This presentation was given by Alenoush Saroyan of McGill at the project meeting “Fostering and assessing students' creativity and critical thinking in higher education” on 20 June 2016 in Paris, France.

1. Teaching for Critical Thinking at McGill
OECD
PARIS
June 20, 2016
Alenoush Saroyan

2. Overview
• Individual initiatives
• Faculty initiatives
• Physical spaces to foster critical thinking

3. The goal of the assignment is to encourage creativity and adapt
knowledge to different forms of writing. Students are provided with
guidelines for writing op-eds and actual op-eds written by
professors in the Faculty.
 Students write an op-ed on a topic related to the course and
current news (750 words).
 They read a peer’s op-ed and write a letter to the editor in
response to it (250 words).
 They are assessed based on choice of topic (newsworthy, of
interest to audience) as well as expression and focus.
Individual Initiatives
Professor Rosalie Jukier, Law
Op-ed and letter to the editor
Course: Contractual Obligations
Class level: LLB
Class size: 71 students

4. Individual Initiatives
Policy brief
Professor Madhav Badami, Urban Planning
 Students pretend they are environmental analysts advising a decision maker,
e.g., the Canadian Minister of Environment, the President of the USA.
 They write 4-5 pages on a specific issue addressing the following questions:
 Why is this issue important?
 What is already being done?
 What are the pros and cons of the current approach(es)?
 What alternative approach would the student suggest?
 The instructions for the assignment include a detailed description of a typical
policy brief.
Course: Environmental Policy and Planning
Class level: 500 -level
Class size: 30 students

5. Individual Initiatives
Three short writing assignments (1/2 page to 3 pages) are designed to make
students look into Biology in the world around them. This assignment was
added to complement multiple-choice exams.
 Students relate class content to science items in the news and in movies /
television.
 In Part 1, they identify the source and reflect on whether the source is
scientifically reliable.
 In Part 2, they relate a different article to class material.
 In Part 3, in small groups, students analyze how accurately biology-
related science is depicted in a movie or television program.
Course: Essential Biology
Class level: 100-level
Class size: 250 students
3-part media assignment
Professor Tamara Western, Biology

6. Teaching and Learning Services Initiatives
A selection of examples:
• The teaching-research nexus project
• Skillsets
• Faculty of Engineering Teaching Enhancement
Initiative
• Learning technologies

7. Physical Spaces for Fostering Critical Thinking
Design based on benchmarks for Effective Educational Practice
(National Survey of Student Engagement – NSSE)
• Active and collaborative learning
• Student-faculty interaction
• Enrich educational experiences
• Supportive campus environment
https://www.mcgill.ca/tls/files/tls/classroom_guidelines_and_standards_v1.2.pdf