This document discusses 10 effective methods for infusing critical thinking into online education. It begins by explaining why critical thinking is important as it cultivates student curiosity and encourages engagement, integrity, empathy and responsibility. It then outlines 10 methods which include: providing thoughtful curriculum and critical thinking questions, using Bloom's taxonomy, arousing student curiosity with assignments, stressing the importance of critical thinking, providing in-depth assignments, teaching transferable decision making skills, developing effective online groups, exposing students to cultural conditioning, and implementing and evaluating virtual learning. The goal is to prepare students to be visionary leaders with strong critical thinking skills.

1. 10 Effective Methods:
Infusing Critical Thinking in
Online Education
“Changing the Game”
Florida Distance
Education
Association
Dr. Frederick A. Ricci

2. Why Critical Thinking…
Cultivates and enhances
student’s
intellectual curiosity.
Expands and Encourages
 engagement,
 integrity,
 empathy,
 and responsibility.

3. What if?
How can?
Missing in many online courses:

4. What student say in the
U.S. about critical thinking
 Few professors have
helped me develop
critical thinking skills.
 However I was
encouraged with
critical thinking when
instructors were
passionate about their
subject matter–the
more they cared, the
more my interest was
sparked.
http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/library/articles-and-
essays/the-teaching-forum/from-the-students-
view-professors-who-cultivate-critical-
thinking-skills/

5. Why should an Instructor
Entice On-Line Critical
Thinking?
The What and Why?
Encourages students to
 examine evidence
 consider implications
 question assumptions
 explore perspectives
 and consider other questions..
 Reference:
http://www.blurtit.com/q526651.html

6. How does an online
instructor Cultivating
Critical Thinking?
 Begin by providing a course of study with Challenging
Experiences within the Assignments and Exercises
HOW? Effective Methods: Let’s identify 10

7. 10 Effective methods:
Encouraging Critical Thinking
within Online Instruction.

8. 1. Lead: Provide and
Encourage Thoughtful Online
Curriculum
Bai’s study: to promote critical thinking online, an
instructor needs to convey to student about what is
expected.
 Develop Guidelines: Checklists, rubrics, guides,
or models of critical thinking questions.
 Promote Discussions: Create threaded
discussions: i.e., encourage postings and
comments to postings

9. 2. Create and
Design Critical Thinking
Questions
Convey well-
designed
discussion
questions ---
It’s fundamental
in developing
critical thinking
skills
HOW?

10. CT and the Brain
 Neurotransmitters?
chemicals that
transmit signals
from one neuron
to another target
neuron to
produce critical
thinking.
 Critical Thinking – a
neurotransmitter brain
flow: Analyzing,
synthesizing, developing
strategies, planning
outcomes and solving
problems,
 Brain activity occurs as
people think and
experience emotions
(Alridge, 2015)
 Critical Thinking allows
brain to accept, reject or
suspend judgments in
order to reach a final
decision.

11. HOW? Try Bloom Taxonomy
of Learning Domains
Remember: Bloom's Taxonomy 1956
Educational psychologist Dr Benjamin
Bloom in order to promote higher forms of
thinking in education, such as analyzing and
evaluating concepts, processes, procedures,
and principles, rather than just remembering
facts (rote learning). It is most often used
when designing instruction or learning
processes (Instructional Design)
- See more at:
http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html#sth
ash.jgVRjnqG.dpuf

12. Prompt Blooms 6 Critical Thinking
stems within your course of study.
6. Creation / Synthesis: the ability to put facts together into a coherent
whole, or, creatively achieve a new understanding by linking facts together
5. Evaluation: the ability to make judgements using criteria and standards
4. Analysis: ability to determine internal relationships
3. Application: the ability to apply what is learned to a new situation
2. Comprehension: the ability to interpret information in one’s own words
1. Knowledge: the ability to recall facts, opinions and concepts
From: Anderson et al (2001)

