Essential Characteristics
Critical thinking involves logical reasoning, analysis, and argumentation. Critical thinking courses focus primarily on teaching reasoning skills such as identifying and differentiating claims, questions, problems, and arguments; analyzing the structure of arguments, identifying any unstated assumptions they make, and assessing their strengths and weaknesses; critically comparing different points of view; and constructing cogent arguments and reasoned judgments, using widely accepted standards and techniques for evaluating the quality of evidence and reasoning in each case.
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
Such a course should enable students to:
- Identify reasons that support a claim
- Construct arguments for and against a claim
- Use widely accepted standards for evaluating the quality of evidence and reasoning
(Committee approved: 12/2020)