critical thinking through technology applied in collegiate pedagogy

7/25/2019 Critical Thinking Through Technology Applied in Collegiate Pedagogy

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Critical Thinking Through Technology

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Applied in Collegiate Pedagogy

Resource Manual and Analysis of a Special Cooperative Project in the

Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program

Foreword: Enoch S. Hale, PhD

Statistical Analysis: Qingxia Li, PhD

Publishing Design: Dr. Evan S. Fiedler

Sponsor: Elizabeth City State University

Funding Agency: U.S. Department of EducationPR/Award Number: P120A110105

Participating Colleges/Universities

Bennett College

Bluefield State College

College of The AlbemarleElizabeth City State University

Lincoln University

Shaw University

Virginia Union University

West Virginia State University


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Copyright 2015 Elizabeth City State University

All rights reserved.Cover Image: Julian Voss-Andreae

(9m buckyball structure. View from below. Location: Portland, OR, USA)


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Dedication

Dedicated to the efforts of our students over the last two years.

They voluntarily participated in innovative research-based teaching

methods that may ultimately augment the use of effective critical thinking

practices in educational settings in the near and distance future.


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Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program Cooperative Project

Acknowledgments

Director: Ali A. Khan, PhD

Co-Director: Gloria E. Payne, PhD

Consultant: William A. Porter, PhD

Instructional Consultant: Enoch S. Hale, PhD

External Evaluator: Deva Sharma, PhD

Program Coordinator: Reta Blair, AA

Cristina Moreira, PhD (Bennett College)

Hyunju Oh, PhD (Bennett College)

Tesfaye Belay, PhD (Bluefield State College)

Julie Kalk, PhD (Bluefield State College)

Dr. Evan S. Fiedler (College of The Albemarle)

Christopher Perry, MS (College of The Albemarle)

Yolanda Anderson, PhD (Elizabeth City State University)

M. Masud Hasan, PhD (Elizabeth City State University)

Farrah JacksonWard, PhD (Elizabeth City State University)

Qingxia Li, PhD (Fisk University)

Justin Jackson, MS (Lincoln University)

Bernadette Turner, ABD (Lincoln University)

Ramesh K. Mathur, PhD (Shaw University)Ruth Lamprecht, PhD (Virginia Union University)

Iantha Malbon, MS (Virginia Union University)

Upali Karunathilake, PhD (West Virginia State University)

Xiaohong Zhang, PhD (West Virginia State University)


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Contents

Foreword 9

Collegiate PedagogiesBennett College 12

Bluefield State College 18

College of The Albemarle 21

Elizabeth City State University 23

Lincoln University 27

Shaw University 33

Virginia Union University 35

West Virginia State University 39Performance Measures

Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal 42

Innovative Tools

iPad and SMART Board 49

Consideration and Bibliography

Significance of the Cover 51

References 52


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Foreword

As a topic of conversation, critical thinking is an allusive concept. As atopic of instruction, it often falls under the expression Ill know it when I see it.As an institutional or program initiative, it must be broad enough to be inclusive of

all disciplinary perspectives, but specific enough to point to action and measurableresults. As a rallying flag for cultural change, it is often characterized by little morethan robust calls for transformation despite our best intentions. Attempts to studyand implement critical thinking within curriculum and across the disciplines is anenormous challenge. It is an admirable goal, but many institutions take up thechallenge with an immature understanding of the size of the mountain that needs to

be climbed. What does it take to make critical thinking real and impactful?Although there are many paths, some of the more successful attempts have

seriously considered and addressed three general categories. First, face and embrace

the challenges. Significant challenges are complex because they are multilayeredwith multiple competing perspectives. Dont shy away from them; rather, embrace,incorporate and even, if appropriate, celebrate. Second, have a dynamic, butrealistic approach. Examples are the proving grounds for big ideas. Third, have avision that points to the implications: new directions and horizons. It has been anhonor to be part of the Critical Thinking Through Technology Applied in CollegiatePedagogy Special Cooperative Project in Minority Science and EngineeringImprovement Program because of the people. It is an example of a well thought outapproach to making the abstract concept of critical thinking something practical,measurable, meaningful and potentially transformative.

The ChallengesBeginning largely with Lee Schulmans groundbreaking work Those Who

Understand: Knowledge Growth in Teaching, made explicit what many of us whoteach implicitly know: just because we are experts in a field does not mean that wecan teach it well. Schulman argued that excellent instructors have both contentknowledge and pedagogical knowledge (PCK). This sentiment has been echoed bymany scholars including David Perkins, Ron Ritchhart, Ken Bain and StephenBrookfield to name but a few. However, the intersection of content expertise and

pedagogical know how is just the start. Today, existing and emerging technologiesafford numerous areas for engagement, but such engagement comes at a cost of yetanother domain we must work to understand so that we can substantively integrateit into our teaching. So, technological knowledge, pedagogical knowledge andcontent knowledge (TPCK) have become the norm for crafting meaningful learningexperiences. What about critical thinking?

As rich a framework as TPCK is, it did not sufficiently address some of thechallenges unique to historically black colleges and universities. Populations oftraditionally marginalized and oppressed people bring challenges to highereducation that non-HBCU institutions do not. How then, do you teach people to

think critically given the layers of social, academic, political and economiccomplexities that characterize the charter and importance of HBCUs? Criticalthinking had to become an additional area of study; a content area in and of itself.


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Moreover, contextualizing the concept within the STEM disciplines added anadditional layer of investigation.

Contextualizing critical thinking in the STEM disciplines is a double edgedsword. On one side the STEM discipline are based on principles that actualize someof the most desirable dispositions characteristic of a critical mind. On the other side

STEM disciplines assume critical thinking. As far as principles are concerned,intellectual transparency, curiosity, perseverance, integrity, and holding a supremeconfidence in quality reasoning are but a few highly visible dispositions we seek tocultivate in our students. Nonetheless, they often remain implicit as if exposure andimplied practice are sufficient for development. Some scholars have sought to makethese dispositions more accessible to instructors and the institutions that put criticalthinking at the heart of their program initiatives. For example, in his book 5 Minds

for the Future, Howard Gardner argues that a major goal, indeed necessary focus,of education should be to cultivate mindsets or intellectual character. He discusses

the disciplined mind, the synthesizing mind, the creating mind, the respectful mindand the ethical mind as those dispositions that embody what it means to think andact critically within democratic, participatory society, globally as well asacademically. Famed naturalist, E.O. Wilson echos Gardners sentiments in his

book Letters to a Young Scientist. Wilson discusses the importance ofcharacteristics like commitment to identifying and following ones passion, what itmeans to be scientifically creative, valuing exactness, identifying and utilizingresources with emphasis on cultivating professional relationships, always framingdetails within the larger picture, and thinking ethically. Despite these noble efforts,surfacing who we want students to be proves to be much more challenging than

articulating what we want them to do.The methodological power of the scientific method is so pervasive in how

we design science education that we assume exposure is sufficient to bring to lightits significance to sound reasoning. This poses a major pedagogical challenge

because taking a class in biology does not mean one learns to think like a biologist.Something more than participating in the discipline is needed to cultivate the skillsand dispositions that make critical thinking meaningful and transformative. Statedinterrogatively, how do you surface those dimensions of critical thinking that aremost relevant to thinking well within the STEM disciplines so that they become a

guide to belief and action?

