CSC professors present critical thinking research nationwide

Two CSC professors have traveled regionally and nationally with presentations for higher education teachers on critical thinking and its implementation in college-level classes.

Dr. Barbara Limbach and Dr. Wendy Waugh, professors of business and economics, created a critical thinking framework for college teachers that goes from objective to assessment.

Limbach and Waugh are currently working on a handbook that teachers can use for any discipline. It will provide examples of critical thinking implementation in college level classes. Their next step is creating presentations of the handbook for publishers’ support.

Limbach said, “It is hard to find time and work on the handbook as we are so busy with teaching, but Wendy and I are trying to meet at least once a week so that we can publish the handbook by the end of the year.”

Limbach and Waugh have been working together since 2000. They both wanted to implement critical thinking in their teaching and started doing research.

Their framework has evolved since that time and grown on the common interest of the importance of critical thinking in every course to ensure students think critically.

Limbach said, “All teachers in all disciplines can successfully implement critical thinking. Whether a course is face-to-face or online, there are certain guidelines to build a creative thinking process.”

The professors have presented their work both regionally and nationally. Faculty development money helps to offset some expenses and provides support for their activities.

Some of the presentations the pair have made include: “Developing Higher Level Thinking” at the Academic and Business Research Institute Conference 2009 in Orlando, Fla.; “Critical Thinking in General and Liberal Studies: From Objective to Assessment” at the Association for General and Liberal Studies Annual Conference 2008 in Asheville, N.C.; and “Critical Thinking: Asking the Right Questions” at the Heartland CRLA Chapter Spring 2007 Conference in Lincoln.

They have traveled as far as Hawaii to present their research on critical thinking. In 2006, they presented a paper titled “Are You Inspiring Critical Thinking?” in Honolulu, HI.

Among Waugh and Limbach’s other achievements are 10 written works published in peer-reviewed journals. Their work has been published in the Association for General and Liberal Studies News, the International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, and the Research in Higher Education Journal.