MASTERING CRITICAL THINKING COMPETENCIES IN ONLINE GRADUATE CLASSES

Abstract

Many colleges of education have embraced online course delivery as an expeditious means of delivering graduate programs. It behooves us to ensure that this delivery method does not compromise our ability to provide these students with necessary critical thinking competencies. This research was designed to determine the degree to which participants in online graduate courses value critical thinking and the degree to which they developed these skills. The results indicated that students both valued understanding, judgment, caution/skepticism, originality, and reflection/action, and developed them in their online classes. The implications confirm that online platforms allow for the development of critical thinking competencies.