About the Project

Rationale

There are 3 teaching and learning problems this project addresses:

Problem 1: There are diverse understandings of critical thinking skills and priorities. This means that student perceptions can differ significantly from those of their lecturers: empirical research has shown that students may focus more on the end-product while academics place emphasis on the process, and that students may prioritise different skills compared to lecturers’ expectations and priorities.

  • We will address this problem by providing empirical evidence on what students at UON think critical thinking skills are, which skills they prioritise, what challenges they face in applying critical thinking skills in their disciplines, and which strategies and resources they find most effective.

Problem 2: Are students aware of the resources that are available at UON and beyond for their critical thinking skills development?

  • We will address this question by conducting desk research of useful online resources related to CT skills development and further evaluate these resources.

Problem 3: While there is a lot of freely accessible, reliable and useful information online, it is challenging to locate it and take advantage of it.

  • We will address this problem by empowering students to co-create a one-stop resource bank and brainstorm alternative forms of critical thinking skills development that meet student needs.

Aims and Objectives

The aim of this project is to provide empirical evidence on UON students’ needs to inform the co-creation of resources to enhance critical thinking skills.

The project objectives are:

– To explore students’ perceptions, needs, and priorities

– To identify existing resources that effectively enhance critical thinking skills.

– To initiate a user-friendly, one-stop resource bank tailored to the needs of students, building upon previous UON provision.

– To engage students as co-creators in the research and development process to ensure the toolkit is relevant and practical.

Intended benefit and impact

This project can have a positive impact on current practices by:

  • Empowering students’ voice
  • Promoting student-centred and collaborative learning environment
  • Transforming the research process into a collaborative effort that directly involves the primary stakeholders as co-researchers by using a Student Research Panel
  • Contributing to existing literature on collaborative and co-creation approaches and frameworks with empirical evidence and collective experience
  • Providing a curated list of existing resources that effectively enhance critical thinking developed through co-creation with students