13. Bloom’s Taxonomy sample
questions: Stem Questions
1: Knowledge Exhibits previously learned material by recalling
facts, terms, basic concepts and answers.
What is . . . ?
When did ____ happen?
How would you explain . . . ?
Why did . .. ?
How would you describe . .. ?
2: Comprehension Demonstrating understanding of facts and
ideas by organising, comparing, translating, interpreting, giving
descriptions and stating main ideas.
How would you compare . .. ? contrast.. ?
Explain in your own words . . . ?
What facts or ideas show . .. ?
What evidence is there that…?
3: Application Solving problems by applying acquired
knowledge, facts, techniques and rules in a different way.
What examples can you find to . . . ?
How would you show your understanding of. .. ?
What approach would you use to ... ?
What might have happened if. . . ?
4: Analysis Examining and breaking information
into parts by identifying motives or causes; making
inferences and finding evidence to support
generalisations.
What inference can you make from. . . ?
How would you classify . . . ?
How would you categorise . .. ?
Can you identify the difference parts... ?
5: Evaluation Presenting and defending opinions by
making judgments about information, validity of
ideas or quality of work based on a set of criteria.
How would you compare ……?
Which do you think is better….?
Evaluate contribution of ….. to …………….
What was the value or importance of …….. in
…………..?
What would you have recommended if you had been
……?
6: Creation / Synthesis: Compiling information
together in a different way by combining elements in
a new pattern or proposing alternative solutions.
What might have happened if… ?
Can you propose an alternative interpretation to that
of ……. . ?
Is there a marmite solution [1] here?http://www.ucdoer.ie/index.php/How_to_Ask_Questions_that_Prompt_Critical_Thinking

14. 3. Use criteria to evaluate your
questions within the course
content: “RITPOT”
a. Relevance - related to the material in the unit of study.
b. Importance - address a significant issue in the topic.
c. Thought-provoking - require high-level thought, not a
simple "look-up" online.
d. Original– ask unique question not posed by another student.
e. Timely – postings early in the module so that the other
students have an opportunity to respond and provide time to
facilitate a good discussion thread.
http://www.qcc.cuny.edu/socialsciences/ppecorino/SS770/Outline-GOOD_QUESTIONS.html
Also:
http://www.ucdoer.ie/index.php/How_to_Ask_Questions_that_Prompt_Critical_Thinking

15. 4. Arouse Curiosity and
Excitement
 Have students
share and interact
 Create problems
in story format
Questions Arousing excitement:
 What do we already know
 How does …affect..
 How does…tie in with.
 What was learned
 Why is the…important
 What is a counterargument
for , to name a few
 What would happen if….

16. Arouse Curiosity
(CREATE A CHECKLIST TO
HELP STUDENT POSTINGS.
DO YOU…
• HAVE ADEQUATE
INFORMATION
 CONVEY CLEARLY AND
LOGICALLY
 IDENTIFY SIGNIFICANCE
OF WHAT I AM WRITING
 PROVIDE ACCURATE
INFORMATION, FACTS,
LOGIC, EVIDENCE AND
CREDIBLE RESOURCES.
PAUL (2006)

17. 5. Stress Importance of
Critical Thinking in One’s Life.
 Why important? To make dramatically
better decisions in life.
 “Continuously discussing the thought processes within
government, business, education, cultures, and
societal systems with others …….is the key to
discovering new methods to eliminate
current problems and enhance future
society.”

18. FYI: Importance of CT by
International Associations
 The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Committee on Critical
Thinking "a process which stresses an attitude of suspended judgment,
incorporates logical inquiry and problem solving, and leads to an evaluative
decision or action." Critical thinking refers to a "way of reasoning that
demands adequate support for one's beliefs and an unwillingness to
be persuaded unless the support is forthcoming."
 Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU) survey of business
and non-profit leaders found that 93% believe "a demonstrated capacity to
think critically, communicate clearly, and solve complex problems is more
important than [a job candidate’s] undergraduate major." More than 75% of
those surveyed say they want more emphasis on critical thinking, complex
problem solving, written and oral communication, and applied knowledge in
real-world settings for all colleges and universities.

19. 6. Provide In-depth Critical
Thinking Assignments
 To develop thinking and
obtain information utilizing
the new and emerging
technologies which
enhance information
 To apply theory to
practice with all
information technology
 .
 Assist with surfing the
net when obtaining
information.
 Create strategic
group thinking,
planning, and
strategizing which are
identified with
organizational
success.

