Hi Mark, Thanks so much for e-mailing me and your positive comments about the paper. I truly appreciate it. Marcus From: AILACT DISCUSSION LIST <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of Mark Battersby Sent: Friday, May 25, 2018 7:47 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Critical Thinking Research at RAIL I had the pleasure of seeing an early draft of the paper published in Life Sciences Education and found it be excellent. The approach is commendable and the documented success impressive. I commend to everyone to have a read. Mark Dr. Mark Battersby Critical Inquiry Group Professor Emeritus Department of Philosophy Capilano University On Thu, May 24, 2018 at 9:39 AM, Gillespie, Marcus <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote: Hi Jim, I’m not sure if this might be of interest to the group or not, but my colleagues and I developed a novel introductory science course intended to specifically teach critical thinking – not in the sense of solving math problems; but rather, in the sense of evaluating arguments and theories, and considering sources of bias and the limitations of our perceptions and memories. It used a “mixed approach” and was very successful (P < .001 in almost all cases) based on the results of the Critical Thinking Assessment Test developed by TTU. We also used a homegrown instrument as well to evaluate the critical thinking of our students and all results were consistent. It was published in CBE Life Sciences (see below for issue information and abstract). Attached is a copy of the article. We’ve just published a second article on the results of our efforts in the same course to address attitudes/dispositions to think critically. The results were also successful based on the instrument we used and were just published in Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines. (The issues are back-logged as shown by the date.) Please know that I’m not trying to “toot our own horn”; but, based on the discussion thread, I though this might be of interest . Sincerely, Marcus Gillespie Associate Dean College of Science and Engineering Technology Sam Houston State University Huntsville, Texas 77320 [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> CBE—Life Sciences Education Volume 14, 1-12, Fall 2015 Redesigning a General Education Science Course to Promote Critical Thinking Abstract: Recent studies question the effectiveness of a traditional university curriculum in helping students improve their critical thinking and scientific literacy. We developed an introductory, general education (gen ed) science course to overcome both deficiencies. The course, titled Foundations of Science, differs from most gen ed science offerings in that it is interdisciplinary; emphasizes the nature of science along with, rather than primarily, the findings of science; incorporates case studies, such as the vaccine-autism controversy; teaches the basics of argumentation and logical fallacies; contrasts science with pseudoscience; and addresses psychological factors that might otherwise lead students to reject scientific ideas they find uncomfortable. Using a pretest versus posttest design, we show that students who completed the experimental course significantly improved their critical-thinking skills and were more willing to engage scientific theories the general public finds controversial (e.g., evolution), while students who completed a traditional gen ed science course did not. Our results demonstrate that a gen ed science course emphasizing the process and application of science rather than just scientific facts can lead to improved critical thinking and scientific literacy. Inquiry: SUMMER 2016, VOL. 31, NO. 2 5 Fostering the Disposition to Think Critically and a Positive Attitude toward Science: The Results of a Successful Six-Year Study of an Innovative, General Education Integrated Science Course Abstract Virtually all faculty members agree that teaching their students the ability and disposition to think critically is fundamentally important, and most believe that their pedagogical approaches enhance both. Unfortunately, recent research has shown that college students often fail to substantively improve their critical thinking skills. Other research regarding the public’s perception of certain science topics reveals that a significant proportion of the American public rejects scientific information, i.e., information that is based on both critical thinking and empiricism. This state of affairs limits the ability of individuals and society to make rational decisions. This article describes the results of a novel general education science course designed specifically to address these issues. The six-year study, involving more than 1,400 students, showed that the pedagogical approaches used in the course were successful in enhancing students’ critical thinking, their disposition to think critically, and their willingness to use scientific information when making decisions. studies, a field which has yet to emerge due to a number of complex academic, social, and political