Critical thinking on technology use: Higher education course design to promote personal, professional and societal change

Abstract

Higher education is a venue for developing critical thinking skills, dispositions and actions (Davies, 2015). With the exponential growth of information and communications technologies (ICT) in the last thirty years, dynamic changes and societal impacts, and evolving research findings, intentional use for personal and professional well-being depends on emerging adults' critical thinking abilities. This paper describes the design of an undergraduate course and elements of critical thinking deployed through content, learning activities and assessments. Thematic analysis of student qualitative responses at the end of the course indicate specific areas of growth that represent gains in cognitive skills, dispositions and action orientations. These validate the selected methods of instruction and underscore the course design, content and pedagogical framework as applicable to a wide range of content areas and field domains in higher education.