Critical Thinking Video Conference
Learn more about ways to increase critical thinking skills for undergraduate students!
Critical Thinking Video Conference
November 14, 2007*
12-2pm (Pacific Time)
2-4pm (Central Time)
3-5pm (Eastern Time)**
*These times are the most current.
* *Middlesex Community College, Northern Essex Community College, Pine Manor College and Salem State College will gather at Salem State College from 12:30-3pm (EST) for lunch and information sharing prior to the video conference. Shelley Steenrod is coordinating the logistics.
Presentations will include:
Turning It Off: Teaching Media Criticism Through Ethnography
by Dr. Charles Lewis, professor of Mass Communications
Hear the results of a project that explored how students could develop a critical perspective of media through observation and analysis of their own media use as well as an experiment in abstaining from viewing electronic-media for a period of time.
The redesign of general Chemistry II to promote critical thinking and long term learning
by Dr. Marie Pomije and Dr. John Thoemke, professors of Chemistry
Learn about online materials and "workshop days" to promote critical thinking in chemistry. The researchers developed online materials to motivate and guide students to review topics from General Chemistry I, as required for success in Chemistry II. They also created "workshop days" in which the students worked in groups to solve application problems designed to create multi-dimensional critical thinking skills (both conceptual and mathematical).
Incorporating critical thinking through media literacy in global perspectives on women and change
by Dr. Cathryn Bailey, professor of Philosophy
Based on observation it seemed clear that not enough has been done to creatively incorporate revision strategies to best exploit revision's potential to develop critical thinking in philosophy classes. The project proposed to explore how professors in other disciplines understand and utilize revision. From this information new revision strategies were developed and implemented in a writing intensive course titled "Philosophy of Race, Class, and Gender."
Did we learn anything? Evaluating the effectiveness of physics, psychology and philosophy courses designed to improve critical thinking in the sciences.
by Dr. Steven Kipp, professor of Astronomy
Learn about research that aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of three critical thinking courses in Philosophy, Psychology and Physics.
Background on IPESL
The Initiative to Promote Excellence in Student Learning (IPESL) was a grant opportunity from the Minnesota State Legislature for faculty to improve student learning. Each of the seven state universities in Minnesota were asked to develop their own propectus for their own campus. At MSU it was decided that the most important need was for faculty to infuse courses with critical thinking through one or more of the following areas:
- new instructional or curriculum materials to improve critical thinking (development, implementation, and assessment)
- new support mechanisms to improve critical thinking (development, implementation, and assessment)
- new assessments of critical thinking (development and implementation).
A total of 38 faculty received funding for 22 different grants to develop projects during the spring semester 2007. Areas of study included the following disciplines with some projects completed by teams of faculty: Philosophy, Speech Communication, English, Music, Mass Communications, Physics & Astronomy, Modern Languages, Nursing, Accounting & Business Law, Mathematics & Statistics, Chemistry, Women's Studies and Urban & Regional Studie
For more details about IPESL please go to the following website: http://www.mnsu.edu/grants/ipesl