Promoting Critical Thinking Skills Through Effective Grading Techniques

Abstract

Walvoord and Anderson have demonstrated that "effective grading" techniques can be applied to promote and teach higher-level critical thinking skills in the classroom. Effective grading involves the appropriate structuring and communication of course assignments and grading systems which promote desired learning behaviors. Grading and assignment techniques which force the student's first exposure and reflection of the material "off-line," prior to classroom discussion, enable classroom interaction to leap beyond the dissemination of factual information and into the higher levels of Bloom's taxonomy: application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Immediate feedback provided by in-class instructor-student interaction allow the instructor to guide and train students in the practice of critical-thinking at the "teachable moment" and prior to its exercise on major assignments or exams.This paper provides examples of the application of effective grading techniques to promote higher-level critical thinking within the engineering technology classroom and suggests techniques and technologies which can be applied to overcoming barriers to these strategies.

A seven-question based critical thinking framework for cultivating innovation talents in engineering research and its implementation perspectives

“…There were a lot of related research on the above approaches and methods. 15–18 For example, in the reflective writing aspect: Morse 19 described a strategy for promoting active learning and critical thinking through effective grading. Students were assigned written assignments on topics to be discussed in class during the period in which the written assignments are due.…”

Work in Progress: Improving Critical Thinking and Technical Understanding as Measured in Technical Writing by Means of I-depth Oral Discussion in a Large Laboratory Class

“…Incorporating critical thinking assessment in engineering education is difficult. Many have studied ways to incorporate it in the engineering curriculum [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] . Freeman 4 points out that critical thinking is not possible without creative thinking because the students need to get away from the one correct answer mentality.…”

“…In the control semester constructive feedback was given on written reports, but instructors often perceived that feedback was not being read or only superficially acknowledged. In a study on grading to promote critical thinking 6 , Morse states that it is essential to use the "teachable moment" by giving feedback at a useful time. Morse showed that having students put in good faith effort for class and then having a discussion worked and saved instructor time.…”