Abstract:

This paper surveys literature on critical thinking and examines various opinions to increase understanding of the development of critical thinking capacities, including Critical Thinking Dispositions (CTD) and Critical Thinking Skills (CTS) in online educational programs. The challenge for teachers and instructors in leadership courses is to engender critical thinking capacities within their students that go far beyond training for effective skills. A key precept for helping learners think in new patterns beyond effective skill acquisition is to ensure that teachers and instructors are adequately prepared to support the development of critical thinking within their learner populations. Educational institutions, as a whole, have crucial roles to play in identifying and developing the resources to foster programs that incorporate critical thinking capacities and support instructors as they implement these programs. Additionally, institutions must also define and deploy appropriate entry and exit assessments of the student populations to evaluate the efficacy of critical thinking within these programs.

This paper also considers key limitations in implementing critical thinking programs as well as problems that may arise if critical thinking programs are not supported at the highest institutional levels and properly assessed for effectiveness. The paper concludes with a practical example of developing critical thinking capacities in an applied research environment through the application of critical thinking theory in a real-world environment. The case in point uses a Bachelor of Applied Science degree program at the University of Arizona South as the medium of explication. The aim of this paper is to enable teachers, learners, and applied researchers to understand and apply critical thinking models to develop new paradigms and enhance critical thinking capacities in student populations.