20. Assign Analytical Research
Papers
 HAVE STUDENTS EVALUATE
OTHER WRITINGS WITHIN
THE COURSE CONTENT
AREAS.
 ANALYZE AND JUDGE
WHICH ARE CREDIBLE
SOURCES.
 ENCOURAGE THEM TO
FORMULATE LOGICAL
THINKING PROCESS.
CONSIDER CULTURAL
CONDITIONING AND ONE’S
THOUGHT INFLUENCE

21. Lead and Guide your
students…..
Guide students by
encouraging them with…….
 searching for issues.
 initiating a question
process,
 checking for ambiguity,
 identifying value conflicts
and assumptions,
 seeking evidence and
reasoning,
 checking for significant
information?

22. 7. Teach Transfer Abilities
toward Decision Making and
Good Judgment
 Critical thinkers become good decision makers and
problem solvers……..
Excel at reviewing textbooks, periodicals and journals, or
surfing the web
 Provides practice toward gaining better judgment when
reading and writing in today’s social media such as blogs,
Facebook, twitter, etc.
 Assists with thinking process,
 Contributes to enrich discussion forums and group
assignments valuable to organizations, societies, and
governments.

23. 8. Develop Effective Online
Group Teams: Locally and Globally
 Enhances critical thinking skills
within groups
 Allows focused discussion within
and among online clusters.
 Builds cohesive communities.
 Prepares for living in nations,
which are becoming a
knowledge-driven and
knowledge-dependent society
 Instructors lead
discussion groups and
create reflective
thinkers among groups
members.
 Critical Thinkers:
Analyze, synthesize,
evaluate, and draw
conclusions toward
reaching a rational
judgment within each
step of the group
dynamics.

24. Procedures Supporting Critical Thinking in
Distance Learning Groups
 Online
Discussions
 Case Studies
 Group
Assignments
 Debates
 Live Discussions
 Carefully
constructed
questions
 Skilled Moderator
 Clear Guidelines
 Feedback

25. 9. Expose Students to Cultural
Conditioning
 Differences of opinion often
based on backgrounds or
“cultural conditioning”
 Note: CC can block
individual’s ability to think
critically.
 Thought process and
decision-making process
often is influenced by social
background or heritage.

26. Importance of Cultural
Conditioning
NEED: CREATING THE NEW
ORGANIZATIONAL LEADER
WORLDWIDE WHO
UNDERSTANDS CULTURAL
THINKING BY PURSUING
CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS.
NEW WORLDWIDE
EDUCATION
is changing our thoughts
through the internet,
tweets, MOOCS, etc.
engaging diverse cultures
worldwide

27. Cultural Conditioning and
Critical Thinking
 Target: The
understanding of
Cultural Conditioning
coupled with the
command of critical
thinking.
 Significantly enhances
leadership within any
business, government,
educational and/or
social organization both
locally and globally.

28. 10. Implement and Evaluate the
Virtual World within online classes
 Infuse new
networks within
the course of
study.
 Use the abundant
electronic
information
 Encourage
students to
reason about all
online information
 Needed: ability to determine
accuracy levels and credibility
Helpful web sites: USE the following
websites.
 EasyBib – Website Evaluation Guide
 Finding Dulcinea – Website
Credibility and Guidelines
 Berkeley – Evaluating Webpages
Techniques

29. Your Role: Prepare Visionary
Leaders
 Needed:— YOU
You have the
capacity to
inspire and
energize others to
perform at their
highest level
individually and
collectively.
 Focus: Vision and
Values
“Truly effective leaders
in the years ahead…will
be visionary”

30. Summarize:
REASONS FOR CRITICAL
THINKING:
 Emerging nations
are demanding new
and better
education and
leadership
 Critical Thinking is
the key to
organizational
survival in society,
government,
business, and
education.

31. Your Role: Organizational
Leadership of the 21st
Century
 “There’s nothing
more important
than growing
people. That’s
your profession’s
no. 1 job.

