Developing Scenarios as a Tool for Critical Thinking Instruction in an Online Environment

To solve complex problems of a global nature, students must be able to think critically about them. Thinking is a natural process and can often be biased, distorted, partial, uninformed and potentially prejudiced; excellence in thought must be cultivated (Duron, Limbach, & Waugh, 2006). The way material is presented has a large effect on whether critical thinking takes place. Most faculty use a lecture format in their classrooms, but this approach does not encourage critical thinking by the students (Duron et al., 2006) and does not address online environments. To encourage critical thinking the passive receipt of information must change; faculty must give up the perception that students cannot learn unless a faculty member covers the material (Choy & Cheah, 2009), which complements the array of online learning tools and strategies. It is important to consider how much influence faculty have on their students’ abilities to learn and think critically; further faculty have expressed difficulty incorporating critical thinking skills into their courses (Lauer, 2005). 

Current research on critical thinking in the online educational environment has focused heavily on methods to support critical thinking with less attention to the cognition behind critical thinking. Several studies examine a particular method or approach to fostering critical thinking in the online classroom and identified practical applications for professors and instructional designers (Barber, 2011, Carter & Rukholm, 2008, Chann-Ru, 2012, Frey, 2011, Kurubacak, 2007, Pena & Almaguer, 2012, Richardson & Ice, 2010, and Sharma & Hannafin, 2004). A synthesis by Maurino (2007) found contradictory findings in the literature on critical thinking skills in online discussions and listed alternative methods (e.g. group work, case studies, and problem based learning activities) to achieve these instructional goals.  These approaches provide a wide variety of best and worst practices for developing critical thinking skills online.

The research that examines individuals’ perceptions in the online learning environment has demonstrated a connection between personal satisfaction and self-concept with performance of critical thinking skills (Hamann, 2012, Wang & Pei-Yi, 2008, Yang & Chou, 2008). Of particular interest in this line of inquiry is the work of Wang and Pei-Yi (2008), which found that self-efficacy predicted student use of critical thinking strategies and students with high self-efficacy used more high-level strategies. Exploring this connection between self-perception and its impact on the quality of thinking and learning skills is truly important when considering the student in designing instruction.

The challenges for instructors to build capacity for critical thinking then must become two-fold, instructors must appreciate the natural critical thinking style of students, but also the impact of the extent to which specific strategies are utilized to encourage critical thinking. Understanding has to be in tandem with how students think critically and the quality of the instruction.  Faculty have to be explicit in both.

One method for accomplishing this is the use of scenario-based learning. Scenarios are similar to case studies, but much more complex and include many more decision points. The detailed process provided by Wilson and Ralston (2006) for developing and using scenarios provides a much more fertile foundation for developing and using critical thinking skill. Their process involves 18 steps, with each step in this process providing a critical point of added value and exposed mental models and assumptions. These 18 steps are also in four general phases of scenario planning, namely, (a) “getting started, (b) laying the environmental analysis foundation, (c) creating the scenarios, and (d) moving from scenarios to a decision” (Wilson & Ralston, 2006, p. 25). Steps 1-6 are all related to starting up the scenario project, and these steps are meant to define the scope of the project and assemble the scenario project team. Steps 7-10 are concerned with exploring the internal and external environments and putting these together in a cohesive picture. Steps 11-14 focus on developing the scenarios themselves based on all of the work done in the previous steps. The final phase includes steps 15-18 that cover the use of the scenarios to examine current strategies and decisions. Wilson and Ralston’s (2006) text provides a detailed road map through each of these steps with specific instructions and practitioner tips.

Scenarios were the selected method for critical thinking development utilized as the key reusable learning object (RLO) for a grant project funded through the United States Department of Agriculture/National Institute of Food and Agriculture.  The project’s goal was to provide faculty with instruction on critical thinking and critical thinking pedagogy, but also instructional design, scenario development, using digital media, and teaching contentious topics. The critical thinking academy was delivered online asynchronously through Canvas over four-month period.  During that time, faculty were given loose parameters for completing project objectives and moving through the online material at a reasonable pace.  At the completion of the academy, faculty participated in an international trip, which provided the foundation for the developed scenario.  While this was an objective of the project, any experience (current or previous) could be utilized for the scenario’s content. The completed scenarios were developed by individual faculty with the support of an instructional designer for advanced media development and ADA compliance. Each scenario then went through an in-depth review process to ensure each met specific standards related to critical thinking pedagogy, international concepts, and scenario development. After the completion of this process, scenarios were posted and made available for review through the Global Education Lab website.

Through this facilitated Education Session, attendees will have the opportunity to hear first-hand, the experiences of the project team, which lead the comprehensive project. They will see elements of the critical thinking academy, the completed scenarios by academy participants, and hear insight from project team members.  Specifically, the project team will discuss and share ideas related to creating online-based critical thinking academy and the development and use of scenarios for the purposes of teaching contentious topics in an online environment. Participants of this session will:

1. Develop an understanding of critical thinking pedagogy for an online environment
2. Identify the role and use of contentious topics for instructional purposes
3. Learn the basics of scenarios as a reusable learning object and strategies for development
4. Listen to experts share their experience with the development of these tools in an online environment
5. Be provided with resources to support similar projects