Frequently Asked Questions

The topic of Critical Thinking—defined as “careful structured reasoning that assesses the assumptions and information available and through deliberate processes applies that information to a novel situation, problem, or decision”—was consistently ranked highest throughout a year-long selection process by college employees and staff. In addition, a college-wide survey showed that students viewed Critical Thinking as an inherently valuable part of their education and an improvable area of their learning experience at Columbia State. An emphasis on Critical Thinking within the classroom mirrors the ever-present need for critical thinking in an age of over-saturated misinformation and demanding, adaptable careers.

The college’s formal onsite visit with SACSCOC is scheduled for Fall 2022, with the approved QEP to start in Spring 2023. Although the formal launch of the first pilot courses for the QEP isn't scheduled until Spring 2023, the college will begin implementing a QEP awareness campaign, student launch survey and pilot implementation of Critical Thinking in COLS 101 (including the first run of a college-wide critical thinking pre-test) during Fall 2022. In addition, the college will offer the first cycle of professional development focused on critical thinking during the 2022-2023 academic year.

An emphasis of this QEP cycle is to “grow purposefully”. Initially the QEP will only start with pilots in a few select general education courses. As the QEP progresses, more courses will be developed through a process of piloting and refinement – with an emphasis on selecting courses that serve as key gateway courses for multiple degree paths. Courses that have been currently identified as potential candidates include:

• ENGL 1010 – English Composition I
• MATH 1530 – Introductory Statistics
• HIST 2010 – Early United States History
• COMM 2025 – Fundamentals of Communication
• PHYS 2110 – Calculus-based Physics I
• SOCI 1010 – Introduction to Sociology
• PSYC 1030 – Introduction to Psychology
• ENGL 1020 – English Composition II
• BIOL 2010 – Human Anatomy & Physiology I
• CHEM 1110 – General Chemistry I
• HIST 2020 – Modern United States History
• MATH 1910 – Calculus I

The following student learning outcomes will be targeted by the QEP:

• Students will identify relevant points of view to establish a clear position.
• Students will gather credible and relevant evidence.
• Students will identify and explain key concepts in their specific disciplines.
• Students will identify significant assumptions of both their own as well as others’ reasoning.
• Students will analyze and interpret evidence to obtain thoughtful and logical conclusions.

The college has created a standardized rubric that assesses the above key critical-thinking sub-skills for use within the context of a specific critical thinking course. Students will be formatively assessed throughout the course on a series of critical thinking tasks. Near the end of a course students will complete a summative assessment that targets the critical thinking skills practiced in the formative assessments.

At the degree level, the college will be using a nationally-recognized test that assesses critical thinking as a component in the college’s introductory college success course: COLS 101 as well as for the general education exit exam. In addition, survey data of both faculty and students related to the QEP will be collected throughout the life of the program.

As a student you’ll see changes from the QEP in the type of questions and activities you are asked to complete in specific classes chosen from across the course catalog to emphasize Critical Thinking. Your instructors will receive training and professional development on designing materials that help you master critical thinking skills within the context of the class.

 The goal is for critical thinking to grow into a consistently emphasized component across the general education curriculum – so you’ll likely also notice some common threads throughout your experience at the college. The introductory class COLS 101 – College Success will include material that helps highlight critical thinking; many courses will use a common critical thinking rubric – so you know how you’ll be graded on critical thinking tasks across courses; and there will be new opportunities to earn scholarship money and recognition for performance on the college exit exam. This doesn't mean that your course will simply be harder – but that more emphasis will be placed on critical thinking during instruction.

Critical Thinking is often identified as one of the most important skills sought after by employers and four-year institutions. The goal of emphasizing critical thinking in the QEP is not only to give you opportunities to practice your skills, but to present you with materials and successes that you can subsequently highlight in resumes, recommendation letters and interviews. 

The number of “Critical Thinking” courses will expand over the lifetime of the QEP – but you can expect to find them across the curriculum. Not all of your courses may immediately include Critical Thinking learning objectives, but you’ll likely run into more than one as you progress through your degree.

Courses that are selected to emphasize critical thinking will have a designated attribute in the course catalog. These courses will also have a syllabus statement that identifies that the course is emphasizing critical thinking as part of the QEP and details specific critical-thinking learning objectives for that course.

You can reach out to Dr. Badeau or Dr. Evans either via email to QEP@Columbiastate.edu or at the contact information below. In addition to piloting and implementing Critical Thinking into more courses across the curriculum, there may be opportunities for you to get involved by participating with the college’s QEP Steering Committee – which is tasked in guiding the development and progress of the QEP over its lifetime.

In addition, the college will be hosting annual “Critical Thinking Development Days” to help instructors develop and share Critical Thinking materials. If you are interested in recommending a guest speaker, organizing resource materials, or assisting with the planning of such events let us know!

QEP related course materials – including sample assignments, assessments, and an interactive copy of the critical thinking rubric will be available soon for authenticated users in Online Campus.

We would love to partner with you on opportunities for our students to explore critical thinking related tasks. If you are interested in supporting the QEP, please reach out to the QEP Steering Committee at QEP@Columbiastate.edu.