education
Students who satisfy this requirement will be able to
communicate important ideas and to use critical thinking as a
tool for learning by:
1. Applying the Elements of Thought* in selected, course
assignments.
2. Using the Universal Intellectual Standards** as criteria for
quality in reasoning.
Assessment Measures:
Direct:
Critical thinking rubric
Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA)
Indirect: National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
Course Evaluations
*p. 3 in Miniature Guide
**p. 8-9 in Miniature Guide
I2A Components:
Culminating Experiences
• Practical application of knowledge and critical
thinking skills to address problem solving in “real
world” contexts
• Course or credit bearing experiences
Examples:






Capstone Courses/Projects
Internships
Senior Theses
Research Projects
Service Learning Projects
Other Independent Study Projects
Culminating Experience
• Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of the culminating experience students will
demonstrate the ability to:
1. Apply the Elements of Thought* when engaging in an I2A
culminating experience project.
2. Use the Universal Intellectual Standards** as criteria for
assessing quality during the I2A culminating experience
project.
3. Demonstrate well-cultivated critical thinking skills when
engaging in an I2A culminating experience project.
• Process
– Committee to review proposal and assess experiences
– Registrar designation
• CE Pilot Program, Spring 2009
*p. 3 in Miniature Guide
**p. 8-9 in Miniature Guide
I2A Engagement CampusWide
• I2A informational sessions and
workshops
• Consultations/projects with faculty or
departments (e.g. Speed co-op project)
• Collaborations with academic & student
affairs staff (e.g. Collaborative Learning Community)
• Ongoing campus collaborations
(e.g. Signature Partnership Initiative)
New I2A programs for 08-09
• Culminating Experiences Pilot Program
(Sp09)
• I2A Supporting Undergraduate iNnovation
(SUN) grants
• I2A Institute on Critical Thinking (May 09)
• I2A Day (Spring 09)
• Faculty Learning Community
• Collaborative Learning Community
http://louisville.edu/ideastoaction/grants
Call to Action: Deans
• Encourage and support work of your
I2A Facilitators
• Support participation of your faculty in
I2A workshops, FLC, grants, etc.
• Help us align with your existing priorities
and goals
For more information
Please visit:
http://louisville.edu/ideastoaction