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批判性思维技能的毕业生，以应对减贫、民主治理和环境可持续性的挑战。虽然大学在培养批判性思维方面有很大的潜力，但要有效地做到这一点，它们需要一个有利的学习环境。我们早期的研究“批判性思维的教学法：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”方法，部门的共享协作文化以及灵活的评估规定。在这些发现的基础上，该项目旨在加强对加纳及其他地区大学的影响。通过与学术人员进行层叠模式的反思性研讨会，它提高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的支助单位、发展批判性思维评估和建立讲师网络，对各机构的教与学进行更广泛的改革。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，解决宏观政策层面的问题。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，并在他们的职业和个人生活中继续利用它。因此，它有助于解决该国面临的更广泛的发展挑战。通过在肯尼亚开展政策对话，并在非洲其他地区进行宣传，还可以在整个非洲大陆产生更广泛的影响。此外，还将阐述实现大学教学改革的最有效方法对世界其他区域的影响。

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.