Critical Thinking Resources

Casotti,G.; Rieser-Danner,L.; Knabb,T.M. (2008). Successful Implementation of Inquiry-Based Physiology Laboratories in Undergraduate Major and Nonmajor Courses.  Advances in Physiology Education, 32(4) 286-296. DOI: 10.1152/advan.00100.2007

Studies the effects of inquiry-based learning on critical-thinking & analytical-thinking as it is applied to a variety of physiology courses.  The effects were evaluated through a mixture of formative (exams, presentations, reports) & summative (surveys, notebooks, and final projects) evaluations, with each form demonstrating marked improvements in the studied areas.

Chapman,Barbara S. (2001). Emphasizing Concepts and Reasoning Skills in Introductory College Molecular Cell Biology. International Journal of Science Education. 23(11), 1157-1176.  STROZIER 370.5 E892

Shows results of a 2-year plan to incorporate critical thinking skills into introductory science classes.

Derting,Terry L.; Ebert-May,Diane. (2010).  Learner-Centered Inquiry in Undergraduate Biology: Positive Relationships with Long-Term Student Achievement.  CBE-Life Sciences Education. 9(4), 462-472.  DOI: 10.1187/cbe.10-02-0011

Studies the short-term & long-term benefits of moving biology students from lecture-based introductory courses to. learner-centered, inquiry-based courses that focus more on critical thinking & collaborative work.  Found that inquiry-based course led to students receiving higher level profiles on the Views About Science Survey for biology as well as a higher score on the standardized Biology Field Test.

Kolber,Benedict J. (2011). Extended Problem-Based Learning Improves Scientific Communication in Senior Biology Students. Journal of College Science Teaching.  41(1), 32-39.Upper level undergraduate students were instructed through extended problem-based learning in order to improve critical thinking, presentation, and scientific-writing skill by focusing on a single biological problem.  Encouraged students to learn about internet & library research of primary-scientific literature, reading literature strategies, presentation skills, and hypothesis development.

Quitadamo, I. J., Faiola, C. L., Johnson, J. E., & Kurtz, M. J. (2008). Community-based inquiry improves critical thinking in general education biology. CBE - Life Sciences Education, 7(3), 327-337. DOI: 10.1021/ed080p899

Encouraged students to learn about internet & library research of primary-scientific literature, reading literature strategies, presentation skills, and hypothesis development. This study compared a research-focused teaching method called community-based inquiry (CBI) with traditional lecture/laboratory in general education biology to discover which method would elicit greater gains in critical thinking.

Regassa, L. B., & Morrison-Shetlar, A. I. (2007). Designing and implementing a hands-on, inquiry-based molecular biology course. Journal of College Science Teaching, 36(6), 36-41.

Inquiry-based learning was used to enhance an undergraduate molecular biology course by using a long-term, in-class project to accelerate higher-order thinking, thereby enabling students to problem solve and apply their knowledge to novel situations