The ApproachI would argue that the grassroots approach to faculty development and instructionaldesign is one of the most impressive dimensions of this collective effort.Unfortunately, the implementation of institutional initiatives, like critical thinking,move forward with or without faculty input. Even if the initiative was the facultysidea, crafting and implementation is largely top-down. This may be the nature ofsuch lofty goals in the machinery of an institution, but the further it gets away fromfaculty, the greater probability it will have marginal impact. Working with colleges

and universities accreditation plans, Ive often heard faculty lament: This is just afad. It will pass and another one will replace it. We just hold on and wait out the


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storm, but nothing changes. Such experiences have clearly informed my point ofview, which makes working with cooperative project a welcomed exception.

My experiences as part of this project have been overwhelmingly positive. Istudy critical thinking, teaching and learning. I also study and write about facultydevelopment. Together, I apply the research, principles and pedagogy addressing

critical thinking and active learning to help faculty deeply infuse the concepts andlessons within their work so that learning becomes transformative. This is acollective effort that requires negotiation. I was asked to lead faculty throughconcise learning experiences that addressed the what, why and how of teachingstudents to think critically where technology, content and pedagogy meet. I chose to

begin each engagement with the faculty just as this project intended.What better resource is there to begin with than ones personal history of

intellectual development? What better guide to thinking critically? Is there a betterresource to see what we have done, what we are capable and what we need to

develop than the learning history of experts in their fields? An organic approach tothe substantive implementation of a significant idea necessarily involves the peoplewho are commissioned to do it. Moreover, it works to build a trusting communitywhen facilitated well. I believe that once that trust is built and experts emerge as acommunity, then we can challenge our conceptions, assumptions, and expectationsof what it means to teach students to discipline their minds. Without an organicapproach to faculty development that this project embraced, many of theaccomplishments may not have been realized. It is a testament to good planning andopen communication that a dedicated community emerged.

New HorizonsThis programs organic approach may serve as a model for other institutions

who wish to address similarly complex topics and initiatives. The long-term visionand plan, the cross-disciplinary approach, the involvement of multiple stakeholders,and the consistent, open and collective construction of products point to some of thekey elements that make progressive and lasting change.

More importantly, however, I see the mission and goals of this HBCUcritical thinking in STEM program as a conscious effort to bridge the inequalitiesthat plague our nation. Although an ideal, without practical steps that work toward

that ideal it will remain unreachable. The work of those involved in this grantdemonstrates a thoughtful and integrated effort to make equality tangible. Criticalthinking and STEM are vehicles, but the humanity of those administrators,instructors, consultants and students create learning opportunities that move the

pendulum of schooling from passive recipients of information to active participantsin its construction and application. The challenges were and will continue to beenormous, but those involved have demonstrated that sincere efforts can create therealities we wish to see. I consider it one of the greatest honors of my life to have

played a small role.

Enoch S. Hale, PhDAcademic Learning Transformation LaboratoryVirginia Commonwealth University


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BENNETT COLLEGEDr. Cristina Moreira -Biology

Dr. Hyunju Oh -Mathematics

AbstractOur challenge was to create and implement critical thinking methods to

improve the reading comprehension and basic math skills of the students at BennettCollege. We exposed our students to different mathematical activities and biologylessons which stimulated the students to go through the process of identifying theessence of a problem, gathering the information that is relevant to the problem,interpreting the relevant information, developing informed conclusions and solution

to the problem, articulating the implications to the solution to the problem andfinally being able to communicate the achieved results. Assessing this practice wediscovered an improvement in pre and posttest scores in both subject areas.

IntroductionAccording to Paul & Elder it takes us about six stages to go from an

Unreflective Thinker to a Master Thinker, with very important stages inbetween as for example, the Challenged Thinker [5].Our goal at Bennett Collegeis to challenge our students to reach a point where thinking becomes second natureto them.

Robert Reich in his book about preparing ourselves for 21st centurycapitalism mentioned that our wealth will no longer reside on how much money wemake but each nations primary assets will be its citizens skills and insights[17].Therefore, it is our job as educators to prepare the future by developing andmentoring critical thinkers. Richard Paul defines Critical Thinking as a systematicway to form and shape ones thinking [16]. It functions purposefully andexactingly. It is thought that is disciplined, comprehensive, based on intellectualstandards, and, as a result, well-reasoned. Gerald Nosich noted that criticalthinking involves three parts: asking questions, trying to answer those questions by

reasoning them out and believing the results of our reasoning [13].


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Another benefit is as students learn to think more critically, they becomemore proficient at historical, scientific, and mathematical thinking [5]. Theydevelop skills, abilities, and values critical to success in everyday life. Therefore,even though our focus at Bennett is STEM, the ability of critical thinking is aninterdisciplinary benefit.

Specific Objectives of Critical Thinking ExercisesOur main goal in using the exercises learned through the Minority Science

and Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP) workshops and provided literatureis that our Biology and Mathematics courses improve our students critical thinkingabout the subject matter but also their ability to think effectively in their lives.

Therefore we exposed our students to different activities which stimulatedthe students to go through the process of identifying the essence of a problem,gathering the information that is relevant to the problem, interpreting the relevant

information, developing informed conclusions and solution to the problem,articulating the implications to the solution to the problem and finally, being able tocommunicate the achieved results.

In terms of our courses evaluation, we rely on Blooms taxonomy approach (Creating, Analyzing, Applying, Understanding and Remembering) while aimingto find balance on how we access our students learning[3].

Rationale for Selection of the CoursesIn Biology, BI 100 (Biological Science) and BI 101 (Principles of Biology)

would implement the Critical Thinking strategies presented to during two

workshops sponsored by this MSEIP grant. BI 100 is a course that attends anaverage of 50 students/ semester and is an introductory course tailored to non-science majors. It is also a pre-requisite for graduation and one of the biggestclasses at Bennett College which usually do not have more than 20 students. BI 101is also an introductory course but is a pre-requisite for biology, psychology, socialwork and math/computer sciences majors with an average of 35 students/class.

Critical thinking exercises were also implemented in MA 221 (Calculus I)and MA 130 (Precalculus) courses. MA 221 is attended by an average of 10students and is a required course for STEM majors (except biology majors) at

Bennett College. MA 130 is attended by an average of 17 students and is a generaleducation course for STEM majors.Our rationale in choosing our courses was to pick the classes we teach

which have the highest number of students so we can impact the most with our newteaching approach.


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Outline of MethodologyAfter our participation in the Critical Thinking workshops provided by this

grant, we were deeply convinced of the importance of implementing thesuggestions we received during our training into the classroom by bringing theminto instruction of our Biology and Mathematics courses, both structurally and

tactically. Therefore, we had to decide not only on what to cover but also on how tocover. We had to take in consideration what were our goals for the courses, how toimplement them, the requirements the students must meet, grade policies and howto correlate their grades with their performance in these courses.

Students participating in courses where Critical Thinking ideas have beenimplemented are active participants and they know from the beginning what ingeneral is going to be happening in the course, how they are going to be assessed,and what they should be striving to achieve. Therefore, the syllabi of these specificcourses were modified to include lessons with critical thinking objectives.

The following activities were implemented in BI 100 and BI 101.

Current science articles (on alternative energy, AIDS, antibioticsresistance, gene patents, privacy issues) are assigned to the studentswhich were advised to come to class prepared for an engagingdiscussion. One student presents the article, a second student is asked tointerpret, and others join the discussion with their reflections.

