Ideas to Action (I2A)
Introduction to I2A
& Critical Thinking
A session for UofL’s
Division of Student Affairs
Michael Mardis, Ph.D
Patricia R. Payette, Ph.D.
Hannah Anthony
February 6, 2008
Session Objectives
•
Introduce participants to basic information
about UofL’s “Ideas to Action”
•
Challenge participants to work individually
and in groups to articulate their
understanding of “critical thinking”
•
Clarify the definitions of critical thinking
adopted by I2A
•
Explore what participants can do to
promote critical thinking in their everyday
work
Ideas to Action:
Using Critical Thinking to Foster Student
Learning and Community Engagement
Ideas to Action (I2A) is our Quality
Enhancement Plan (QEP), and
we need to show measurable
progress to the Southern
Association of Colleges and
Schools (SACS) by April 2012.
The Effect of Undergraduate Student Involvement on Critical
Thinking: A Meta-Analysis of the Literature 1991-2000
Gellin, A., Journal of College Student Development, November/December 2003, 44, No. 6
“Implication from findings - strengthened
institutional relationships as student affairs
administrators can work with academic affairs
administrators to help facilitate the higher
education goal of increasing undergraduate
critical thinking.” (Pg. 758)
Gellin Continued
Students’ participation in co-curricular activities
such as Greek life, clubs and organizations,
faculty and peer interaction, as well as living on
campus has a significant effect on helping
students develop the ability to think critically.
“Students involved in a variety of activities acquire multiple points of view and
perspectives that may encourage them to reevaluate their prior opinions of the
world. This accumulation of experiences may contribute to gains in critical thinking
and illustrates how undergraduates can benefit from their involvement in the overall
college environment.” (pg 754)
“The findings in this study suggest that students involved in a variety of co-curricular
activities experience a significant gain in critical thinking as compared to students
who are not involved. Thus, institutions may want to continue to support activities
outside the classroom because these activities may provide value to students in the
form of critical thinking gains.” (pg 757)
From The Effect of Undergraduate Student Involvement on Critical Thinking: A Meta-Analysis of the Literature 1991-2000
Gellin, A., Journal of College Student Development, November/December 2003, 44, No. 6
NSSE Overview
The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) is
considered to be one of the major assessment surveys
administered at UofL.
The NSSE has been administered four times at UofL (2001, 2003,
2005, and 2007).
The survey is administered in the spring semester to a random
sample of freshmen and senior students.
The survey is administered to students electronically by UofL’s
Office of Academic Planning and Accountability in
collaboration with Indiana University.
Categories
NSSE groups items
together under
five broad
categories:
Level of Academic
Challenge
Active and Collaborative
Learning
Student-Faculty Interaction
Enriching Educational
Experience
Supportive Campus
Environment
Comparisons were made between the average responses from UofL in these
categories and the average responses of all schools that participated in the
2007 iteration of the NSSE survey.
Differences by Student Type within UofL
On-campus
Freshmen
vs
Off-campus
Freshmen
Result: On-campus freshmen had a significantly
higher average response for the category of
Enriching Educational Experiences.
This implies that those living on campus indicated a
greater satisfaction with enriching educational
experiences than those living off campus.
Multivariate Results
(Freshmen)
Evaluation
of
Education
Experience
Probability
of
Attending
UofL Again
Significant Predictors of Satisfaction with Education
Experience:
• Relationships with faculty members
• Quality of academic advising
• Support provided to thrive socially
• This implies that students’ degree of satisfaction in
these three areas indicates the level of satisfaction
with their overall education experience.
Significant Predictors of Probability of Attending UofL
Again:
• Relationships with faculty members
• Quality of academic advising
• Relationships with other students
• This implies that students’ degree of satisfaction in
these three areas predicted the probability of their
attending UofL again.
Multivariate Results
(Seniors)
Evaluation
of
Education
Experience
Probability
of
Attending
UofL Again
Significant Predictors of Education Experience:
• Relationship with faculty members
• Relationships with other students
• Quality of academic advising
• Support provided to succeed academically
Significant Predictors of Probability of Attending UofL
Again:
•
•
•
•
•
Relationships with faculty members
Relationships with other students
Relationships with administrative personnel and offices
Quality of academic advising
Support provided to succeed academically
I2A and “Connecting the Dots”
“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).” [QEP Report, 2007]
skills and
knowledge
real-world issues
& problems
the parts to the
whole
http://louisville.edu/ideastoaction/files/finalreport.pdf
From student focus groups:
One student even
suggested that student
learning could be
improved by offering a
course that would aid
in memorization.
“Reduce the amount of
memorization required for
tests, I feel I don’t learn as
much by doing this.”
“Decrease the
memorization
required, can’t
remember it all.”
“Too much
memorization and no
sufficient critical
analysis.”
“Regurgitated
material (can just
read chapters for
tests).”
“The subject testing is not
challenging due to
memorization.”
What’s in it for us
Better prepared students who need to live and work in a
complex world
Re-affirmation of the centrality of a liberal arts foundation
for every University student
A framework for thinking about the education we provide
as we attract increasingly better-prepared students
Resources to inform the development of planning and
programming in all units
I2A: The Learning Paradigm
The (OLD) Instruction Paradigm Mission & Purposes

