SCHEV Competencies

Critical Thinking Competency

Definition of Competency
The mission of Old Dominion University states that "Every Old Dominion undergraduate student follows a general education program that is designed to develop the intellectual skills of critical thinking and problem solving and to encompass the breadth of understanding needed for personal growth and achievement and for responsible citizenship."

All undergraduate students, who are completing baccalaureate degree programs at Old Dominion University, are required to demonstrate that they can write competently in an academic/professional setting prior to the conferral of the degrees. Passing the Exit Examination of Writing Proficiency (EEWP) is a University graduation requirement that has been in place since 1980. To complete the requirement, students write an essay that reflects critical thinking on a complex topic and a maturity of expression, including a varied syntax and vocabulary appropriate to the task. The essay will be reasonably free from mechanical errors.

"Critical thinking is defined herein as all forms of thinking that are more complex, deeper, and require a greater degree of reflection than that associated with mere acquisition of knowledge via memorization and rote recall of factual information. This broad definition subsumes a wide variety of specific cognitive processes or mental activities that have often been loosely referred to as 'critical thinking'" (Cuseo, 2004).

Standards for Competency
Among the specific competencies that define good writing, three also can be used to measure critical thinking using a different rubric to measure competence:

1. A clearly stated objective. The writer's purpose or position (thesis statement) is clear and is the primary controlling force throughout the paper. The essay addresses the question directly.
2. Ability to present supporting evidence. The writer satisfactorily develops the ideas presented in support of the purpose of the essay. Generalizations are supported by details or specific explanation.
3. Logical consistency. The ability to develop an argument that is internally consistent and logically arranged.  The writer avoids sweeping or hasty generalizations, false dichotomies (either/or fallacies), personal attack, and appeals to fear or ignorance.

Overall competency in critical thinking is demonstrated by a score of at least two (2) - Meets the standard. The scoring values used for these criteria are 3 = Exceeds the standard for critical thinking; 2 = Meets the standard for critical thinking; and 1 = Fails to meet the standard for critical thinking.

Description of Methodology Used to Gather Evidence of Competency
The EEWP is a three-hour proctored essay examination. When students register for the EEWP, they are provided with a list of topics for the examination. They choose two topics from this list. Different sets of topics are used for different examination dates. There are three general topics and two topics from a list for the colleges. Students choose their two broad topics two to four weeks in advance of their scheduled test date. Students are encouraged to read and research these two topics. The day of the exam the student receives two questions based upon the broad topics and chooses which question to address in the essay. Topics will be reviewed to insure that the prompts will stimulate critical thinking. After the EEWP are scored for writing competence and students are either cleared for graduation or required to seek remediation and retake the exam, a random sample of 300 essays will be drawn from among those that passed the EEWP to be assessed for critical thinking using a rubric.

	Number	Percent
N, % high	28	9
N, % satisfactory	228	76
N, % unacceptable	44	15

Summary: (75 words) (Provide brief analysis of results)
Competence in critical thinking is reflected in the passing scores on the EEWP by undergraduate students, who are completing their baccalaureate degrees at Old Dominion University. Overall, 85% of the students in the sample were graded as satisfactory. Upon further examination of the EEWP, it was revealed that 9% of the students exceeded the standard and qualified as "high" scores. These results suggest that critical thinking is emphasized in the undergraduate curriculum.

Download Critical Thinking Rubric