Promoting the teaching of critical thinking skills through faculty development

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Professions Education

Background:

• Effective faculty development is crucial for academic success, yet evidence of its impact on instructional changes is limited.
• This study addresses the gap in understanding how faculty development influences the integration of critical thinking skills in teaching.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if and how faculty development enhances participants' use of critical thinking skills in instruction.
• To explore the impact of andragogy-based faculty development on teaching practices.

Main Methods:

• Six weekly, two-hour faculty development sessions focused on critical thinking in instruction, utilizing andragogy principles.
• Participants engaged with learning journals and peer presentations.
• Qualitative methods were employed to analyze themes from learning journals.

Main Results:

• Eight themes emerged from learning journals, including teaching goals, critical thinking awareness, learner understanding, planned instructional changes, teaching efficacy, self-doubt, external challenges, and implemented changes.
• Five out of eight participants (63%) integrated critical thinking skills into their presentations at a mean level of 2.4 or higher (on a 5-point scale).

Conclusions:

• Faculty development incorporating reasoning through learning journals, peer presentations, and group discussions can foster the incorporation of critical thinking concepts.
• Evidence-based pedagogies within faculty development programs can lead to measurable instructional changes.