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

马里兰东岸大学将实施一项HBCU-UP目标灌输项目，旨在通过重新设计入门级生物课程来增强学生的批判性思维能力和实践。课程重新设计结合了教学策略，教授并提供了一个练习批判性思维的环境。目标是加强教师在批判性思维教学方面的专业知识，使用基础广泛和学科具体的教学方法将批判性思维技能发展注入生物课程，并启动为该机构开发批判性思维努力和实践的资源中心。该项目源于S大学的战略计划，即审查和/或修改学术项目，以培养更具竞争力的全球劳动力队伍，以及一系列关于批判性思维的教师研讨会。现有的科学中的批判性思维课程最终被修改，数据显示，参加普通课程的学生在科学把关课程中的表现比没有注册的学生更好。拟议的项目将通过为所有生物专业的学生开发一门特定学科的课程和教学策略来扩展这一实验。虽然该项目旨在针对代表性不足的学生，但加强批判性思维技能发展的课程改革将全面加强STEM教育，并可能影响所有类型机构的本科生教育。具体地说，通过传统和非传统的传播方式，将批判性思维融入STEM课程的最佳做法将广泛地介绍、告知HBCU和其他机构的教师，并使他们了解与提高STEM学生成功相关的过程。

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.