Building capacity for critical thinking enhancement in African Higher Education

批判性思维被广泛认为是个人能力和社会发展的关键。加纳和其他非洲国家非常需要具有高度发展的批判性思维能力的毕业生，以应对减贫、民主治理和环境可持续性方面的挑战。虽然大学在培养批判性思维方面有很大潜力，但要有效地做到这一点，它们需要一个有利的学习环境。我们早些时候的研究“批判性思维的教学：非洲高等教育的创新和成果”的证据表明，各机构之间存在不平衡，但有些机构正在促进快速改进。最重要的因素被认为是讲师倾向于“促进”而不是“传递”的方法，各部门共享的合作文化，以及灵活的评估规则。在这些调查结果的基础上，该项目旨在加强对加纳和其他地区大学的影响。通过与教职员工以层叠模式举办的自反式讲习班，它加强了加纳五所大学讲师的教学实践。它还旨在通过加强大学内部的支助单位、发展批判性思维评估和建立讲师网络，在各机构开展更广泛的教与学改革。最后，它通过与国家高等教育委员会的接触，特别是在评估领域，解决宏观层面的政策问题。该项目旨在为加纳的学生带来直接利益，确保他们能够发展批判性思维，并继续在他们的职业和个人生活中使用它。因此，它有助于应对该国更广泛的发展挑战。通过在肯尼亚的政策对话和传播到其他非洲背景，也可以在整个非洲大陆实现更广泛的影响。此外，还将就实现大学教学改革的最有效方法得出对世界其他地区的影响。

Critical thinking is widely acknowledged as being key to individual capabilities and the development of societies. Ghana and other African countries are in great need of graduates with highly developed critical thinking skills, so as to address the challenges of poverty reduction, democratic governance and environmental sustainability. While universities have great potential for developing critical thinking, to do so effectively they need a conducive learning environment. Evidence from our earlier study "Pedagogies for critical thinking: innovation and outcomes in African higher education" showed that there was unevenness between institutions, but that some were facilitating rapid improvements. The most significant factors were seen to be lecturers' orientation towards a 'facilitation' rather than 'transmission' approach, a shared collaborative culture in departments, and flexible assessment regulations.Building on these findings, this project aims to enhance impact on universities in Ghana and beyond. Through reflexive workshops with academic staff on a cascade model, it enhances the teaching practice of lecturers in five Ghanaian universities. It also aims to develop a broader transformation of teaching and learning in the institutions through strengthening of support units within universities, development of critical thinking assessments and the creation of a lecturer network. Finally, it addresses the macro level of policy through engagement with national higher education commissions, particularly in the area of assessment.The project aims to bring direct benefit to students in Ghana, to ensure they can develop their critical thinking, and go on to utilise it in their professional and personal lives. It therefore contributes to addressing the broader development challenges of the country. Through policy dialogue in Kenya, and dissemination to other African contexts, broader impact can also be achieved across the continent. In addition, implications for other regions of the world will be drawn out regarding the most effective ways of achieving pedagogical transformation in universities.