Designing a Written Assignment To Promote the Use of Critical Thinking Skills in an Introductory Chemistry Course

This article describes the creation, use, and application of a rubric to a written assignment in order to promote the critical thinking skills of students in an introductory chemistry course. Inquiry-guided instruction was the primary strategy used in the classroom to introduce freshmen to the application of critical thinking skills. The rubric targeted particular cognitive skills. The intellectual standards that define critical thinking are embedded in the rubric. The delineation of a specific rubric provided students with clear goals, allowing them to identify a deficiency without providing the specificity that could potentially hamper the students' critical thinking process. Teachers may use this rubric to foster critical thinking skills over a semester-long assignment.