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，以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）。该提案利用了第一阶段CCLI项目的成功，该项目定义了效果的教学结构，产生了六个效果，并开发了评估方法。每个模块包含三个要素：1)指导第一节课的初始设计的决策工作表，2)接下来n节课的主动学习模块和日志问题，以及3)指导最后一节课的小组讨论以产生最终设计的材料。在早期的资助下，在几个课程中使用这些模块使学生获得了核心知识和批判性思维技能。开发一种系统的方法，使其他教师能够使用EFFECTs，这是在工程教育界广泛传播该方法的一个关键方面。为了实现这一目标，研究人员正在努力开发教学材料，向教师教授效果，扩展现有的评估工具，开发一个实践社区，以支持效果的设计和实施，并评估为设计和实施效果而开发的策略。传播是通过网络发布，包括与国家科学研究所的联系，通过会议介绍和期刊出版物，以及通过教员讲习班来完成的。在独立专家的指导下，全面的评估工作包括使用测量科学推理技能、批判性思维技能和内容知识的工具来监测学生的学习成果。更广泛的影响包括材料和评估结果的传播，教师研讨会，以及通过现有的K-12课程进行推广。

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.