History of Science Groups prepared presentations on differentscientists from the 16

ththrough the 21

stcentury.

Cell Parts AnalogyGroups prepared presentations that had analogiesto the different parts of the cell.

Class is divided in groups and assigned different parts of a chapter toreformulate and present (using their own words) to the other groups inthe class.

In MA 221 and MA 130, during the semester the students acquire basic knowledgeand the ability to:

understand the motivation for the development of the concept of limitand how limits, the derivative, and the integral are used to solve

problems; use TI-graphic calculator;

compute or evaluate: functions, limits, derivatives, and integrals;

use computer software Maple to illustrate concepts and solveproblems, and then interpret the results;

set up a mathematical model in real life problems; and

learn how to approach problems to find solutions using critical thinking.


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In order to accomplish these goals, students follow these steps to solve the givenproblems:

read carefully the given problems;

set up the given conditions and goal, and then write them inmathematical language;

find proper formulas to solve problem and then work on algebraicallyor using a graphic calculator; and

analyze and interpret the results.

Examples of activities performed in MA 221.I. Newtons Method

a. Introduce the Newtons Methodb.

Introduce the iteration formulac. Solve one example on the board using a TI-Graphing Calculator

d.

Group exercisese. Solve problems, develop a program, and assign projects using Maple

II. Approximating a definite integral by Riemann Suma.

Introduce the definition of definite integralb. Solve an example of Riemann Sum with 5 partitionsc. Solve the Riemann Sum with n partitiond. Interpret the result and think about the definition again


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Results:BI 100 and BI 101

Group projects with test grade value offered extra chances of success in thecourse.

Students connected their own field of study to components of the group

projects.

In a course geared to non-science majors there were more opportunities fordiscussion and group activities.

Articles discussions were very lively and helped the students connect thematerial in the course to daily issues.

Pre and posttest gradesslight improvement (between 8 and 9%) observed.

MA 221 and MA 130

Engage students with different learning styles using technology.

Develop higher-order-thinking skills and creativity.

Maximize student learning - visualize solutions, explore concepts, assessunderstanding, interpret results.

Pre and posttest gradesimprovement observed between 3 to 6% gain.


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DiscussionBennett College is one of the two HBCUs (historically black colleges and

universities) in the country dedicated to the education of African American women.A vast majority of our students come to Bennett with deficiencies in readingcomprehension and basic Math skills. This scenario provokes developing a platform

incorporating critical thinking design. Therefore, we feel that even though ourimprovements are small we are finding students that are more motivated to come toclass and are engaged active learners.


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BLUEFIELD STATE COLLEGEDr. Tesfaye Belay -Biology

Dr. Julie Kalk -Physics

AbstractThe purpose of this initiative was to incorporate critical thinking for a better

understanding of biology and physics through interactive learning. Methodsincluded a web-based tutor with animation studies and in physics severalmodalities. Pre and posttest assessments indicated a positive correlation betweenthe inclusion of these creative experiences and student engagement and

performance.

IntroductionBluefield State College (BSC) is a historically black college located in

Bluefield, West Virginia, United States. The demography of its students is 86%white, 10% black and 4% other. First-generation college students make up 71% andadult learners are about 44%.

Goals

Better understanding of biology through interactive learning.

Exposing todays issues by discussions embedded with assessment.

Resources

Text: The Unity and Diversity of Life[18] Use online version of WebTutor and eBook with embedded animations

and videos.


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BIOL 102: General Biology 2 (Online) and assessment

Purpose: To determine whether or not students are meeting the learningobjectives of General Biology 101 and 102 outcomes.

Approach:Have students complete critical thinking questions related to thecontent using WebTutor and eBook animations as resources.

Assessment: Embedding 15 essential biology questions in five examsselected by the teaching team of Biology 101 or 102. The performance goalis that 80% of students will answer 70% or more of the embedded questionscorrectly.

The overall percentage of the embedded questions answered correctly by thewhole group during each exam is compared from semester to semester. The averagegrade distribution of students scoring on embedded multiple choice questions asshown below.

Physics 201The hypothesis was that adding a critical thinking element to instruction

would raise scores in general over previous years and the desired outcome was toincrease students ability to create, analyze and evaluate graphs.

ReasoningTrends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS) has

consistently shown that students across the world tend to perform better on lower-order tasks such as recalling, defining and recognizing information versus datainterpretation [12].

In a world where information is increasingly presented visually, studentsneed to be trained how to understand visual representations such as graphs.


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ResultsThe Force Concept Inventory (FCI) was used for assessment.

Widely available, research-based and used as an assessment in PHYS 201since Fall 2007.

Designed as a pre/posttest assessment.

Requires a forced choice between Newtonian concepts andcommonsensealternatives [8].

Does not provide a direct measure of students ability to create and use

graphs.

DiscussionThe key limitations in this study were the number of students evaluated and theassessment techniques. For example, as it is stated above, the FCI does not provide

a direct measure of students ability to create and use graphs. Future research mayincorporate a greater variety of tools to evaluate effectiveness of the teachingmethods.


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COLLEGE OF THE ALBEMARLEDr. Evan S. Fiedler -Anatomy and Physiology II

Mr. Christopher Perry -Anatomy and Physiology II

AbstractCritical thinking was employed by creating a personal relationship between

the content and life activities. By focusing on relevance, the objective was to havestudents understand the material through personal experiences [6].

Improvement in

posttest versus pretest scores was observed when integrating this pedagogy.

IntroductionThe determination of the importance of information is a trial and error

process. Often, students will consider themselves adept at this skill after taking aseries of tests on previously covered material; learning how does the informationconnect to the matter at hand, how does this fact bear upon the issue, and how do

ideas relate? This critical thinking exercise was an effort to create a relationshipbetween the content and their own life.Anatomy & Physiology II (A&P II), the specific unit The Digestive

System, was chosen for integration of this methodology. The rationale was thatthese students have completed approximately 75% of the content in A&P I andA&P II combined, thus they have already developed a foundation of knowledge todraw upon when completing this exercise.


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MethodologyThe activity to establish relevance.1. Write a single day diet journal;2. create a flow chart relating 3 foods to the anatomy & physiology of the

digestive system (reference Chapter 21 in the textbook)[11]; and

3.

add illustrations.

Brief Example Without Illustrations

ResultsA group of 48 students showed an average improvement of 11.25% between

subject (the digestive system) pretest and posttest scores. It should be clarified thatthis was the only method the material in this content area was investigated. Studentshad access to a power point and the textbook but the professors did not explain thedetails of the system. This was done purposefully to truly test the merit of thecritical thinking approach in pedagogy.

DiscussionThe students found this exercise to be mentally stimulating and readily

engaged in the lesson; a refreshing approach to relate to the content. The vocabulary

terms and concepts integrated were extensive including but not limited to thecomposition of macromolecules (proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates), enzymes andhormones involved in digestion (amylase, trypsin, pepsin, cholecystokinin, etc.), theorgans and their respective physiology (esophagus-peristalsis, stomach-parietalcells secreting HCl, small intestine with microvilli- absorption, etc.). Even thoughthe quality of the experience was significant, more data needs to be accumulated tohave a complete package/evaluation.


