An International Meeting of
the American Accounting Association

2005 Annual Meeting

August 7–10, 2005
San Francisco, California

Come to the City by the Bay!

CPE Session 35: Sunday, August 7, 1:00 PM – 4:30 PM

Closing the Assessment Loop for Critical Thinking

Description/Objectives:
Virtually all accounting programs state that critical thinking is an important learning outcome. Yet, educators often struggle to identify ways to reliably assess critical thinking outcomes and to "close the assessment loop"—i.e., use assessment results for continuous improvement.

This workshop will provide a practical, hands-on introduction to the assessment of critical-thinking skills using a rubric applied to course-embedded essay assignments. Participants will: (1) clarify their desired learning outcomes, (2) briefly learn how cognitive development affects critical thinking performance, (3) practice using the rubric to assess critical-thinking skills, and (4) learn how to design assignments that can be assessed reliably. The rubric automatically identifies both strengths and weaknesses in student critical-thinking skills, enabling educators to readily use assessment results to help students develop desired skills.

The assessment method introduced in this workshop uses the same levels of competence as those defined in the AICPA Core Competency Framework. However, the assessment method can be used with any set of critical-thinking learning outcomes, as demonstrated in the 2002 AAA tool kit, Developing Critical Thinking Skills: The Key to Professional Competencies. The approach introduced in this workshop is also included in an AACSB-sponsored assessment monograph (forthcoming, 2005).

Format/Structure:
The workshop will be highly interactive. First, participants will discuss their desired critical-thinking learning outcomes. After a brief introduction to cognitive development and the assessment rubric, they will practice assessing student critical-thinking skills. Finally, they will learn how to design assignments to improve assessment reliability.

Intended Audience:
The workshop will be of interest to anyone who wishes to assess critical thinking, including individual faculty members as well as those responsible for program or institutional assessment.

Presenters:
Susan K. Wolcott, WolcottLynch Associates
Leslie G. Eldenburg, The University of Arizona

Sponsor:
Teaching and Curriculum Section

* Denotes special requirements or prerequisite