IVCC General Education Goal #1: To apply analytical and problem solving skills to personal, social, and professional issues and situations.
The purpose of this goal is to help students develop competence in their ability to differentiate between fact and opinion, to determine the accuracy and completeness of information, to be able to compare and contrast information and points of view, to apply logical reasoning skills, to make reasonable judgments, and to draw logical conclusions. Students should be able to apply these skills in both social and personal settings and use them to enhance their problem solving skills in the workplace. Note: For the purposes of assessment with this rubric, student work may be anything that requires students toapply what they are learning toward the resolution of a question or problem. In doing so, the student should be exercising a set of critical thinking skills pertinent to the discipline. Application questions on exams, questions in which the students need to select the best right answer, practical skills exercises, lab exercises, debates, and scenario-based discussion are examples of assignments for scoring with this tool. In each case, the student should be asked to justify his or her work.
Guide
The critical thinker: / Emergent / Proficient / Exemplary
Gathers and selects information /
- States the issue/problem to be considered but perhaps roughly or lacking clarity.
- States, describes, and clarifies the issue/problem to be considered critically so that understanding is not seriously impeded by omissions, with evidence of relevant contextual factors.
- States, describes, and clarifies the issue/problem to be considered critically so that understanding is not seriously impeded by omissions, with evidence of relevant contextual factors.
- Vaguely frames questions somewhat related to the issue/problem.
- Frames appropriate questions related to the issue/problem.
- Comprehensively frames appropriate questions related to the issue/problem
- Attempts to define criteria to assess information retrieved, failing to consider all of the common elements including credibility, validity and accuracy of information. Consideration of relevance to information need is lacking.
- Defines criteria to assess the credibility, validity and accuracy of information, as well as relevance to information need.
- Defines criteria to assess the credibility, validity and accuracy of information, as well as relevance to information need.
- Explores a limited number of general, information sources in order to gain understanding of topic.
- Explores general and specialized information sources in order to gain understanding of topic.
- Selects and uses the most appropriate general and specialized information sources in order to gain or further understandingof topic.
- May gather information in a haphazard manner, relying on irrelevant sources. May fail to integrate background knowledgeor account for prior assumptions, or miss relevant observations, external sources, or collected data sets. Information selection may be guided by biases (or a pre-determined conclusion), rather than an objective view of the issue/problem.
- Gathers and organizes relevant information, integrating and acknowledging background knowledge, prior assumptions, observations, external sources, and collected data sets.
- Gathers and organizes relevant information systematically and methodically, integrating and acknowledging background knowledge, prior assumptions, observations, external sources, and collected data sets.
- Fails to consider societal forces that influence perceptions, including cultural and political values and norms, historical and technological effects, and personal position in the world.
- Lists societal forces that influence perceptions, including cultural and political values and norms, historical and technological effects, and personal position in the world.
- Thoroughly considers and lists societal forces that influence perceptions, including cultural and political values and norms, historical and technological effects, and personal position in the world.
Analyzes information and articulates reasons /
- Oversimplifies trends and patterns, possibly missing connections between problems and solutions.
- Identifies trends and patterns, making connections between problems and solutions.
- Identifies complex trends and patterns, consistently making connections between problems and solutions.
- Misses relevant relationships, similarities, and differences.
- Compares and contrasts theories and perspectives, explaining relationships, similarities and differences.
- Compares and contrasts theories and perspectives, paying great attention to details and subtleties of those theories and perspectives in explaining relationships, similarities and differences.
- Attempts to logically discuss and debate benefits, limitations, and concerns regarding various proposed solutions, but ultimately does not eradicate bias and irrelevant information in regard to solutions.
- Logically discusses and debates benefits, limitations, and aspects of concern regarding various proposed solutions, eradicating most bias and irrelevant information.
- Logically discusses and debates benefits, limitations, and aspects of concern regarding various proposed solutions of greater complexity, eradicating all bias and irrelevant information.
- Develops weak arguments and may fail to identify premises and conclusions within the argument. May accept invalid arguments and fail to distinguish between arguments leading to valid arguments.
- Develops arguments, identifying premises and conclusions within the argument. Debates invalid arguments and distinguishes between arguments leading to valid arguments.
- Develops sound arguments, identifying and fully articulating premises and conclusions within the argument. Debates and diffuses invalid arguments and distinguishes between arguments leading to valid arguments.
- Struggles to relate classroom learning to real world and/or identify theoretical concepts in daily activities.
- Relates classroom learning to real world and identifies theoretical concepts in daily activities.
- Frames (adequately utilizes theoretical concepts and language) the issue/problem in a way that articulates the relationship between classroom learning and real world contexts.
- May fail to apply theory and moral decision-making, leading to illogical conclusions.
- Appliesappropriate theory and moral decision-making. Draws logical conclusions and inferences.
- Applies appropriate theoretical frameworks and moral decision-making. Draws logical, as well as judicious,conclusions and inferences.
Makes decisions and solves problems /
- Offers relatively few potential solutions, or weak solutions, for existing problem, and may not address newly encountered problems.
- Recommends and defends potential solutions that are somewhat obvious for existing or newly encountered problems.
- Recommends and defends potential solutions of superior nature for existing or newly encountered problems.
- Unable to clearlyshow how conclusion was reached. Inadequately explains choice of decision making tools.
- Adequately shows how conclusion was reached. Explains which and why decision-making tools were used.
- Methodically shows how conclusion was reached. Creatively employs decision-making tools and justifies choice of tools well.
- Lacks solution and fails to consider probable impact of decision.
- Discusses adequacy of solution and probable impact of decision, recognizing there may not be just one right answer.
- Logically supports choice between alternatives of solution and probable impact of decision, recognizing there may not be just one right answer, and proposing or evaluating those alternative solutions.
- Comes to a conclusion or solution that is not always logically tied to or consistent with the information gathered or provided; solution may be oversimplified or incorrect or based on pre-conceived conclusions.
- Conclusion is logically tied to and supported by a range of appropriate information (data sets, viewpoints, theories, etc.). Solution may be incorrect, but methodology shows validity of thought process.
- Conclusions and related outcomes (consequences and implications) are logical and reflect student’s informed evaluation of the problem; demonstrates student’s ability to prioritize information appropriately.