Promoting Critical Thinking in a Large Class through Outcomes-Based Approach by Means of an Audience Response System

Abstract

One of the first considerations that comes to bear in the design of a new course will inevitably be the learning outcomes. Some of the learning outcomes are specifically related to the subject matter while others may be more broad-based goals like the honing of critical thinking skills. The General Biology course that is offered at the National University of Singapore (NUS) is one such course in which the promotion of critical thinking skills is incrementally weaved into the various learning activities and assessment components of the course. The large enrolment of the course also necessitates taking into consideration the affordances of technology in the outcomes-based design of the course. This paper aims to share how the General Biology course, using the topic of fermentation as an example, could be designed using outcomes-based approach, with learning activities supported by an audience response system, in order to promote critical thinking in a large class setting. As this is a work-in-progress project, some preliminary findings from the feedback of the students of the course are presented here.