barriers. From: AILACT DISCUSSION LIST <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> On Behalf Of James b Freeman Sent: Friday, May 11, 2018 3:07 PM To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: Critical Thinking Research at RAIL Hi Steve, This material could be quite helpful to AILACT. I'll try to suggest something tk the Board soon. Jim ________________________________ From: AILACT DISCUSSION LIST [[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>] on behalf of Steven Patterson [[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>] Sent: Friday, May 11, 2018 8:45 AM To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> Subject: Critical Thinking Research at RAIL Hello all, I thought I might share this project I'm doing. https://railct.com/critical-thinking-research-gateway/<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__railct.com_critical-2Dthinking-2Dresearch-2Dgateway_&d=DwMFAw&c=mRWFL96tuqj9V0Jjj4h40ddo0XsmttALwKjAEOCyUjY&r=KTO-67piPlkvVwpkegE90CPhOOUVOHyNkd2ycJxraVlOjFMzr4s8w_Q89bvfLZgJ&m=DJ3wshr0_uxXLd4JfG5QF3gT2Cohw3zO6J7qvqLwJB0&s=Nha1pX-tbEd2SJd5Y89tbZYfp8X_YLA7OzoaXJ2OdTU&e=> My goal in this project is to help teachers and scholars interested in critical thinking find current research from across the disciplines. Right now there's not much here but it's a start. If anyone has any suggestions for additions to this page or ways it could be made more useful, I'd welcome them. Best, Steve NB: There is a Google Translate feature of the blog now on the right hand side of the page that will automatically translate the page, albeit with some funny results in some languages. I'm hoping at least the "big picture" gets across. Also, I'm posting this announcement to ARGTHRY as well, so apologies to those of you who receive it twice! SP _________________________ Steven W. Patterson, Ph.D. Philosophy www.linkedin.com/in/swpatterson/<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.linkedin.com_in_swpatterson_&d=DwMFAw&c=mRWFL96tuqj9V0Jjj4h40ddo0XsmttALwKjAEOCyUjY&r=KTO-67piPlkvVwpkegE90CPhOOUVOHyNkd2ycJxraVlOjFMzr4s8w_Q89bvfLZgJ&m=DJ3wshr0_uxXLd4JfG5QF3gT2Cohw3zO6J7qvqLwJB0&s=CIcb8W6W9RKi_ChHbXl7cTUdtTqYcPoWKIPtimSkeqY&e=> https://philpapers.org/profile/89580<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__philpapers.org_profile_89580&d=DwMFAw&c=mRWFL96tuqj9V0Jjj4h40ddo0XsmttALwKjAEOCyUjY&r=KTO-67piPlkvVwpkegE90CPhOOUVOHyNkd2ycJxraVlOjFMzr4s8w_Q89bvfLZgJ&m=DJ3wshr0_uxXLd4JfG5QF3gT2Cohw3zO6J7qvqLwJB0&s=3eY_8rHhwduHRU0sHhv1seOCKITIa_A7qtoEXLK-tRg&e=> ________________________________ To unsubscribe from the AILACTD-L list, click the following link: https://HUNTER.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU/scripts/wa-hc.exe?TICKET=NzM2ODU1IGpmcmVlbWFuQEhVTlRFUi5DVU5ZLkVEVSBBSUxBQ1RELUwgIBnbw1pzypA0&c=SIGNOFF<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__HUNTER.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU_scripts_wa-2Dhc.exe-3FTICKET-3DNzM2ODU1IGpmcmVlbWFuQEhVTlRFUi5DVU5ZLkVEVSBBSUxBQ1RELUwgIBnbw1pzypA0-26c-3DSIGNOFF&d=DwMFAw&c=mRWFL96tuqj9V0Jjj4h40ddo0XsmttALwKjAEOCyUjY&r=CztAUUXLUmVsPh_c6Pm4YveqLLL8DHGjbqtxsyV-Vng&m=BVSl4D_yKJqYjRHNYT1ikcpTCN1OGor1TR0ssejrLgI&s=6gueH61EUUFvjNYmyIW7-POJi1MoRkkPPyz6bMp3joc&e=> ________________________________ To unsubscribe from the AILACTD-L list, click the following link: https://HUNTER.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU/scripts/wa-hc.exe?TICKET=NzM2ODU1IG1hcmN1c2dAU0hTVS5FRFUgQUlMQUNURC1MIESq5vqtecrZ&c=SIGNOFF<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__HUNTER.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU_scripts_wa-2Dhc.exe-3FTICKET-3DNzM2ODU1IG1hcmN1c2dAU0hTVS5FRFUgQUlMQUNURC1MIESq5vqtecrZ-26c-3DSIGNOFF&d=DwMFAg&c=mRWFL96tuqj9V0Jjj4h40ddo0XsmttALwKjAEOCyUjY&r=KTO-67piPlkvVwpkegE90CPhOOUVOHyNkd2ycJxraVlOjFMzr4s8w_Q89bvfLZgJ&m=cM_uLjsBluUFrRYUlEQimtlA2NoEgBG3xOSphjA4mYY&s=Oc2By3hgQOzcNPSjfSliTBQ7ncYZe4WzFNr1iskcK_I&e=> ________________________________ To unsubscribe from the AILACTD-L list, click the following link: https://HUNTER.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU/scripts/wa-hc.exe?TICKET=NzM2ODY4IHByb2Zlc3NvcmJhdHRlcnNieUBHTUFJTC5DT00gQUlMQUNURC1MIK%2FcT17cjdhJ&c=SIGNOFF<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__HUNTER.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU_scripts_wa-2Dhc.exe-3FTICKET-3DNzM2ODY4IHByb2Zlc3NvcmJhdHRlcnNieUBHTUFJTC5DT00gQUlMQUNURC1MIK-252FcT17cjdhJ-26c-3DSIGNOFF&d=DwMFaQ&c=mRWFL96tuqj9V0Jjj4h40ddo0XsmttALwKjAEOCyUjY&r=KTO-67piPlkvVwpkegE90CPhOOUVOHyNkd2ycJxraVlOjFMzr4s8w_Q89bvfLZgJ&m=E3hCjKT5XO1MXXqwVGmx5G2bxbIBSsFMWkMK78YxYuQ&s=X7MeFq_nU9zUtrtZ4_j-QaViqCvEJsCALksoLDM0Yhw&e=> ________________________________ To unsubscribe from the AILACTD-L list, click the following link: https://HUNTER.LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU/scripts/wa-hc.exe?TICKET=NzM2ODY5IG1hcmN1c2dAU0hTVS5FRFUgQUlMQUNURC1MIIp%2FU9cTK9En&c=SIGNOFF ######################################################################## To unsubscribe from the AILACTD-L list, click the following link: &*TICKET_URL(AILACTD-L,SIGNOFF);