Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Critical Failure - colleges fail to improve students’ critical-thinking https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/15c7d23702d396cb https://www.wsj.com/articles/exclusive-test-data-many-colleges-fail-to-improve-critical-thinking-skills-1496686662?mod=djem10point Exclusive test data show that many colleges fail to improve students’ critical-thinking skills. Freshmen and seniors at about 200 colleges across the U.S. take a little-known test every year to measure how much better they get at thinking. At more than half of schools, at least a third of seniors were unable to make a cohesive argument, assess the quality of evidence in a document or interpret data in a table, our analysis of the latest results found. At some of the most prestigious universities, test results indicate the average graduate shows little or no improvement in critical thinking over four years. Instead, some of the biggest gains occur at smaller colleges where students are less accomplished on arrival. We examine the questions the test raises about the purpose of a college degree.