Critical Thinking & Communication for Collaboration – 

Course Overview

Course Description

This course is designed to enhance critical thinking as a transferable skill that strengthens researchers’ ability to contribute meaningfully to their field. The course incorporates cognitive dissonance-based instruction, emphasizing measurable improvements in students' critical thinking disposition, motivation, and sustained engagement beyond the classroom.

What You Will Learn

✅ How to develop a stronger critical thinking disposition and apply it to research.
✅ How to identify and challenge cognitive biases in research and collaboration.
✅ How to engage in rigorous, evidence-based reasoning across disciplines.
✅ How to use critical thinking to communicate scientific ideas effectively.

Course Materials

📖Suggested Pre-Course Reading:

• Facione, P. A. (1990). The Delphi Report on Critical Thinking

• Festinger, L. (1957). A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance

• Abrami, P. C., et al. (2008). Instructional interventions affecting critical thinking skills

• Halpern, D. F. (2014). Thought and Knowledge: An Introduction to Critical Thinking