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ELIZABETH CITY STATE UNIVERSITY

Dr. Yolanda Anderson -Mathematics and Computer ScienceDr. M. Masud Hasan-Mathematics and Computer Science

AbstractThis report details a critical thinking project that was held at Elizabeth City

State University, with a focus on incorporating technology. The emphasis of thecritical thinking activities was in introductory level computer science courses in theMathematics and Computer Science Department. The goal was to improve criticalthinking skills by incorporating activities that would improve comprehension,

thereby increasing the students ability to connect the discipline-specific materialwith their everyday lives. In essence, when educators use critical thinking conceptsin the classroom, they raise thinking to higher levels of understanding andquality, while engaging students and improving understanding [7].

IntroductionCritical thinking through technology is gaining popularity as educators are

realizing that students are lacking this skill. When reinforcing critical thinking, it isnecessary to incorporate technology as this millennial society of connected studentsrelies on technology in education. Encouraging critical thinking allows for better

understanding of material by doing instead of just hearing course concepts.Critical thinking allows students to become active participants, as it relates tolearning, as opposed to simply being a receiver of information in an inherently

passive role [13].Increasing critical thinking skills is a comprehensive goal of creating well-

rounded students. While it will improve comprehension within a particular subject,it will also lead to an expansion of the way in which they view the world [7].


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Drs. Hasan and Anderson used the above principles to increase thecomprehension of concepts within selected computer science courses. Theresearchers worked with introductory courses, as these are the foundational courseswithin the computer science major. Giving the students the correct building blockswill set them up for success within the major, equipping them with the tools that

can be used across their entire curriculum, no matter the discipline [13].

ApproachWhile critical thinking is necessary, it takes direction from educators to

become effective. It is ideal to have the subject matter relate to the lives of students,while using the language of the discipline so that the information can be interpretedinsightfully [6]. Given this framework, Drs. Hasan and Anderson used thefollowing strategies in exercising critical thinking in their classes.

Break a continuous lecture of 50 minutes (Monday, Wednesday, Friday

classes) or 80 minutes (Tuesday, Thursday classes) into segments that alsoinclude challenge questions, examples, feedback questions, and studentdiscussions;

start with a small example and gradually add requirements to the problem(e.g., simple loopaccumulating sum inside loop finding average fromaccumulated sum);

dissect a large problem into smaller sub-problems to solve each sub-problemone at a time;

make test questions more analytical, requiring previously learned

knowledge to be used in changed assumptions; and use mini (5 minutes or less) quizzes at the end or in the middle of every

lecture, where students get immediate automated feedback from the quiz(implemented in Blackboard).

ObjectivesThe objectives of the above strategies are as follows:

to make the class more interesting and keep students more engaged byclass participation;

to enable versatile thinking in bottom-up and top-down approaches;

to observe how students use their learning (i.e., ability to think andapply), rather than directly asking what they have learned; and

to allow the instructor to know the progress in student learning fromeach lecture, as opposed to each module, and giving students immediatefeedback on their comprehension.


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Rationale for Selection of CoursesThe researchers selected the following introductory courses.

Introduction to Computer Science (CSC 114) - This course providesstudents with a basic understanding of programming practices and

problem-solving skills. Concepts covered include number systems, the

history and components of computers, flowcharting, pseudocodemethodologies, understanding of programming practices, algorithms,test cases, and software development concepts.

Programming I (CSC 115) - This course provides an introduction toprogramming and is taught in a high level programming language. Thetopics covered are data types, expressions, assignment, selection,repetition, introduction to arrays, functions, and recursion. Students arerequired to do programming projects.

These are the first two introductory courses for computer science majors,

and tend to be fairly challenging (as evidenced with high failure rates) to studentslearning programming for the first time. Additionally, these courses are offered inmultiple sections; hence one section can utilize critical thinking strategies, whileanother section may not, so that the two sections can be compared as to the effect ofthe critical thinking strategies.

Methodology

Incorporate active participation through the use of SMART board in lecture-discussion;

use programming examples for specific topics (e.g. selection or loopstructure);

present solutions to homework assignments as soon as the due date passed;

modify test questions to be more analytical; and

use the automated feedback tool in Blackboard tests and surveys.


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ResultsIn each course, students were given a pretest and an identical posttest at the

beginning and the end of each semester. These were graded assessments.This semester, Dr. Hasan observed two sections of the same course (CSC

114, Fall 2012). In one section, he infused critical thinking activities throughout the

semester. The other course was taught in the traditional manner, without infusingcritical thinking exercises.

The section that infused critical thinking throughout the semester resulted ina greater improvement between the pretest and posttest scores (28.9%) than thesection without critical thinking activities (11.3%).

In the Fall of 2013, two different courses were chosen (CSC 114 and CSC115) and each infused critical thinking methodologies throughout resulting inimprovements between the pretest and posttest scores for each class.

In the Spring of 2013, Dr. Hasan was able to infuse critical thinkingactivities in one section of Programming I (CSC 115). The students showed animprovement from the pretest to the posttest (13.4%).

In the same semester, Dr. Anderson was able to observe the performance of

the students in one section of Introduction to Computer Science (CSC 114). Usingthe critical thinking exercises resulted in an improvement between the pretest andposttest scores (12.4%).

DiscussionIn brief, it was found that students who undergo critical thinking exercises are likelyto have higher comprehension and performed 9% - 29% better on tests compared tostudents in traditional classes without the critical thinking exercises. However, inthe same set of data illustrated above in CSC 114 and CS 115 one can clearly notethat the overall performance of the students was lackluster. The grade distribution

cumulatively is 4 As, 4 Bs, 9 Cs and 5 Ds. This observation may call for anintegration of improved techniques to facilitate student understandings duringcourses.


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LINCOLN UNIVERSITYMr. Justin Jackson -Mathematics

Dr. Qingxia Li* -Mathematics(*Dr. Li later transferred to Fisk University)

Ms. Bernadette Turner -Mathematics

AbstractThis project is aimed at measuring the differences in students criticalthinking ability through technology by Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Test in aPretest and Posttest setting. The technology, Pearsons My Math Lab and Moodle,is being implemented for the developmental mathematics courses at LincolnUniversity. Data is collected and analyzed under Baseline condition (withouttechnology) and Experimental Condition (with technology) respectively. Resultsshowed that students from classes with technology had a higher increase in theability of critical thinking.

IntroductionLincoln University (LU) in Jefferson City, Missouri, a historically black

college, was established in 1866 by African American Civil War soldiers as aneducational institution created for the freed Black population. Lincoln Universityhas an open admission policy and services a large portion of non-traditionalstudents.

Critical thinking has many definitions. One of the common definitions is theability to integrate many different ideas to come up with a unique solution to solvereal life problems. In mathematics, critical thinking can be either an analysis or a

synthesis of mathematical elements. For example, in Algebra one needs to break thework in parts to solve it, while Geometry requires the combination of severalcomponents to solve a problem.


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Many strategies have been used at LU in an effort to improve the studentlearning experience. The educators created time for activities by providing lecturenotes in advance to students. Additionally, they facilitated student groupdiscussions in the classroom. In this project, the researchers applied SMARTSoftware and Pearsons MyMathLab in developing mathematics courses.

Project SummaryThe outlines made available can be used with SMART Software efficiently

and have led to some remedial sections being taught with a self-paced model.Pearsons MyMathLab and Moodle are currently being implemented at LU.

