Empirically Supported Strategies for Encouraging Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is the ability to construct and evaluate arguments (Facione, 1990). Teaching students to think critically is undeniably one of the most important goals of university education. Accordingly, much of the teaching literature provides suggestions for improving critical thinking among students. Unfortunately, many of these papers contain anecdotal evidence, relying heavily on personal testimony without the support of empirical data and statistical analysis (Abrami et al., 2008; Behar-Horenstein & Niu, 2011). These findings have important implications for instructors who try to foster critical thinking in their classrooms. The present workshop addresses this problem by discussing the following three teaching techniques which have been empirically tested and found to reliably improve critical thinking across multiple investigations: (a) the use of higher-order questioning (Barnett & Francis, 2012; Fenesi, Sana, & Kim, 2014; Renaud & Murray, 2007; Renaud & Murray, 2008; Smith, 1977; Williams, Oliver, & Stockdale, 2004); (b) peer-to-peer interaction (Abrami et al., 2008; Smith, 1997); and (c) explicit critical thinking instruction (Abrami et al., 2008; Bangert-Drowns, & Bankert, 1990; Behar-Horenstein et al., 2010; Tiruneh et al., 2016). This workshop is intended for members of all disciplines seeking to work together to develop an empirically supported framework for teaching critical thinking at the university level.

Making Mathematics Accessible to Non-Mathematics Majors

The purpose of this workshop is to present alternative strategies of instruction that will make the subjects of mathematics and statistics more accessible to students with non-mathematics backgrounds. It is not surprising that introductory mathematics and statistics courses can seem a little overwhelming and inaccessible to students with non-mathematics backgrounds. As a result, these students tend to feel distanced from the course material, or even discouraged from approaching instructors or teaching assistants (TAs) for help. The audience for this workshop includes graduate student TAs, post-doctoral fellows, instructors, lecturers, and anyone who wants to make mathematics and statistics a more engaging subject for students without the technical background. The focus of this workshop will be two-fold. First, we will examine how mathematics/statistics instructors can explain concepts to students of different backgrounds effectively via various role-play scenarios. Second, we will use the jigsaw technique to break up complex mathematical problems into pieces with the aim of encouraging collaboration and student engagement (Perkins & Saris, 2001). By attending this workshop, instructors will be able to help undergraduate students see mathematics as a more enjoyable learning experience that they can apply in their own respective fields. These two activities will help students with non-mathematical backgrounds feel more engaged with the material and become more confident when asking for help from an instructor or TA.

Effective Classroom Techniques for Engaging Students in Role-Playing

Role-playing is a teaching technique that provides students with an opportunity to engage with the material in a unique way within the classroom setting. A classroom role-play can involve students reading pre-designed scripts, students play acting characters described on role cards, or students acting out characters of their own creation. Regardless of the specific approach, role-play activities can serve to increase student retention, understanding, and engagement with the course material. In this session, educators explore the benefits and challenges associated with using role-play activities in the classroom. Participants get a chance to experience a role-play activity and consider how to facilitate a role-play that creates a memorable experience and contributes to course learning outcomes. The ultimate goal is to provide participants with the tools to use role-playing in their own teaching practices.

Replacing Final Exams with Open-Ended Course Projects in Engineering Education

Over the last twenty years, assessment methods in Engineering education have shifted to focus on evaluating desired learning outcomes. Both Mills and Treagust (2003) and Olds, Moskal, and Miller (2005) credit the paradigm shift to accreditation procedures that report program inputs and document achievement of learning objectives. High-stakes final exams have been, and still are, widely used in Engineering education as the primary means to evaluate student learning (Flores, Veiga Simão, Barros, & Pereira, 2015). Although considered objective and efficient for large class sizes, Knight (2002) points to shortcomings associated with final exams including ineffectiveness at evaluating certain types of outcomes and a distorting effect on the taught curriculum. However, overcoming these shortcomings is possible through project-based learning and open-ended course projects. Project-based learning is a form of experiential learning that gives students the opportunity to apply theoretical concepts while developing higher-order skills (e.g., critical thinking, synthesis, and evaluation) and soft-skills (e.g., communication, management, and teamwork; Mills & Treagust, 2003). Based on three different experiences with large-scale open-ended projects, Daniels, Faulkner, and Newman (2002) conclude that the use of course projects enhances student learning while better preparing them for their future careers. Flores et al.’s (2015) findings support this notion by demonstrating that students perceive assessment methods that require active involvement as more fair and effective. This workshop aims to increase awareness around the importance of assessment and highlight that high-stakes final exams, although widely used, have a number of flaws that may bias evaluation and impact student learning. The workshop’s main goal is to introduce project-based learning as an alternative to final exams and develop skills to identify where and how instructors can use open-ended course projects effectively.

Quantitatively Assessing the Success of Your Critical Thinking Teaching Strategies

The teaching literature contains a wealth of articles discussing the success of interventions designed to foster critical thinking. However, most of these articles describe qualitative assessments of critical thinking interventions, with very few quantitative assessments (Abrami et al., 2008). While both qualitative and quantitative methods have unique value, there is a need for quantitative data to supplement qualitative claims that various strategies for teaching critical thinking are successful. The goal of this workshop is to provide a framework that members of all disciplines can use to quantitatively assess the success of critical thinking interventions in their own classroom. Participants will learn about common research approaches and assessments that have been used in published quantitative studies on critical thinking. They will also learn strategies for assessing the experimental rigor of previous critical thinking research and will work together to create a plan to apply this knowledge in their own classrooms.

