Final Project: Critical Thinking and Ethics

Final Project: Critical Thinking and Ethics

Objective:

For this assignment, you will create a research paper. This project involving professionals from academic and student affairs, and students, to design a strategy for the teaching, learning, and assessment of critical thinking (one of five common student learning outcomes for undergraduates) that integrates academic and student affairs. The project will be 5-10 pages long, including the title page and reference page.

ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES ( 2 points/ 10%):

Students will generate a model that can be used at Florida-State and elsewhere for the integration of academic and student affairs in the teaching/learning/assessment of general education outcomes (for instance, ethical reasoning, social responsibility, or human diversity)

EACH PAPER SHOULD INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:

1. Introduction (5 points / 25%) Provide a brief synopsis of the Importance of critical thinking (not a description), in your own words.

2. Plan of research and supporting investigation sources (10 points / 50%)

a. Your paper will include the following:

Research questions:

· Can our students (mostly 1st-year) apply the process of critical thinking to an event or experience outside of the classroom?

· Does the inclusion of a practice writing on critical thinking result in better performance by students than those who did not have the practice?

· Do students with specific characteristics (for instance, entering ACT, transfer hours, race/ethnicity, sex) perform better on these tasks than others?

Is there a correlation between performance on the writing assignment and college life?

Research Design:

The research design will focus on the introduction into already existing classes the completion of a standardized test, critical thinking instruction and practice (1/2 students), and a common assignment that will be scored using a common rubric( ACT, FCAT, SAT, EOC, or college entering exam ). All students will complete a writing assignment in which they apply critical thinking to an event or experience outside the classroom.

Outcomes:

The intent is to have this project serve as a model for the integration of student affairs and academic affairs for the teaching, learning, and assessment of broad “general education” outcomes. 

3. Conclusion ( 3 point/ 15%)

Briefly recapitulate your thoughts & conclusion to your research. How did this impact your thoughts on Critical Thinking?

The evaluation will be based on how you respond to the above, in particular:

a) The clarity with which you consolidate, establish and apply your research.

b) The depth, scope, and organization of your paper.

c) Your conclusions, including a description of your opinion of critical thinking after you finish this class.