Abstract:

Developing learner’s critical thinking is an instructional goal sought, in particular in management education. The critical thinking is an intellectual process (A. Fisher and M. Scriven, 1997). Based on the questioning and challenging of prejudices and ready-made beliefs, the critical thinking is a reasoned, purposive, and introspective approach to solving problems or addressing questions with incomplete evidence and information and for which an incontrovertible solution is unlikely (Rudd, Baker and Tracy, 2000).

Moore and Parker (2007) underline critical thinking is the careful and deliberate determination of whether to accept, reject, or suspend judgment about a claim.

Critical thinking relies on the analysis of different points of views, and to be able to defend your own stance using relevant arguments, i.e. adapted to the positions promoted by the other participants. This implies confrontation of points of views.

Another insight into critical thinking highlights the importance of a purpose (proving a point, interpreting what something means, solving a problem), but stresses that it can be a collaborative and a non-competitive endeavour (Facione, 2007).

All teachers are aware of the importance of critical thinking skills for students (Connerly, 2006). Thus, the teaching of critical thinking skills is one of the most important issues that every pedagogical team has to address. At the same time, distance learning and EdTech are becoming increasingly common in higher education.

So the aim of this study is to explore how to encourage critical thinking in a distance-learning context?
The purpose of this presentation is to put forward a learning activity that stimulates and encourages student’s critical thinking in the context of distance learning.

We have chosen a pedagogical method called contradictory collaboration (Damon W., Phelps E., 1989), which is particularly well suited to meet the challenge of developing student’s critical thinking skills, and we have applied it to guide debates among students on an online forum.

Given the various constraints linked to the teachers activities (research, administrative tasks...), the use of digital discussion boards for educational purposes is linked to the ability to conceive self-sustaining and self-reinforcing animation schemes for forums. The gamification (the use of game design elements in teaching context) may be a solution to fuel debates among learners without any teaching presence.

The use of contradictory collaboration method to stimulate student debates on forum led to creation of a learning activity called “Le Procès” (The Trial). “Le Procès” is an online activity whose gamified scenario fosters knowledge sharing and confrontation of ideas between students and highlights the diversity of points of view on the same issue.

This activity was tested within the course “Reconsidered economics” (Master Program) which include 85 students.

The preliminary results are very good since the average contribution exceeded 2 posts per learner and general turnout surpassed 60% of students enrolled in the course.

Keywords:

Critical thinking, Distance learning, Gamification, Innovation.