Assessment

Critical Thinking Homepage

Upcoming CTWG Events

Dimensions of Thinking

Three Story Intellect

Questioning

Fallacies

Course Design

Occasional Papers

Fritz's Homepage
Intentionally and explicitly identifying assessment criteria for all course assignments helps students to more adequately prepare and enables them to develop greater ability to do self-assessment. Intentionally and explicitly identifying assessment criteria also helps the professors focus with greater precision on their expectations for student performance. These standards are derived, in part, from the work of Richard Paul at the Center for Critical Thinking at Sonoma State University.
Accuracy Does the student take time to check the facts or definitions, reassess their conclusions, use the appropriate criteria to evaluate information
Adequacy Does the student present enough information to "make the case," use logical processes in coming to conclusionss, stay focused on the question/issue
Breadth Does the student consider the context, the full range of implications, related information or points of view, opposing ideas or perspectives
Clarity of Expression Does the student use proper grammar, syntax, and sentence construction to effect a clear communication of ideas
Clarity of Meaning Does the student explain, illustrate, give examples, elaborate, refine, resolve, unravel, and specify, seek and communicate full understanding.
Completeness

Does the student consider all the elements of thinking.

 
Consistency

Does the student apply the same standards and criteria to every point of view.

 
Depth Does the student go beyond the surface, the immediate, the simple, the commonly believed to the significant, the complex, the complicated, the many-sided, the many-layered, the intricate, the subtle.
Fairness Does the student withhold judgment about an issue until sufficient information and support are available, seek to understand the issue from another point of view, use basic concepts and ideas as intended by the author, discipline or speaker, report information or data without bias and unjustified selectivity
Flexibility

Does the student consider alternative points of view or deal with several sources of information simultaneously, demonstrate a willingness to take their ideas "off the table" when appropritate, demonstrate active listening skills.
Justifiability Does the student provide sufficient reasons or information to reach a particular conclusion.
Insight Does the student see the connections and proper relationships among issues, theories, concepts that have not been presented in class.
Integration Does the student bring important information together in ways that demonstrates theoretical implications and inferences.
Level of Thinking Does the student demonstrate higher order thinking through application of information, explanation, and interpretation.
Persistence Does the student analyze the problem, develop a system, structure, or strategy of problem attach, keep at the problem or assignment, attempt several solutions to it to determine the best alternative.
Practicality Does the student propose solutions to a problem which are "do-able," pose questions which can be answered, narrow the topic appropriate to the time/space limitations of the assignment.
Precision Does the student use technical terms appropriatel make distinctions among similar points of view or data, use specific language.
Reasonableness Does the student employ the standards of logic, avoid obvious fallacies, provide sufficient justification for conclusions
Relevance Does the student make contributions which keep the question/issue focued on the assignment or topic, present information or data which has a reasoned connection to the problem, use the appropriate point of view in coming to interpretations or conclusions
Significance

Does the student "get to the heart of the matter," raise questions/issues which have importance to the topic, explore assumptions and implications, offer hypotheses or predictions based on the evidence.