Improving Critical Thinking in Underserved Minority Students through Broad-based Explicit and Discipline-specific Pedagogical Approaches

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The University of Maryland Eastern Shore will implement an HBCU-UP Targeted Infusion Project that aims to enhance student critical thinking skills and practice through redesign of an entry level biology course. The course redesign incorporates instructional strategies that teach and provide an environment to practice critical thinking. The goals are to enhance faculty expertise in critical thinking instruction, infuse critical thinking skill development in biology curricula using broad-based and discipline-specific pedagogical approaches, and to initiate the development of a resource center for critical thinking efforts and practices for the institution. The project stems from the university?s strategic plan to review and/or modify academic programs to produce a more competitive global workforce and a series of faculty workshops on critical thinking. The existing Critical Thinking in Science Course ultimately was modified, and data showed that the students enrolled in the general course performed better in science gatekeeper courses than those who were not enrolled. The proposed project will extend this experiment by developing a discipline-specific course and pedagogical strategies for all biology majors. While the project is intended to target underrepresented students, the curriculum transformation to enhance the development of critical thinking skills will enhance STEM education in general and could impact undergraduate education at all types of institutions. Specifically, through traditional and non-traditional modes of dissemination, the best practices related to infusing critical thinking into STEM curricula will broadly introduce, inform, and expose faculty at HBCUs and other institutions to processes associated with improving STEM student success.