Assessing Critical Thinking in Higher Education: Current State and Directions for Next‐Generation Assessment

Abstract

Critical thinking is one of the most important skills deemed necessary for college graduates to become effective contributors in the global workforce. The first part of this article provides a comprehensive review of its definitions by major frameworks in higher education and the workforce, existing assessments and their psychometric qualities, and challenges surrounding the design, implementation, and use of critical thinking assessment. In the second part, we offer an operational definition that is aligned with the dimensions of critical thinking identified from the reviewed frameworks and discuss the key assessment considerations when designing a next‐generation critical thinking assessment. This article has important implications for institutions that are currently using, planning to adopt, or designing an assessment of critical thinking.

Practise makes perfect: developing critical thinking and writing skills in undergraduate science students

“…Tutor marks have been shown to correlate positively with evidence of deeper approaches to learning, including critical thinking / analytical inquiry (Cassidy, 2006). More direct assessment of such skills remains complex and challenging (Liu et al, 2014), but these data suggest a key role of the tutor in developing critical thinking skills of weaker students, in particular.…”

Teaching and Assessing 21st Century Critical Thinking Skills in Morocco: A Case Study

“…Consequently, many scholars today refer to critical thinking as a "contentious skill" characterized by controversy not only about how to define it, but also about how to assess its effects on students' life inside and outside educational institutions. It is no wonder, then, that Liu, Frankel, and Roohr (2014) uphold that It [critical thinking] is also a highly contentious skill in that researchers debate about its definition; its amenability to assessment; its degree of generality or specificity; and the evidence of its practical impact on people's academic achievements, career advancements, and personal life choices. (p.1)…”

“…Research on teaching and assessing critical thinking in the new millennium has been characterized by two main features: (1) an ongoing criticism of the approaches used in teaching critical thinking in higher education, and (2) a better awareness of the need for developing new critical thinking assessment constructs (Hooks, 2010;Liu, Frankel, &Roohr, 2014).…”

“…have started to lose their effectiveness. In the twenty-first century, several scholars have studied these tests in depth and found that they have several weaknesses and deficiencies at different levels (e.g., Liu, Frankel, &Roohr, 2014).…”

Exploring online critical inquiry experiences of first year undergraduate nursing students in a northeast American college

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