HypothesisRemedial courses were selected because students in these courses may stand

to gain the most through improved critical thinking skills. Students who can

improve their ability to reflect on their own thoughts are more likely to succeed inevery class they take. Richard Paul stated, Critical thinking is thinking about yourthinking while youre thinking in order to make your thinking better, in aninterview for Thinkmagazine

[15]. The courses were designed with this in mind.

Project ObjectivesThe goals of this project are: (1) to help students gain the mathematical

skills required to be successful in later math classes and eventually fulfill all therequirements to complete a degree; (2) to increase the development of criticalthinking through correcting mistakes on homework/quiz assignments. Students can

refer back to previous examples or definitions to try and fix their own errorsthrough the provided online videos or examples; and (3) to encourage students toidentify the applications of even basic mathematics and connect what they havelearned to real world, practical situations.

EvaluationWe used Pretest-Posttest of a critical thinking assessment to compare

student performance. A pretest was given during the first week of classes and anidentical posttest was given during the last week of each semester.

MethodologyBefore getting started, it is vital to have clear objectives in the content area

for the course.a) Objectives for Basic Math (Math 50)

i) Adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing wholenumbers, integers, fractions and decimals;

ii)

recognizing place value and rounding;iii)

working with fractions through an understanding of primenumbers factors and multiples;

iv)

basic concepts of percentages and problems involving simpleinterest, taxes, and discounts;

v)

solving one step linear equations;


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vi)

translating words to expressions and/or equations; andvii) introduction to the coordinate plane.

b) Objectives for Basic Algebra (Math 51) - 3 credit hoursi)

Review of real numbers and simplifying algebraic

expressions;ii) solving linear equations;iii) the coordinate plane and graphing linear equations;iv) exponential rules; andv) polynomials - definitions, multiplying, and factoring.

c) Objectives for Basic Algebra (Math 51C) - 4 credit hours

Math 51C is a combination of Math 50 and Math 51. Theobjectives for Math 51C are the same as Math 51.

Lecture outlines consist of definitions that usually just require a fill-in-the-blank to complete them, how to steps for a concept, and many examples to beworked out on the board and by the students. All objectives for a course align withthe sections and objectives laid out in the notes. The text books initially used forMath 50 and Math 51 were Basic Mathematics Through Applications, 4

th edition

andIntroductory Algebra though Applications, 2nd

edition respectively [1,2].

Different Strategies have been used for Math 50 and Math 51/Math 51C.

a)

Basic Math* (partially self-paced model)i) Video Lectures were created using SMART software. The

lecture notes were captured into a notebook and a recordingwas made of an instructor working through the notes on atablet PC. These videos combined with the provided notesmade it possible to move to the self-paced model.

ii) Homework assignments were created using Moodle. Theassignments were created for each section and aligned withthe lecture videos and notes.

iii)

Due dates are specified to ensure all objectives are met by theend of a semester, but students are encouraged to workahead. Students make progress by completing their noteswhile watching a lecture, completing all homeworkassignments for a chapter with at least an 80%, taking a

practice test, then finally taking a chapter test. As long asstudents work ahead, they are given the opportunity to take asecond version of a chapter test. This allows students to

practice what they missed or did not understand and try toimprove their score. Test grades can go down as the averageof the two attempts will be counted if the second attemptscore is worse than the first.


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iv)

Remedial classes have mandatory attendance and this self-paced course is no exception. The class meets in a computerlab where students can work individually, help each other, orget individual help from the instructor.

b)

Basic Algebra - a more traditional approachi) Lecture notes have been imported into a SMART notebook

as above, but these lectures are completed in a traditionalclassroom setting.

ii) Since students have an outline of what will be written on theSMART board, lectures can be broken up at any time and theclassroom can be flipped. Students get time to try and finish

portions of the notes individually or in groups before thecorrect answers are discussed on the board.

iii)

A .pdf file of the notes is created from the SMART notebook.This completed version of notes can be placed on Moodle forstudents to review as needed.

*Math 50 was taught with a traditional approach in the Spring of 2013 andthe self-paced model was first used in the Fall of 2013.

Online Homeworka) Basic Math - MoodleAssignments for each section were created using the quiz feature in Moodle.

Students could rework entire assignments an infinite number of times until they

mastered the concepts. Reworking assignments gave students the opportunity tolearn from their mistakes, an important aspect of critical thinking. One drawback tousing the quiz feature in Moodle is that entire assignments must be completed

before students can see whether their answers are correct.

b) Basic Algebra - Pearsons MyMathLabQuestions were picked that matched the course objectives to create

assignments for each section. Feedback was provided instantly on every question.Praise was given for correct answers and hints or general information was given

depending on incorrect answers. This helped students apply definitions to specificexamples and improved thinking skills. Besides homework assignments,MyMathLab is full of resources including an online version of the textbook, videolectures, and Power Point presentations. Though MyMathLab is an excellent tool,its cost has been an issue for many students. This is one reason the Basic Mathcourse was developed in Moodle.

Supplemental Resources - Khan AcademyKhan Academy is an amazing free resource for almost any subject.

Students are provided with links to videos and practice exercises in Khan Academy

through Moodle that match up with learning objectives we are working on. KhanAcademy is another opportunity for students to pick what they need to work on andtry to improve their own knowledge base and thinking skills.


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Results

Discussion

All the courses we studied showed gains from the pretest to the posttest.When all courses were considered together, the data was statisticallysignificant and supported the claim that there were positive gains from

pretest to posttest scores. Our assessment was updated between the Springand Fall of 2013. Many of the same questions were used, but some more

were added. Besides additional questions, multiple choice portions wereadded to improve reliability. It showed that technology helped the studentsimprove their critical thinking skills, but it is difficult to be certain.


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The one course that did not use technology was Math 51C section 1 fromthe Fall of 2013. The gains were much higher in section 2 of this course,which used recorded online lecture notes. The sets were both so variablethat the results were not significant when testing the claim that the mean

gain is higher for sections of this course that use technology.

Looking at the averages depicted above, there are a few troubling aspects.First, the highest posttest average for any of the courses was 57.8% in Math51C. The other averages were even lower, which is disappointing as weexpected much higher numbers based on the difficulty of the assessment.The gains from the lowest level remedial class, Math 50 Basic Math, weremodest. The average went from 32.8% on the pretest to 38.8% on the

posttest. The idea with our current model of remediation is that students

who successfully complete Math 50 will acquire the skills necessary tocomplete Math 51, then intermediate algebra, and finally college algebra orelementary statistics. The data above suggests that students who completedthese sections of Math 50 were not as prepared as students who sat down totake the pretest in Math 51. If students miss out on content knowledge andcritical thinking skills at each rung of the remedial ladder, the chances ofthem successfully completing a degree are slim at best. The odds of astudent starting in a low level remedial class and earning a STEM degree areeven smaller. The University is constantly seeking to improve the studentexperience and is looking into different options for remedial education. Oneis offering co-requisites to go along with intermediate algebra. This wouldget students in the classroom more, which may have influenced our data aswell. Not only was the posttest average the highest in Math 51C, but thiscourse also showed the highest gain from pre to posttest. This could

partially be attributed to the fact that this course is a four-hour coursemeeting Monday through Thursday, while all the sections studied of Math50 and Math 51 were three-hour courses meeting on Monday, Wednesday,and Friday.

Even though there were not significant findings from the gains in the self-paced version of Math 50 versus the traditional version, we believe there ispromise in the results. We will continue to collect data in self-pacedclassrooms to see if students gain more skills through this approach.


