APPLIED GEOLOGY CRITICAL THINKING STANDARDS
Adapted from the AAC&U VALUE Rubrics and acknowledged with thanks. See Assuring Graduate Capabilities
Definition: Critical thinking is a habit of mind characterized by the comprehensive exploration of issues, ideas, artefacts, and events before accepting or formulating an opinion or
conclusion.
Novice to Expert categories
Expert
Proficient
Competent
Novice
Beginner
Graduates as experienced
professionals can…
Graduates as new professionals can…
Graduates of this course can…
Students in the middle stages can…
Students in the early stages can…
Explanation of issues
Clearly state and comprehensively describe,
Clearly state and comprehensively describe,
geological problem to be critically considered, geological problem to be critically considered,
delivering all relevant information necessary for delivering all relevant information necessary for full
full understanding including previous related
understanding.
research.
Clearly state, describe and clarify geological
problem to be critically considered, so that
understanding is not seriously impeded by
omissions.
State geological problem to be critically
considered, but description leaves some terms
undefined, ambiguities unexplored, boundaries
undetermined, and/or backgrounds unknown.
Typically state geological problem to be
critically considered without clarification or
description.
Evidence
Selecting and using information
to investigate a point of view or
conclusion
Always take information from source(s) with
extensive interpretation/evaluation to develop a
comprehensive analysis or synthesis.
Consistently subject viewpoints of other experts
to thorough questioning and suggest alternative
explanations.
Thoroughly (systematically and methodically)
analyse own and others' assumptions and
critically evaluate the relevance of contexts
when presenting a position.
Always take information from source(s) with enough
interpretation/evaluation to develop a comprehensive
analysis or synthesis. Consistently subject viewpoints
of experts to thorough questioning.
Commonly take information from source(s)
with enough interpretation/evaluation to
develop a coherent analysis or synthesis.
Subject viewpoints of experts to questioning.
Take information from source(s) with some
interpretation/evaluation, but not enough to
develop a coherent analysis or synthesis.
Usually takes viewpoints of experts as mostly
fact, with little questioning.
Frequently take information from source(s)
without any interpretation/evaluation.
Accepts viewpoints of experts as fact,
without question.
Question some assumptions. Identify several
relevant contexts when presenting a position. Be
more aware of others' assumptions than one's
own (or vice versa).
Demonstrate an emerging awareness of
present assumptions (sometimes label
assertions as assumptions). Begin to
identify some contexts when presenting a
position.
Student's position
(perspective,
thesis/hypothesis)
Propose specific and ground breaking
hypotheses, taking into account the
complexities of a geological problem.
Acknowledge the limits of the hypotheses and
synthesise multiple data sets and lines of
evidence therein.
Propose specific and imaginative hypotheses, taking
into account the complexities of a geological
problem. Acknowledge the limits of the hypotheses
and synthesise multiple data sets and lines of
evidence therein.
State specific hypotheses on basic and higher Present a specific hypothesis to explain a basic State a specific hypothesis to explain a
level geological problems, taking into account geological problem that acknowledges different basic geological problem, but it is
its complexities. Take into account multiple
lines of evidence.
commonly simplistic and obvious.
data sets and lines of evidence within
hypotheses.
Conclusions and related
outcomes (implications and
consequences)
Present logical, informed and advanced
conclusions, related outcomes (consequences
and implications) and geological solutions;
efficiently and coherently place evidence and
perspectives discussed in priority order and
synthesise all using cogent scientific methods.
Present logical and informed conclusions, related
outcomes (consequences and implications) and
geological solutions; exhibit the ability to place
evidence and perspectives discussed in priority order
and synthesise an evaluation using logical scientific
methods.
Logically tie conclusions and geological
solutions to a range of information, including
conflicting data; usually identify related
outcomes (consequences and implications)
clearly using logical scientific methods.
Influence of context and
assumptions
Exemplars
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Thoroughly (systematically and methodically)
Identify own and others' assumptions and
analyse own and others' assumptions and carefully
several relevant contexts when presenting a
evaluate the relevance of contexts when presenting a position.
position.
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Logically tie conclusions and geological
solutions to information (because information is
chosen to fit the desired conclusion); identify
some related outcomes (consequences and
implications) clearly.
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Inconsistently tie conclusions and
geological solutions to some of the
information discussed; related outcomes
(consequences and implications) are
oversimplified.
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The views expressed in this resource do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Learning and Teaching Council. Last updated November 2011.