Provide/deliver instruction

Transfer knowledge from faculty to students

Offer courses and programs

Improve the quality of instruction

Achieve access for diverse students
The focus moves from
what the instructor is
doing or covering to
what students are
learning….
The (NEW) Learning Paradigm Mission and Purposes
• Produce learning
• Elicit students discovery and construction of knowledge
• Create powerful learning environments
• Improve the quality of learning
• Achieve success for diverse students
From Teaching to Learning:
A New Paradigm for
Undergraduate Education
Robert B. Barr and John
Tagg, November/December
1995, Change Magazine
Higher Education in the 21st
Century

Public accountability & SLO’s: state legislatures,
accrediting bodies and other stakeholders

New emphasis on intellectual, technical and
practical skills

UofL’s Metropolitan Mission not unusual

Emphasis on “deep learning,” integrative
learning, brain research, digital literacy, etc.

Shifts in traditional structures and divisions in the
academy
Employers Advise Colleges Where to Focus
Resources to Assess Student Learning
One/Two Practices to Which Colleges Should Devote
Resources
All Employers
Faculty-evaluated internships or community-based learning
experiences
50%
Essay tests that measure students' problem-solving, writing, and
analytical-thinking skills
35%
Electronic portfolios of students' work, including examples of
accomplishments in key skill areas and faculty assessments of
them
32%
Faculty-evaluated comprehensive senior projects demonstrating
students' depth of skill in major & advanced problem-solving,
writing, and analytic-reasoning skills
31%
Tests that show how a college compares to others in advancing
students' critical-thinking skills
8%
Multiple-choice tests of general content knowledge
5%
From How Should Colleges Assess And Improve Student Learning
Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc., January 2008, Association of American Colleges and Universities
I2A: What are the components?
Sharpen our
existing focus
on building
critical
thinking skills
in the
general
education
program…
…..continuing
through
undergraduate
major courses
with an
emphasis on
applying and
refining those
skills…
…resulting in a
culminating
experience,
such as a thesis,
service learning
project,
internship or
capstone
project that
fosters
engagement
Student Affairs & I2A
•
•
Integral part of I2A, not peripheral
•
Holistic conception of the student
experience (curricular and co-curricular)
Prepares students for life beyond the campus
•
Aligns with the existing focus on student
development
Student Affairs & I2A…the next steps!

Familiarity with shared goals and missions
(ie. The Office of Civic Engagement, Leadership & Service)

Shared vocabulary around critical thinking
(Paul-Elder Model)

Opportunities for culminating experiences
outside the traditional format

Student Interest Group (Fall 2008)

