Enhancing Student's Critical Thinking Skills Throughout the Curriculum Through the Use of "Applied Critical Thinking"

Enhancing Student's Critical Thinking Skills Throughout the Curriculum Through the Use of "Applied Critical Thinking"

Daytona Beach, Florida

Using elements of Bloom's Taxonomy, Critical Thinking, and Scientific Research theory, Embry-Riddle Extended Campus adult learners can be taught how to become more effective critical thinkers by studying the elements of critical thinking necessary to succeed in each course they take. As the specific situational demands for academic success in each course dictate, these adult learners learn to first succeed in identifying the critical thinking elements in each course, then in the overall academic discipline of each course, and, eventually, in each professional and personal life situation they become involved in. Relying on the critical thinking skills necessary to succeed in information retrieval using online technology and finding solutions to problems through database searching and WWW search engines, adult learners can effectively become critical thinkers and information finders. It was concluded that Bloom's Taxonomy is an appropriate educational critical thinking guideline, and that extended campuses should create and support "critical thinking across the curriculum" programs. It was recommended that critical thinking across the curriculum and information retrieval skills be adopted by ERAU's Extended Campus as syllabus learning outcomes for all courses.