Implementing Team-Based Learning to Strengthen Communication Skills among Undergraduate Kinesiology Students

Kinesiology is the study of human movement and grounded in learning about physiological and psychological mechanisms of physical activity, exercise, and sport. Despite the educational focus promoting an active lifestyle, teaching strategies often ignore the hands-on and interactive components of the field, in favour of a traditional passive teaching style (Bulger, Housner, & Lee, 2008). This teaching approach can be problematic as most undergraduate Kinesiology students will either pursue an academic career path, or enter a health care field (e.g., kinesiologist, medical doctor, physical therapist, etc.) Whichever path a student chooses, it will require strong communication skills, whether it be sharing research ideas or working with a patient. To improve these skills, instructors can use an interactive classroom. A recent study evaluating communication competence in undergraduate nursing students found overall improvements in communication efficacy and communication ability when implementing team-based learning (TBL; Cho & Kweon, 2017). Therefore, a larger focus in Kinesiology should be on promoting effective communication skills so that students are more prepared when they graduate. By incorporating TBL into Kinesiology courses, students can become more interactive in the classroom and build upon fundamental skills that are paramount in academic and health care settings (Meeuswen, King, & Pederson, 2005).

Generational Diversity in the Workplace: Challenges and Opportunities for Nursing Education

The future of the nursing profession foresees challenges such as downsizing, changing skill mixes, and higher acuity patients (LeDuc & Kotzer, 2009; World Health Organization, 2013). Nursing students must be adequately prepared to handle such challenges by understanding their own values, the values of their colleagues, and the values of the collective nursing profession (Hahn, 2011; Hamlin & Gillespie, 2011; LeDuc & Kotzer, 2009). Yet, given the fact that nursing is now highly diversified by generational cohorts, each of whom have their own unique set of values and understanding, relating to fellow nurses and working collaboratively is more difficult than ever (Mangold, 2007). Recognizing generational differences as a potential barrier to quality nursing care and a cause of workplace conflict, educators in the profession have begun to tailor courses and teaching styles to meet the distinct needs of generationally diverse classes and work settings (Faithfull-Byrne, Thompson, Convey, Cross, & Moss, 2015; Hamlin & Gillespie, 2011; Mangold, 2007). To aide in this process, the professional development workshop proposed here will provide educators with an opportunity to learn more about generational diversity and offer strategies to maximize learning for all generations in the nursing field.

Reflective Practice for Professional Development Among Nursing Instructors

Reflective practice among health professionals involves considering and questioning clinical experiences. The process of learning through work involves “reflection-in-action” (the skills of self-awareness, critical analysis, synthesis, and evaluation while executing clinical activities), and “reflection-on-action” which involves retrospective reviews of the clinical scenarios experienced by health professionals (Clouder, 2000; Duffy, 2009). Johns (1995) suggests that reflective practice is the professional’s ability to understand and learn from work experiences to achieve more effective and satisfying followup work experiences. Nursing instructors play a crucial role in helping nursing students consolidate taught theories and practice through guided and regular reflection on professional experiences (Duffy, 2009). To be effective guides, nursing instructors require the knowledge and skills necessary to implement reflective practice techniques into their teaching. This workshop actively engages participants in examining reflective practice by building on Gibbs’ (1998) six-step reflective cycle (i.e., description, feelings/thoughts, evaluation, analysis, conclusion, and action plan). The goal is to help instructors develop the necessary abilities to guide reflective practice among their students.

Gender Bias in the Classroom: Strategies for Instructors that Tackle Sexism and Gender Bias

Sexism and gender bias can be a common experience for women on university campuses. Facing these types of discrimination has been shown to result in negative academic outcomes, a reduction in the satisfaction of academic pursuits, and lowered self-confidence in female students (Logel et al., 2009; Morris & Daniel, 2008). Within this climate, course instructors are well poised to be part of the solution by creating and fostering an inclusive space in their classrooms. This interactive workshop focuses on promoting a gender inclusive learning environment within the university classroom context. Participants will learn to describe the effects of gender bias on female students, to identify sexism and gender bias in their many forms, and to apply a range of strategies to create and promote an inclusive classroom environment.

Listen Up! Using Podcasts in STEM Courses to Improve Engagement and Facilitate Review

This workshop focuses on how to integrate podcasts into science-based courses (e.g., chemistry, psychology). To some students, science-based courses can be perceived as ‘dry’ and difficult to engage with at a level that facilitates retention. Given that engrossing, high-quality teaching is cited as inspiring course enjoyment and leading students to further pursue STEM education (e.g., Horowitz, 2009), lecturers are often looking for ways to increase student interest. More than this, it is the hope of many educators that more enjoyable coursework will lead to better retention and understanding of the material (e.g., Kuh et al., 2008). As a news and entertainment vehicle, podcasts have continued to grow in popularity over the past decade or more. However, the efficacy of using podcasts within educational settings has been mixed (e.g., Daniel & Woody, 2010; Lee & Chan, 2007). This workshop will introduce podcasts as a learning medium and describe ways in which they can be used to effectively complement traditional teaching approaches, either as an enhancement to the course, or as a resource for student review. Attendees will be introduced to several ready-made STEM podcast resources and engage in discussions on how to develop new content that is effective, both logistically and pedagogically.