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SHAW UNIVERSITYDr. Ramesh K. Mathur -Mathematics

AbstractThis paper is a study of the outcomes as it applies to critical thinking with

the use of technology. A pre and posttest was given to students in the beginningand end of the semester .Critical thinking intervention was used in a generalmathematics class, for non-majors , at Shaw University to see the relevance ofmathematics in real life. The objective was to see the importance and applicationsof exponential functions. Students were required to use technology to acquire dataon savings using Excel to make an oral presentation of how they would use math ineveryday life. This study produced positive results in students critical thinking asindicated by improvement in post -test as compared to pretest.

HypothesisStudents taking the lower level general mathematics course were selected, to

follow the non-traditional approach, using critical thinking. It was felt that thesecourses are pre-requisites to upper level courses, and a better understanding in thesecourses would help them to perform better in upper level courses in math andscience.

Goals To help students gain the necessary mathematical skills, and logical

reasoning, which help them completing upper level courses; and

to encourage and require students to work problems related to their real life.


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ProjectHow do you plan to survive in 35 years? Students were asked to follow the

steps listed here:1. Understand the problem or issue at hand.2.

Understand the logical connections between ideas.

3.

Identify, construct and evaluate arguments.4. Avoid common mistakes.5. Solve the problem using the proper approach and formulas.

Methodology

Collect data from the Internet;

use Excel to analyze the data;

create PowerPoint presentations; and

study Khan Academy related videos to prepare for presentations.

ResultsStudents were given a pretest in the first week of the semester, and a posttest

in the last week of the semester (Spring 2014). The figure shows a comparison ofthe pre-posttest results of the traditional section MAT 112-04 and MATH 112-03.General Math 112-03 used the critical thinking techniques. The mean post grade inMAT 112-04 was 70, as compared to a mean post grade of 85 for MAT 112-03.

DiscussionThe critical thinking approach was used in one general math course that is apre-requisite to upper level mathematics courses. In addition to the improvedposttest performance, there were 6 As,4 Bs and 9 Cs, a total of 19passing gradesin the section using the critical thinking techniques. The course using a traditionalapproach had only one student resultant A grade compared to the six in the sectionusing the critical thinking approach.


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VIRGINIA UNION UNIVERSITYDr. Ruth Lamprecht -Computer Information Systems and Computer Science

Ms. Iantha Malbon - Computer Information Systems

Abstract

Critical thinking is a skill that needs to be taught to all students in order toaid them in their future careers. The ability to make connections between previousknowledge and a current situation or problem can determine how quickly or easily asolution can be found. Becoming a critical thinker means becoming adept at usingthe elements explicitly and electively in your own thinking[13]. The researchersin this study focused on the need to guide students into becoming better criticalthinkers. This was done through the use of hands-on exercises, frequent (short)quizzes, and broader questions in class discussions.

IntroductionThis resource discusses the results of the Critical Thinking Study in various

Computer Information Systems (CIS) courses at Virginia Union University. Thegoal of the researchers was to show students how to take new content and relate itto old information. Critical thinking is the systematic monitoring of thought withthe end goal of improvement[7].

The approach of the researchers is based in the belief that the more classwork is grounded in the real-life applications of the topics, the more the studentswill learn. The goal of critical thinking is to establish an additional level ofthinking to our thinking [7]. To this end, the researchers stress the connections

between what the students already know and what the students are learning. The


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concepts of critical thinking are important in guiding students to the ability to makethese connections on their own.

One of the elements of reasoning is the assumptions made in the reasoning."Whenever you reason through something, you always have to begin somewhere"[13]. Students learn that their assumptions can prevent them from solving the

problem. For example, it is usually assumed that everything is plugged in but youcan waste a lot of time if that's the problem. Another element is the point of view ofthe question. "Addressing the same question from a different point of view can

produce a whole different set of purposes, assumptions, conclusions, and so on"[13]. When trying to determine how to answer a question, it is important to realizethat a different perspective can open up a new set of solutions. Learning how to dothis can expand the knowledge base of students.

Courses and Objectives

Below are the courses used in this project. These courses were chosen asones taken by CIS majors. This means the students are more motivated andinterested to learn the material. Listed with each course are the objectives for thecritical thinking exercises given.

Introduction to Software Development (CIS 210)

Sequential vs. simultaneous actions as they apply to programming and thereal world to make the connection between personal knowledge and specificcourse knowledge.

Explore application of lecture concepts through bi-weekly quizzes focusedon getting students to practice quick thinking.

Application Programming & Advanced Application Programming (CIS 368 & 369)

Discussion of programming controls that they have seen on app interfaces inthe real world.

4-step problem-solving model which can be used to solve programming andreal world problems to stress the importance of the design phase of asolution.

Advanced Business Applications (CIS 262) Format a worksheet for printing by understanding the concepts that make it

easier to visualize data and promote environmental conservation.

Manipulate charts to present data in different ways that shows cause-and-effect of different data patterns.

Data Communications and Networking (CIS 263)

Analyze and discuss the troubleshooting process using the 4-step problem-solving model.

Describe ways to extend and enhance Ethernet networks that allows forfuture expansion and easy maintenance.


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Outline of MethodologyTo teach the students to be critical thinkers, the researchers used the

following exercises.

Writing programs where they had to determine the informationnecessary to complete the task;

server troubleshooting where they had to apply problem solvingskills to determine a solution and then test its viability; and

frequent quizzes designed to guide the students to the connectionsbetween previous knowledge and the new knowledge.

Quick-answer question used in class and on assignments.

Why is it important to understand the problem before designing thesolution?

What behaviors threaten the security of the network?

Questions were drawn from key pieces of information required for eachcourse. They were asked as short answer questions to promote thinking outside the

box.

ResultsOverall, the researchers saw improvements in the students use of critical

thinking. The graphs from CIS 369 and CIS 210 show individual student scores onthe pre- and post-test assessments. Of all the students in these two classes, 27

showed improvement while 4 did not, indicating an 87% success rate. However,none of those four students passed the class and only one of them completed thepost-test. The graphs for CIS 262 and CIS 263 further illustrate the connectionbetween overall class performance and performance on the assessments. Allstudents, on average, had some improvement between the pretest and posttest, butthose students who placed in the top grade grouping for the classes had the mostimprovement between the assessments.


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DiscussionWith regards to this process statistically, the only limitation observed in the

study was that improvement was progressively better in the group that could beconsidered stronger academic students. A research-based teaching method thatmay result in enhanced scores in the future by all participants may be more peerinteraction during lessons and on assignments.


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WEST VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITYDr. Upali Karunathilake -Mathematics

Dr. Xiaohong Zhang-Mathematics

AbstractThe National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking defines critical

thinking as the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfullyconceptualizing, apply, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information [14].It is also an integral goal in the higher education process. In this presentation,

researchers looked at how the infusion of technology with traditional classroominstruction can improve students critical thinking and performance in mathematicscourses.

A comparison of results was analyzed from pretest and posttest scores foreach of the classes listed to see if there was a statistically significant improvementin student achievement.

IntroductionThe researchers evaluated general education math courses; Math 120

College Algebra (Fall 2012 & Spring 2013) and Math 105 Geometry for Math ED(Fall 2012). There are three levels of understanding in Mathematics [4, 10]:

1. Who/What/When/Where: At the first level, students can ask the questionwhat by finding the description of the problem and attempt tounderstand the problem. What is this about? What is the main point?What is the problem? What/who is involved? When does thisoccur? Students may or may not have seen a similar problem before butidentifying the problem will lead them to the next level, and to seeking amethod to solve it.


