Tool Kit Activity
SLO #: 4 Course Level:PreCore Suggested Class Time : 1.5hrs Complexity Index: Easy
(1, 2, 3, 4 or 5)
(PreCore, 1000, or 2000)
Snapshot: 10 minutes of class, minimal instructor preparation
Easy: 1 day of class, some instructor preparation
Moderate: 1 – 2 weeks of class; some instructor training/preparation
Complex: 1 – 2 months of class or wholly integrated into class,
instructor preparation should start one semester prior to implementing
In CT3, critical thinking is defined as:
…the disciplined and continuous process of asking the right questions and practicing logical thought processes to come to justifiable conclusions.
CT3 SLO statement: Formulate well-reasoned conclusions and solutions.
Title
Contributor(s)
The Wise Choice Process
Karen Stills
PSYT Faculty
Kstills@dcccd.edu
Tool Kit Activity :_The Wise Choice Process_
SLO #: _4__ Tier:___PC___
(1, 2, 3, 4 or 5)
Suggested Class Time :__1.5 hrs___ Complexity Index:_Easy_
(PreCore, 1000, or Soph)
Snapshot: 10 minutes of class, minimal instructor preparation
Easy: 1 day of class, some instructor preparation
Moderate: 1 – 2 weeks of class; some instructor training/preparation
Complex: 1 – 2 months of class or wholly integrated into class,
instructor preparation should start one semester prior to implementing
In CT3, critical thinking is defined as:
…the disciplined and continuous process of asking the right questions and practicing logical thought processes to come to justifiable conclusions.
CT3 SLO statement: Students who participate in this activity will be able to formulate well reasoned conclusions and solutions.
Objective of Activity:
The Wise Choice Process is a tool designed to assist students in problem solving and decision making, by applying a set of six questions to existing problems or
situations that are not yielding desired results. Students must ask themselves and respond to the following questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
What is the current situation/problem?
How would you like your situation to be?
What are all of your possible choices?
What are the likely outcomes of each possible choice?
What choices are you willing to commit to?
When will you evaluate the choice/decision that you made?
Activity Description:
1. Mini Lecture on Personal Responsibility, Power of Choice, brief overview of the Wise Choice Process. (15 min)
2. Students Divide into groups of 3-4 to read and discuss a case study highlighting a college student who is struggling in his/her classes because of
various obstacles, and is contemplating dropping courses. **Note…this case study can be adapted/re-written to reflect a situation/problem
that is relevant to any particular course. (10 min)
3. Groups will be presented with the six questions that are a part of the Wise Choice Process:
What is the current situation/problem?
How would you like your situation to be?
What are all of your possible choices?
What are the likely outcomes of each possible choice?
What choices are you willing to commit to?
When will you evaluate the choice/decision that you made?
4.
Using the information from the case study, students are asked to brainstorm for each question . A group selected scribe will take notes and a selected speaker will share
the group’s discussion and responses. (20 min)
5.
After returning to their own space, students will be asked to write an in-class journal that calls for them to identify their own problem or situation that they are
experiencing and apply the Wise Choice Process in coming up with possible solutions. A final question will ask each student, what they feel they have learned from using
the Wise Choice Process. (20 min)
6.
Recap over the 6 Questions of the Wise Choice Process and their relevance to decision making and answer any questions. (15 minutes)
Web Pages for Instructor Preparation for Activity:
n/a
Web Pages to Access During Activity:
n/a
Suggested Assessment Technique(s):
Students will provide written work that demonstrates their use/application of the Wise Choice process to a situation or problem. The rubric provided below
should be used to evaluate responses. Using the rubric to assess the assignment is a direct measurement of student learning for the identified SLO. The written
journal responses and the correlating graded rubrics will be the collected samples of evidence.
Student’s Name: ______________________________________
Student ID: ___________________
Check the box that best demonstrates the student’s ability to problem-solve a difficult situation.
WISE CHOICE PROCESS
Unsatisfactory
(Below Standard)
Satisfactory
Proficient
(Met Criteria )
(Above Criteria)
Define Problem
“What is my present
situation?”
Demonstrates a limited
ability in identifying a
problem statement or
related contextual
factors
Demonstrates the ability to construct a
problem statement with evidence of
most relevant contextual factors, but
problem statement is superficial
Demonstrates the ability to construct
a problem statement with evidence
of most relevant contextual factors,
and problem statement is adequately
detailed
Identify Strategies
“What are my possible
choices?”
Identifies one or more
approaches for solving
the problem that do not
apply within a specific
context
Identifies only a single approach for
solving the problem that does apply
within a specific context.
Identifies multiple approaches for
solving the problem, only some of
which apply within a specific context
Evaluate Potential
Solutions
“What is the likely
outcome of each
possible choice?”
Evaluation of solutions is
superficial (for example,
contains cursory, surface
level explanation)
Evaluation of solutions is brief (for
example, explanation lacks depth) and
includes the following: considers history
of problem, reviews logic/reasoning,
examines feasibility of solution, and
weighs impacts of solution.
Evaluation of solutions contains
thorough explanation and includes
the following: considers history of
problem, reviews logic/reasoning,
examines feasibility of solution, and
weighs impacts of solution.
Propose Solutions
“What choice will I
commit to doing?”
Proposes a solution that
is difficult to evaluate
because it is vague or
irrelevant
Proposes one solution that is “generic”
rather than individually designed to
address the specific contextual factors of
the problem
Proposes one or more solutions that
indicates comprehension of the
problem; Solutions address the
context of the problem
Evaluate Outcomes
“When and how will I
evaluate my plan?”
Indicates no
consideration of need for
the plan to be evaluated
Mentions the need for the plan to be
evaluated, but does not include any
additional details
Clearly identifies the date and criteria
by which the plan will be evaluated
Rubric modified from AAC&U’s Problem-Solving VALUE Rubric
Contributor(s) Citation and Bibliographic References:
Submitted by Karen Stills, PSYT Adjunct Faculty, kstills@dcccd.edu
Work adapted from Downing, S. (2011). On course (6th ed.). Australia: Wadworth Cengage Learning.