Creating a Faculty Cadre of Critical Thinking Fellows

摘要

In the quest to educate students on how to think critically, focus must be given to instructing educators on the intricacies of critical thinking and how to implement this practice in our courses with intentionality. This qualitative study describes the process and experiences of the first class of Critical Thinking Fellows. A cadre of faculty interested in teaching students to think critically across a range of agricultural disciplines participated in this inaugural year of instruction and implementation. A narrative analysis of faculty written perceptions of intentional teaching strategies showed that professors across the college felt better equipped and more aware of how to use critical thinking in their courses. Critical Thinking Academy participants also felt that more application and interaction with other practitioners would be helpful in their implementation and understanding of critical thinking. Critical thinking is a cornerstone in education learning outcomes, and essential to developing effective and competitive work-ready leaders and professionals. Further focus must be given to faculty development and course implementation.