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2.

Why/How: The second level is the analysis stage. Why can thisargument/theory be used on this problem? How do you use analgorithm to solve it? Is it the most appropriate? Is there any otherway? Why/how doesthe method work? Using all these questions willlead students to find an appropriate method to solve the problems.

3.

What If/What Next: The third and the most important level forunderstanding the content is to use critical thinking where students canask these questions. What if this were wrong? What if the conditionwas changed? What can be learned from this? Is there a next step?What is next step? Whereelse can I apply this method?

Methodology (in class)Our approach is traditional classroom teaching with an emphasis on active

participation of students by solving problems posed to them during the class. We

also used Smart Board; graphing calculators; software such as derive, JK Graph;and using power point presentations to improve students understanding and criticalthinking. Some of the methods of solving as well as theorems were developed inthis way rather than directly given to students. Students were encouraged to useother resources including tutoring service as well as online resources. We increasedin-class activities, some hands-on problem solving, group work and more. Theresearchers encouraged students to work independently or in groups daily, and usedsome study strategies to incorporate critical thinking which included:

Note taking

Graphic organizationData collecting

Group exercise

Before and after quizzes

Test taking on Aleks.com by McGraw Hill

This approach gave the students the opportunity to become more activelyinvolved in the classroom.

Methodology (outside of class)

We used the SI Program (Supplemental Instruction Program), a peer-facilitated program that integrates content and learning skills outside the classroom.SI leaders lead the students to how-to-learn with what-to-learn. Some studystrategies included:

Questioning techniques

Vocabulary acquisition

Test preparation

Group studies

We also used Khan Academy, Catch Up Math (www.catchupmath.com)andthe text book website.
http://www.catchupmath.com/http://www.catchupmath.com/


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DataA test to measure the students' critical thinking abilities was administered at

the beginning and towards the end of each semester. Fall 2012 Math 105/Geometryfor Math Education demonstrated total average test score increases of 25%. Spring2013 Math 120/College Algebra demonstrated total average increases of 50%.

ConclusionA statistical analysis was performed to see if the change in exam grades

was significant.

Fall 2012 Math 105One-sided confidence interval using tdistribution at 97.5% confidence level

is (-, 11.39). Since the average in differences between test 2 and test 1 is 13.04,we claim with a 97.5% confidence that students critical thinking as measured by

this test has improved.

Spring 2013 Math 120One-sided confidence interval using t distribution at 99.5% confidence level

is (-, 16.21). Since the average in differences between test 2 and test 1 is 21.33,we claim with a 99.5% confidence that students critical thinking as measured bythis test has improved.

DiscussionThis is the first year we have incorporated all those methods with critical

thinking strategies. At the same time while working on our own National ScienceFoundation grant we have seen some improvement; however, we are still seekingthe magic way to improve our retention rate, lower the DFW rates, and help morestudents to succeed at all levels, in all classes. We really appreciated the guidance

provided in these workshops. Our passion and our commitment to mathematicalteaching has been empowered through participating in this project and will make us

better educators.


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Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking AppraisalDr. Qingxia Li

The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal has a distinguishedhistory, dating back to its initial development in 1925. Designed to measureimportant abilities and skills involved in critical thinking, it has been used inorganizations as a selection and development tool and in academic settings as a

measure of gains in critical thinking resulting from specific coursework orinstructional programs. A Mental Measurement Yearbook review noted that theWatson-Glaser is distinguished by its voluminous research and validity studies.

Watson and Glaser believe that critical thinking includes the followingpractices [19]:

attitudes of inquiry that involve an ability to recognize the existence ofproblems and an acceptance of the general need for evidence in supportof what is asserted to be true;

knowledge of the nature of valid inferences, abstractions, andgeneralizations in which the weight or accuracy of different kinds of

evidence are logically determined; and skills in employing and applying the above attitudes and knowledge.

Consistent with this conceptualization, the Watson-Glaser II (newestrevision) has maintained the same approach to measuring critical thinking. EachWatson-Glaser II subtest is composed of reading passages or scenarios that include

problems, statements, arguments, and interpretations of data similar to thoseencountered on a daily basis at work, in the classroom, and in newspaper ormagazine articles. Each scenario is accompanied by a number of items to which the

participant responds.There are two types of scenario/item content: neutral and controversial.

Neutral scenarios and items deal with subject matter that does not cause strongfeelings or prejudices, such as the weather, scientific facts, or common businesssituations. Scenarios and items having controversial content refer to political,economic, and social issues that frequently provoke emotional responses.


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The Watson-Glaser II introduces one notable change to Watson and Glasersoriginal work. Factor analyses of the existing instrument (Forms Short, A, B)consistently revealed a structure in which three scales, Inference, Deduction andInterpretation -all related to drawing conclusions -factored together. Recognitionof Assumptions and Evaluation of Arguments remained as independent factors.

Based on this finding and the logical appeal and interpretational ease of the threefactor model (RED), a new subscale composition was proposed.

Recognize Assumptions (R)Assumptions are statements that are assumed to be true in the absence of

proof. Identifying assumptions helps in discovery of information gaps and enrichesviews of issues. Assumptions can be unstated or directly stated. The ability torecognize assumptions in presentations, strategies, plans, and ideas is a key elementin critical thinking. Being aware of assumptions and directly assessing their

appropriateness to the situation helps individuals evaluate the merits of a proposal,policy, or practice.

Evaluate Arguments (E)Arguments are assertions that are intended to persuade someone to believe

or act a certain way. Evaluating arguments is the ability to analyze such assertionsobjectively and accurately. Analyzing arguments helps in determining whether to

believe them or act accordingly. It includes the ability to overcome a confirmationbiasthe tendency to look for and agree with information that confirms priorbeliefs. Emotion plays a key role in evaluating arguments as well. A high level of

emotion can cloud objectivity and the ability to accurately evaluate arguments.

Draw Conclusions (D)Drawing conclusions consists of arriving at conclusions that logically follow

from the available evidence. It includes evaluating all relevant information beforedrawing a conclusion, judging the plausibility of different conclusions, selecting themost appropriate conclusion, and avoiding overgeneralization beyond the evidence.

Results for Critical Thinking Pretest and Posttest

The following sections summarize the results of the Pretest and Posttestswhen infusing critical thinking strategies. The participating institutions includedBennett College, Bluefield State College, College of The Albemarle, Elizabeth CityState University, Hampton University*, Lincoln University, Shaw University, WestVirginia State University, and Virginia Union University. A total of 17 facultymembers from Biology, Computer Science, Mathematics, and Physics participatedin this project. Of the students, 387 students had valid Critical Thinking pretestscores, and 254 students completed the posttest. 110 students completed both

pretests and posttests.*Hampton University did not provide an individual detailed section of their

approach to include in the manual prior to publication.


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Section 1: Overall Performance of students on Critical Thinking PretestThe Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking pretest had three categories with their

respective distribution of questions (40 total): Recognize Assumptions (12),Evaluate Arguments (12), and Draw Conclusions (16). Across all students in ninedifferent colleges, the number of correct answers from all students had a fairly

normal distribution (see Figure 1). The lowest score was 0 (3 students), and thehighest score was 35 (1 student). Students performed slightly better in EvaluateArguments (54.6%) than the other two categories: Recognize Assumptions (45.4%)and Draw Conclusions (47.2%).

