Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking Scenario Writing for Faculty Champions

1. Assessment Rubric for Critical ThinkingScenario Writing for Faculty Champions Faculty Champion Meeting May 2010 2010

2. Class Without CT • Didactic instruction where students are presented with factual information from a text book • Assessment is primarily multiple choice items where students are expected to regurgitate factual information Faculty Champion Meeting

3. Class With CT • Interactive learning environment where students not only learn facts but the relationship between the facts and the application of that information • Authentic assessment where students are able to model the applications of the discipline through simulations, projects, etc. Faculty Champion Meeting

4. Authentic Assessments Authentic assessments serve dual purposes of encouraging students to think critically and providing assessment data for measuring improved student learning. These assessment techniques fall into three general categories: criterion-referenced rubrics, student reports (reflection or self-assessments), and student portfolios. Faculty Champion Meeting

5. Authentic Assessments Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking A global rubric template developed to provide a snapshot view of how student learning is being affected by the critical thinking initiative. Designed to be flexible enough to address a number of student project modalities including written and oral communications. Faculty Champion Meeting

6. Assessment Rubric for CT Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking • Will evaluate the student’s use of critical thinking skills in the development of the paper as opposed to specifically evaluating the quality of student’s writing skills. Faculty Champion Meeting

7. Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking ARC was designed by the QEP staff and the Faculty Champions to… Enhance the QEP Align with the College’s definition of critical thinking Be flexible for use in multi-disciplines Faculty Champion Meeting

8. SPC CT Definition “Critical thinking is the active and systematic process of communication, problem-solving, evaluation, analysis, synthesis, and reflection, both individually and in community, to foster understanding, support sound decision-making, and guide action.” Faculty Champion Meeting

9. Assessment Rubric for CT Faculty Champion Meeting

10. Assessment Rubric for CT Faculty Champion Meeting

11. Assessment Rubric for CT Faculty Champion Meeting

12. ARC Assignment Profile ARC Assignment Profile is designed to provide consistency and accuracy in the evaluation of the ARC at the institutional level as well as provide guidelines for the use of the assessment at the course level. The ARC is essentially a ‘tool’ to evaluate critical thinking. For a tool to be effective it must be used in the correct situation or ‘job.’ The purpose of the ARC Assignment Profile is to outline the most appropriate course assignment. Faculty Champion Meeting

13. ARC Assignment Profile 1. Participating faculty should have one assignment during the course that can be evaluated using the ARC scoring rubric. The course assignment could be a graded homework assignment or a major assessment for the course. Faculty Champion Meeting

14. ARC Assignment Profile 2. The course assignment for the ARC should include all of the elements of the rubric and should be aligned with the task outlined for each element. Assignments that only evaluate some of the elements or are not aligned with the specific ARC tasks will be considered incomplete and not used in the institutional analysis. Faculty Champion Meeting

15. ARC Assignment Profile 3. Faculty may add additional discipline specific rubric elements (such as grammar and punctuation in a composition class), but must maintain the ARC elements as listed. Faculty Champion Meeting

16. ARC Assignment Profile Students should be provided a copy of the assignment rubric (ARC and any additional discipline specific elements). The specific elements and tasks include: Communication:Define the problem in your own words. Analysis: Compare & contrast the available solutions within the scenario. Problem Solving: Select one of the available solutions and defend it as your final solution. Evaluation:Identify the weaknesses of your final solution. Synthesis: Suggest ways to improve/strengthen your final solution (may use information not contained within the scenario). Reflection:Reflect on your own thought process after completing the assignment. “What did you learn from this process?” “What would you do differently next time to improve?” Faculty Champion Meeting

17. ARC Assignment Profile 5. The evaluating scenario (selected or created) should be stated in such a manner to allow the student to address each of the tasks. The QEP team is willing to assist with the creation of the scenario or identify possible sources of existing scenario that could be used. Faculty Champion Meeting

18. Sample Scenario (Deer) Three teenagers were seriously injured in a car accident when swerving to avoid a deer on a two-lane road near a small, rural town in Florida. The residents of the town have seen more and more deer enter the town’s populated areas over recent years. Local law enforcement has been called numerous times this year to remove the animals from backyards and neighborhood streets, and one deer even caused considerable damage as it entered a restaurant in town. The mayor has been charged by the city leaders to keep the town residents safe. Faculty Champion Meeting

19. Sample Scenario (Deer) Local crops have even been damaged by the animals. some long time residents have requested that the hunting season and catch limits be extended in order to reduce the deer population. One city leader even proposed that the city purchase electronic devices to deter the deer from entering populated areas. Health concerns have recently been elevated as three deer carcasses were found at the edge of town and local law enforcement suspect that the animals had been poisoned. Faculty Champion Meeting

20. ARC Assignment Profile Faculty Champion Meeting

21. Sample Scenario (Deer) Possible Solutions: Some long time residents have requested that the hunting season and catch limits be extended in order to reduce the deer population. One city leader even proposed that the city purchase electronic devices to deter the deer from entering populated areas. Health concerns have recently been elevated as three deer carcasses were found at the edge of town and local law enforcement suspect that the animals had been poisoned. Faculty Champion Meeting

22. Scenario Elements • Ideally, the scenario should be related to the discipline. • Scenarios must contain a problem. Faculty Champion Meeting

23. Sample Scenario (Deer) Three teenagers were seriously injured in a car accident when swerving to avoid a deer on a two-lane road near a small, rural town in Florida. The residents of the town have seen more and more deer enter the town’s populated areas over recent years. Local law enforcement has been called numerous times this year to remove the animals from backyards and neighborhood streets, and one deer even caused considerable damage as it entered a restaurant in town. The mayor has been charged by the city leaders to keep the town residents safe. Faculty Champion Meeting

24. Scenario Elements • Scenarios must contain a minimum of three possible options for the student to identify. Faculty Champion Meeting

25. Sample Scenario (Deer) Local crops have even been damaged by the animals. some long time residents have requested that the hunting season and catch limits be extended in order to reduce the deer population. One city leader even proposed that the city purchase electronic devices to deter the deer from entering populated areas. Health concerns have recently been elevated as three deer carcasses were found at the edge of town and local law enforcement suspect that the animals had been poisoned. Faculty Champion Meeting

26. Scenario Elements • Scenarios should not be too elaborate and involved. The intent is for students to demonstrate their critical thinking and problem solving skills. • Students must be provided a copy of the rubric with the assignment • Students should grade their own assignments as part of the reflection process. Faculty Champion Meeting

27. Improving Scoring Anonymous papers Anchor papers defining levels of proficiency for reference Use of multiple scorers Faculty Champion Meeting

28. Assessment Rubric for Critical ThinkingScenario Writing for Faculty Champions Faculty Champion Meeting May 2010 2010