Other opportunities
Define Critical Thinking
Individually, use a short phrase to complete
these sentences. Write down each
response on a sticky note.
Critical thinking is ________________________.
Critical thinking is not _____________________.
Define Critical Thinking
In groups of 5-6, debrief and try to come to a
consensus. Write down each of your responses
on two separate sheets of your flip chart.
Critical thinking is ________________________.
Critical thinking is not _____________________.
Define Critical Thinking
In your groups, together decide what it “looks
like” when students and/or you and your
colleagues are thinking critically. Draw a
picture on your flip chart sheet that highlights
critical thinking within your field.
(Ex. When students are engaged in critical thinking in my field or department, it looks like
this. When my colleagues and I are engaged in critical thinking it looks like this.)
What is Critical Thinking?
“Higher-Order Thinking”
“Complex Thinking”
What is Critical Thinking?
The words ‘critical’ and ‘criteria’ come
from the same root word meaning
judgment
Critical Thinking is
reasonable, reflective
thinking that is focused
on deciding what to
believe or do.
(Robert Ennis)
Critical thinking = “Grappling
with open-ended problems”
“Effective personal and professional
functioning requires dealing with
open-ended problems that are
fraught with significant and enduring
uncertainties about such issues as the
scope of the problem, interpretations
of relevant information, range of
solution options, and potential
outcomes of various options.”
From Helping Your Students Develop Critical Thinking Skills
Cindy L. Lynch and Susan K. Wolcott, October 2001, The IDEA Center
Examples of when we use
critical thinking…
•
Professional problems
- What is the best interpretation of a piece of
literature?
- How can a leader most efficiently promote effective
team work?
• Personal problems
- What should I do to optimize my career
development?
• Civic problems
- How should I vote on a particular ballot initiative?
From Helping Your Students Develop Critical Thinking Skills
Cindy L. Lynch and Susan K. Wolcott, October 2001, The IDEA Center
Critical Thinking definition adopted for I2A
(From: Scriven and Paul, 2003)
Critical thinking is
the intellectually disciplined process
that results in
a guide to belief and action.
Critical thinking is
the intellectually disciplined process that
results in a guide to belief and action.

What are the “intellectual tools” that
you use in your work?

What does this “process” look like in
field, in your discipline, in your
division?

What guides your beliefs and actions
in the Division of Student Affairs?
Critical Thinking definition adopted for I2A
(From: Scriven and Paul, 2003)
Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined
process that results in a guide to belief and action.
The tools for this
“process” include
actively and
skillfully:
 conceptualizing
 applying
 analyzing
 synthesizing
 evaluating
information gathered
from, or generated by,
 observation
 experience
 reflection
 reasoning
 or communication
What Critical Thinking is NOT
The problem of “egocentric” thinking:

Leads to self-serving perspectives and
evaluations

Leads to a false sense of objectivity

Leads to flawed thinking

Lends itself to the unconscious substitution
of subjective intuitions for intellectual
standards in thinking
Instead of:



Its true because I believe it
Its true because we believe it
Its true because I want to believe it

Its true because I have always believed it

Its true because its in my selfish interest to
believe it
…we want to foster an awareness that
critical thinking is more than thinking, it’s:
 Reflecting
upon
 Questioning
 Monitoring
…my very reasoning itself in order to
continuously improve my thinking.
It’s “thinking things through.”
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
What you can do:
1. Become aware and discuss with your colleagues how and
why critical thinking is important to your work.
2. Model for students—in a very explicit way—how you “think
things through.” Give the gift of your time, your mentorship in
issues large and small.
3. Remember that students are on a developmental path. Meet
them where they are in terms of their readiness for complex
decision making. Sometimes the comfort zone is for absolute
“rights and wrongs.”
4. Never forget that at the heart of critical thinking is learning to
ask relevant, important questions. To re-evaluate, to
reconsider and reflect on the answers –and then ask the next
set of questions—are the intellectual habits of mind we wish
to cultivate in our students.
I2A Team
http://www.louisville.edu/ideastoaction
Dr. Patty Payette, I2A Executive Director:
patty.payette@louisville.edu, 852-5171
Student Affairs Facilitators:
Dr. Michael Mardis
Dr. Cathy Bays, Delphi Specialist for Assessment:
cathy.bays@louisville.edu, 852-5138
Dr. Edna Ross, Delphi Specialist for Critical Thinking:
edna.ross@louisville.edu, 852-5105
Michael Anthony
Becky Clark
Pam Curtis
Hannah Anthony, I2A Program Assistant Senior:
hannah.gatlin@louisville.edu, 852-7611
http://www.louisville.edu/ideastoaction
Kim Shaver