Figure 1. Distribution and Descriptive Statistics for the Pretest Scores (all students)

Section 2: Overall Performance of students on Critical Thinking PosttestThe lowest score of the posttest is 6 (2 students) and the highest score is 38

(1 student). The posttest also has a fairly normal distribution. 80% of students got11 to 25 correct answers on the posttest. No students have got less than 6 correctanswers and the percent of students who got 6 to 10 correct answers is low (0.6%).More than 15% of students scored 26 or better.


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Figure 2. Posttest Scores (all students)Section 3: Comparison of Pretest and Posttest scores

As shown in Table 1, the posttest-total mean is slightly higher than thepretest-total mean. There is a 4.1% and 9.7% increase in the categories ofRecognize Assumptions and Evaluate Arguments respectively while a 9.6%

decrease appears in the category of Draw Conclusions. Table 2 shows that there is a2% increase between pretest mean and posttest mean for students who havecompleted both measures.

Table 1. Differences of Means and Standard Deviations (all students)

Table 2. Means of Pretest and Posttest for Students who Completed Both Measures


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Section 4: Comparison of Time-spent on Tests with Scores of TestsAs shown in Figure 3, over 80% of students completed their tests in 11 to 40

minutes and 29% of students did the tests in the range of 21 and 30 minutes. Thecorrelation is calculated between the number of correct answers and time spent onthe tests. Table 3 and 4 show that there is a weak correlation between students

scores with time spent on the tests. There is a strong correlation between number oftotal correct answers and the number of correct answers in each category:Recognize Assumptions, Evaluate Arguments, and Draw Conclusions.

Figure 3. Distribution for Time-Spent on Pretests and Posttests (all students)

Table 3. Correlation between Time and Scores on Pretests and Posttests

Table 4. Correlation between Time (10-50 minutes) andScores for Pretests and Posttests

Note: Total= total number of correct answers in Pretests and Posttests, RA= numberof correct answers in the category of Recognize Assumptions, EA= number of

correct answers in the category of Evaluate Arguments, DC= number of correctanswers in the category of Draw Conclusion, Time= number of minutes studentsspent on their pretests and posttests.


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Section 5: Comparison of STEM and Non-STEM Majors in Pretests and PosttestsOverall, STEM did slightly better than Non-STEM majors in Pretests and

Posttests. STEM majors got one more correct answer than Non-STEM majors forthe Medians as well as 3 more correct answers for the third Quartile. Comparing the

posttest-total with the pretest-total, STEM majors has a slightly decrease while

Non-STEM majors has a small increase. For both STEM and Non-STEM majors,there are noticeably increase in the categories of Recognize Assumptions andEvaluate Arguments, but a relatively large decrease in the category of DrawConclusions.

Table 5. Means, Standard Deviations and Five Number Summaries of Pretests andPosttests for STEM and Non-STEM Majors

Section 6: Comparison of 1-2 Year College Students and 3-4 Year College StudentsAs shown in Table 6, there is an increase for 1-2 year students and a

decrease for 3-4 year college students in Posttest means compared with the Pretestmeans. Year 1-2 college students had a higher increase in the categories ofRecognize Assumptions and Evaluate Arguments and a smaller decrease in thecategory of Draw Conclusions than 3-4 year college students.

Table 6. Means, Standard Deviations and Five Number Summaries ofPretests and Posttests for 1-2 Year 3-4 Year College Students.


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Section 7: ConclusionFor all student participants, there is only a slight difference between

Pretests-total and Posttests-total. There is a noticeable increase in the categories ofRecognize Assumptions and Evaluate Arguments, and a relatively large decrease inthe category of Draw Conclusions. For 1-2 year college students, there is a

relatively large increase in Posttest means compared with Pretest means, while thereis a decrease in the posttest means for 3-4 year college students. Compared with

Non-STEM majors, STEM majors did slightly better in both Pretests and Posttests.There is only a slight difference between pretest means and posttest means for bothSTEM and Non-STEM majors. A time analysis is conducted among time spent on

both tests and the number of correct answers in each categories of the tests. There isno strong correlation between number of correct answers and time spent on thesetests.

Section 8: Future ProjectsThe targeted student groups should be 1-2 year college students and thediscipline in the survey can be reduced to three categories: STEM, Non-STEM, andUndeclared. The time allowed on the tests should not be more than 60 minutes. Theoutcomes of the tests should be related to extra credits in the course for studentengagement. A pretest and posttest on the course content along with a CriticalThinking test should be given at the beginning and the end of semester. Data should

be collected under Baseline Condition (without using technology in teaching) andExperimental Condition (with technology in teaching) separately.


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iPad and SMART BoardDr. Farrah JacksonWard

Chairperson: Mathematics and Computer Science

Dr. Farrah Jackson Ward of Elizabeth City State University has beenactively using iPAD and SMART Board in the collegiate classroom. Specific tacticsthat have resulted in greater student involvement in both guided practice and

problem solving requiring critical thinking (with individual and group learners) arebriefly shared in this section of the manual. In addition to working with students,

Dr. Ward also has and continues to deliver hands-on interactive seminars toeducators (on how to use either/both modalities).The iPad can be loaded with multiple applications. Unfortunately, as a result

of this flexibility teachers could be overloaded with information so much so thatthey may not know where to begin and/or may be intimidated. Dr. Wardrecommends these specific apps below to begin to get comfortable withincorporating this unique productive technology.

Teacher Clicker Socrative: Ask questions on the spot (multiplechoice, true/false, short answer). Quizzes (create or import from

Excel).

Exit Ticket (preloaded). Educreations Interactive Whiteboard: Turn your iPad into a

recordable whiteboard. You can create a video tutorial. Voicerecording, handwriting, and drawings. Add text and photos to any

page. Share lessons via email, Facebook, Twitter and/or a website sostudents can watch them before and/or after class.

Baiboard - Collaborative Whiteboard: Note taking. Animationclouds. Annotate PDF and pictures. Obtain signatures. Share lessonsvia email, Dropbox, Facebook, Twitter and/or Tumblr.


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The SMART Board is an interactive flat panel large enough to be viewed byall the students (from their seats) in a typical size classroom. Innovative featuresallow for teachers and students to interact with any displayed information in amanner similar to using a touch-screen computer. Active editing such ashighlighting, underlining, and/or adding content allows for lessons to turn into

malleable modules. Essentially, the active user (instructor/student) is trulyteaching/showing understanding in-the-moment and differentiating the delivery ofcontent to reach multiple learning styles. During seminars, Dr. Ward sharesextraordinary stories of students problem-solving individually and together with/infront of their peers. Student feedback has been positive in performance and on end-of-class surveys.

The iPad and SMART Board are not brand new tools in todays educationalsetting, but they do provide a mechanism for a dynamic learning experience.


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Significance of the Cover

The cover model of a buckyball represents Buckminsterfullerene (C60)whichexhibits wave-particle duality. This molecule was chosen by the publisher as ananalogy to the combination of applying deduction and induction when establishing

understandings. Deduction is an expression of the wave property, and induction isdemonstrative of the particle state. Exhibiting the dual nature relates to theviewpoint that both practices are simultaneously occurring in the mind of todaysstudents during the learning process.


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References

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