32. Thank you.
Dr. Fred Ricci

33. Additional References for review
 Aldridge, J. M. (2005). Correlation as causation (fMRI) letter.
 Brookings Institute. (2014). Problem solving through critical thinking.
 Brown, T. (2008, June). Design thinking. Harvard Business Review: The Magazine. Retrieved from http://hbr.org/2008/06/design-thinking/
 Budryk, Z. (2013). More than a major. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/04/10/survey-finds-business-executives-arent-focused-majors-those-they-hire
 Burnette, C. (2005). What is design thinking? Retrieved from http://www.idesignthinking.com/01whyteach/01whyteach.html
 Burnette, C. (2009). A theory of design thinking. FAIA Prepared in response to the Torquay Conference on Design Thinking, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia, Nov 1, 2009.
 Changing Minds. (2012). Socratic questions. Retrieved from http://changingminds.org/ techniques/questioning/socratic_questions.htm
 Chartrand, J., Ishikawa H., & Flanigan, S. (2009). Critical thinking means business: Learn to apply and develop the NEW #1 workplace skill. Pearson Education, Retrieved from http://www.talentlens.com/en/ downloads/whitepapers/
Pearson_TalentLens_Critical_Thinking_Means_Business.pdf
 Dass, T. K. (1994, October). Educating tomorrow’s managers: The role of critical thinking. The International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 2, 333-360. Retrieved from
http://aux.zicklin.baruch.cuny.edu/tkdas/publications/das_ijoa94_criticalthinking.pdf
 Fast Company Staff. (2014). Design thinking: What is that? Retrieved from http://www.fastcompany.com/919258/design-thinking-what
 Foundation for Critical Thinking. (2007). To analyze critical thinking, we must analyze and question its elemental structures. Retrieved from http://www.criticalthinking.org/ctmodel/logic-model1.htm
 Foundation for Critical Thinking. (2013). Critical thinking: Where to begin. Retrieved from http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/critical-thinking-where-to-begin/796
 Humphreys, Debra, (2013) . Employers More Interested in Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Than College Major,aacu.org.
 Jenkins, D. M., & Cutchens, A. B. (2011, Summer). Leading critically: A grounded theory of applied critical thinking in leadership studies, Journal of Leadership Education, 10, Retrieved from https://www.academ75ia.edu/1214625/
 Jones, M. (2005). New paradigm for executive education. Executive White Paper. International Institute of Management 9IIM. Retrieved from http://www.iim-edu.org/executiveeducationbestpracticeskasac/
 Karr, S. S. (2009, December). Critical thinking: A critical strategy for financial executives. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 26, 2.
 Lau, J., & Chan, J. (2014). Welcome to critical thinking web. Retrieved from http://philosophy.hku.hk/think/
 Marbles, the Brain Store. (2012). About the Brain, Critical Thinking. Retrieved from, http://www.marblesthebrainstore.com/about-critical-thinking/
 McGraw-Hill Companies. (2000). Reichenbach: An introduction to critical thinking. Retrieved from http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/philosophy/reichenbach/ m1_chap02studyguide.html
 Natale, S., & Ricci, F. (2006). Critical thinking in organizations. Team Performance Management, 12(7), 272-278.
 National Institutes of Health. (n.d.). The brain, lesson 1: What’s going on there? Retrieved from http://science.education.nih.gov/supplements/nih2/addiction/activities/lesson1_brainparts.htm)
 Purdue University Center for Student Achievement. (n.d.). Critical thinking. Retrieved from http://webs.purduecal.edu/csa/files/2012/05/Critical-Thinking.pdf
 Ratcliffe, J. (ed.). (2009, August 1). Steps in design thinking: Retrieved from https://dschool.stanford.edu/groups/k12/wiki/17cff/Design_Process_Steps.html
 Stanford Graduate School of Business. (2014). Design Thinking Boot Camp: From insights
to innovation. Retrieved from http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/exed/dtbc/
 Stotz, D. (2012). The future of executive education. Executive Education in the News. Retrieved from http://uniconexed.org/en/89-unicon-articles-category/in-the-news/170-future-of-education.html
 The Almanac. (2012, September 24). New Stanford courses stress critical thinking. Retrieved from http://www.almanacnews.com/news/2012/09/24/new-stanford-courses-stress-critical-thinking
 Welsh, M. A., & Dehler, G. E. (2013). Combining critical reflection and design thinking to develop integrative learners, Journal of Management Education, 37, 771-802

34. Reference Websites:
 http://onlinelearninginsights.wordpress.com/2013/10/01/how-to-
promote-critical-thinkin-with-online-discussion-forums/
 http://www.saylor.org/courses/phil102/
 http://onlinelearninginsights.wordpress.com/2013/10/01/how-to-
promote-critical-thinking-with-online-discussion-forums/
 http://austhink.com/critical/
 http://www.editlib.org/p/36242/ ]
 http://www.editlib.org/noaccess/36242/