Critical Thinking
Beginning in Fall, 2008, Bethel College has begun to offer a program in Critical Thinking (CT) Across the Curriculum.
History
Bethel's accreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) was reaffirmed in December, 2008. As part of the process of reaffirmation, the College was required to institute a Quality Enhancement Plan, or QEP, which is a program that will have significant impact on student learning. Bethel adopted the improvement of undergraduate critical thinking skills as its QEP, and consequently the critical thinking program is sometimes known simply as "The QEP."
Critical Thinking
While there is general agreement that critical thinking is an important part of a college education, experts understand the concept in different ways. This is not surprising, since debates about the definition of foundational terms are common in many fields; but clearly a college-wide initiative must be based on a shared definition.
Therefore, Bethel College has defined critical thinking as a process of successfully analyzing, assessing, and reconstructing information in an objective manner. It will involve the ability to view new concepts and ideas with an open mind, and the ability to recognize external and internal biases, discerning both strengths and weaknesses of the information. Ultimately, the critical thinker will use information in an effective and ethical manner on a consistent basis.
Across the Curriculum
Bethel students do not have to take a required course in critical thinking. Rather, instruction in courses at all levels of the undergraduate curriculum, and across all majors and divisions, are taught in a way that encourages the development of students' critical thinking ability. This begins in COE 101 (College Orientation Experience), the gateway course that introduces freshmen to college life, and continues through the general education program and into upper-division courses in each major field of study.
What does this mean in practice? Bethel students can expect to be active participants in their education. At Bethel, you won't just be memorizing facts. You will be discussing problems in small groups, with your instructor, and with your class, you will be taking positions on topics of current interest and writing about them. You will encounter a variety of viewpoints and weigh competing claims and evidence in order to arrive at a conclusion.
Bethel's critical thinking program is not static. It will grow and evolve over time based on student feedback and the incorporation of best practices in instruction. The CT progam runs a faculty grants program to encourage the development of innovative teaching methods.
Faculty Resources
A variety of faculty resources relating to the QEP may be found at: http://www.bethelu.edu/critical/faculty_resources.
History
Bethel's accreditation with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) was reaffirmed in December, 2008. As part of the process of reaffirmation, the College was required to institute a Quality Enhancement Plan, or QEP, which is a program that will have significant impact on student learning. Bethel adopted the improvement of undergraduate critical thinking skills as its QEP, and consequently the critical thinking program is sometimes known simply as "The QEP."
Critical Thinking
While there is general agreement that critical thinking is an important part of a college education, experts understand the concept in different ways. This is not surprising, since debates about the definition of foundational terms are common in many fields; but clearly a college-wide initiative must be based on a shared definition.
Therefore, Bethel College has defined critical thinking as a process of successfully analyzing, assessing, and reconstructing information in an objective manner. It will involve the ability to view new concepts and ideas with an open mind, and the ability to recognize external and internal biases, discerning both strengths and weaknesses of the information. Ultimately, the critical thinker will use information in an effective and ethical manner on a consistent basis.
Across the Curriculum
Bethel students do not have to take a required course in critical thinking. Rather, instruction in courses at all levels of the undergraduate curriculum, and across all majors and divisions, are taught in a way that encourages the development of students' critical thinking ability. This begins in COE 101 (College Orientation Experience), the gateway course that introduces freshmen to college life, and continues through the general education program and into upper-division courses in each major field of study.
What does this mean in practice? Bethel students can expect to be active participants in their education. At Bethel, you won't just be memorizing facts. You will be discussing problems in small groups, with your instructor, and with your class, you will be taking positions on topics of current interest and writing about them. You will encounter a variety of viewpoints and weigh competing claims and evidence in order to arrive at a conclusion.
Bethel's critical thinking program is not static. It will grow and evolve over time based on student feedback and the incorporation of best practices in instruction. The CT progam runs a faculty grants program to encourage the development of innovative teaching methods.
Faculty Resources
A variety of faculty resources relating to the QEP may be found at: http://www.bethelu.edu/critical/faculty_resources.