Collaborative Research: Implementing and Assessing Strategies for Environments for Fostering Effective Critical Thinking (EFFECTs) Development and Implementation

该项目是南卡罗来纳大学和马歇尔大学的合作项目。它正在制定策略，帮助教师设计和实施旨在培养批判性思维的特殊教学模块(效果)。这一建议利用了CCLI第一阶段项目的成功，该项目定义了影响的教学结构，产生了六种影响，并制定了评估方法。每个单元包含三个要素：1)指导第一节课的初步设计的决策工作表；2)接下来n节课的活动学习模块和日记问题；3)指导小组讨论以产生最后一节课的最终设计的材料。在之前的资助下，在几个班级中使用这些模块，学生的核心知识和批判性思维技能得到了提高。开发一种系统的方法，使其他教员能够使用效果，是通过工程教育界广泛传播该方法的关键方面。为了实现这一点，研究人员正在努力开发教学材料，向教师讲授效果，扩展现有的评估工具，开发实践社区来支持效果的设计和实施，并评估为设计和实施效果而制定的策略。正在通过网上张贴信息，包括与NSDL的链接，通过会议报告和期刊出版物，以及通过教员讲习班来实现传播。在独立专家的指导下进行的全面评估工作包括使用衡量科学推理技能、批判性思维技能和内容知识的工具来监测学生的学习结果。更广泛的影响包括传播材料和评估结果、教员讲习班以及通过现有的K-12方案进行外联。

The project is a collaboration between the University of South Carolina and Marshall University. It is establishing strategies to aid faculty in the design and implementation of special instructional modules (EFFECTs) designed to foster critical thinking. This proposal leverages the success of a Phase I CCLI project that defined the pedagogical structure for the EFFECTS, generated six EFFECTs, and developed an assessment methodology. Each module contains three elements: 1) a decision worksheet that guides an initial design for the first class period, 2) active learning modules and journal questions during the next n class periods, and 3) material to guides a group discussion to produce a final design during the last class period. Using these modules in several classes under the earlier grant led to gains in the students' core knowledge and critical thinking skills. Developing a systematic approach that enables other faculty to use EFFECTs is a key aspect for disseminating the approach widely through the engineering education community. To achieve this, the investigators are working to develop instructional material to teach the EFFECTs to faculty, to expand current assessment tools, to develop a community of practice to support the design and implementation of EFFECTs, and to assess the strategies developed to design and implement EFFECTs. Dissemination is being accomplished through web postings, including links with the NSDL, through conference presentation and journal publications, and through faculty workshops. A comprehensive evaluation effort, under the direction of an independent expert, includes the monitoring of student learning outcomes using instruments for measuring scientific reasoning skills, critical thinking skills, and content knowledge. Broader impacts include the dissemination of the material and the evaluation results, faculty workshops, and outreach through existing K-12 programs.