Peer Review

Psychology of Critical Thinking Online

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Mar 24, 2016 by Psychology

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

This material is a webpage in which one faculty member describes his experience in redesigning an online psychology course. Dr. Gregg Gold, Professor of Psychology at Humboldt University, offers the following background information.

“This is a description of what was learned from teaching a lower division general education Psychology of Critical Thinking (Psych 100) course online for the first time. Things that worked and areas that could use improvement were noted. Specific strategies are given for improvement, and examples of student work are given. The outcomes of the course are compared to previous versions taught online by different instructors.”

Type of Material:

ePortfolio

Recommended Uses:

• Individuals teaching (or considering teaching) online will benefit from the explanations as well as the "before and after" redesign comments throughout the ePortfolio. The changes presented will help instructors reflect on their own pedagogy and consider what modifications may benefit their own students. • This resource will be particularly beneficial for an instructor who is looking to build a Psychology of Critical Thinking course.

Technical Requirements:

Two reviewers successfully surfed the webpage using both Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer.

Identify Major Learning Goals:

The webpage is geared toward faculty members and presents the following key information.

• Overview of the content and scope of a Psychology of Critical Thinking course, including examples of assignments, rubrics and syllabus

• Issues and challenges associated with teaching critical thinking.

• Issues and challenges associated with teaching online courses in general, including engagement, accountability, and success of the students

• How course redesign principles can be actively applied to enhance the quality of an online course

Target Student Population:

College faculty at all levels will benefit from the lessons learned, especially faculty teaching online courses.

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

One should have a basic understanding of teaching and learning in higher education to benefit from the ideas and resources available on this site.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:: • The author does an excellent job of reflecting on his own redesign process. The site outlines the rationale for the redesign and highlights the value of various changes in the course. This is a good quality example of a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) project made public to advance post-secondary teaching quality. • The redesign material is thorough. Access to the complete project description—including the changes implemented and the effects of those changes—will assist anyone interested in online teaching. The redesign also will be of interest to those teaching in hybrid and face-to-face (F2F) settings.
Concerns:: • The syllabus links are not currently functional. • Because the resource is aimed at providing an example of a course redesign, its value lies in showing a process and not in providing additional "take-aways" (e.g., course learning objects) for the viewer.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:: • The advice and lessons will help anyone better prepare an online course and reflect on relevant issues. The reflections provided by the professor as well as some of his students can help one address issues such as grading and group work.
Concerns:: None.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:: • Everything is on one page so it allows users to skim, search, and find what they need. • The site is easy to navigate and visually appealing. Additional information was included as linked information. The site includes visuals to make it more engaging. The resource is formatted much like a conference poster presentation.
Concerns:: • While convenient, the single-page presentation can seem overwhelming. The site does not include organizers to facilitate movement between key areas.

Other Issues and Comments:: Overall, this site serves as a beneficial and thoughtfully presented resource to assist faculty who are redesigning an online course and/or teaching an introductory critical thinking course.
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