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Even though Critical Thinking (CT) is an important goal for higher education institutions and labour market professionals, studies dealing with employers’ perceptions on CT meaning and envisioning ...

Purpose The purpose of this research is twofold: identify and gain a better insight on factors that can influence high performance of Information Systems (IS) project teams from the perspective of IS professionals (i.e. team members and leaders), and thus contribute to the general discussion on high-performance project teams; and offer both IS project team members and their project managers some feedback on how to build and manage teams more constructively and to enhance team performance in today's demanding business environment. Design/methodology/approach The authors used an exploratory case study of a small-size holding company and a qualitative analysis of the data to address the research questions. Findings Results show a set of perceived factors that can influence high team performance in IS projects. Participants' perceptions barely coincide. For instance, mutual trust was the only factor suggested as facilitating high team performance by 5 participants (out of 13). Differences may be because of participants' characteristics (e.g. time on the job). All perceived factors are classified in the literature as nontechnical (i.e. having to do with behavioral and/or socio-organizational matters of project management). Originality/value This paper is among the very few empirical studies consolidating knowledge on high-performance IS project teams (e.g. it is still unclear if there are IS project team-specific factors that influence high performance). For the highly technical IS industry, this study came across human-centric factors transversal to different project teams., (undefined)

Teaching project management and industrial optimization to engineering students requires real-world experiences in which they can explicitly integrate, apply and develop work-ready skills, such as critical thinking, communication, and teamwork. This paper presents an exploratory case study research describing an online Project-based Learning (PjBL) experience aimed at tackling the challenge of decreasing the ecological footprint in the university campus generated by the local locomotion of students from university-home and/or home-university. The experience was implemented from February to June 2020, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 9 participating students enrolled in the ‘Industrial Management I’ course, part of the Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Tras-os-Montcs and Alto Douro (UTAD), Portugal. We firstly describe the course in terms of the key driving question, the learning goals, the educational activities, the collaboration among students, the scaffolding technologies, and the tangible artefacts produced. We further discuss the preliminary results of the study by taking into account the main tangible learning artefact produced by the students - a carpooling model proposal for the UTAD student community - as well as the data collected from a post, self-completion questionnaire on students' perceptions about the PjBL experience. Finally, we outline implications for the teaching practice and some concerns that need to be addressed in future course editions.

The importance of developing higher order skills in higher education students is a recommendation of several international organizations, so that they are able to respond to the challenges of 21st century society. The literature mentions several methodologies with these potentialities, including Cooperative Learning (CL), especially in presential learning environments. This study aims at comparing the effectiveness of CL in the development of Critical Thinking (CT) skills of higher education students in Portugal in two learning environments: face-to-face and distance learning. A quasi-experimental study was implemented, with pre and posttest, using the Critical and Creative Thinking Test (1.Revista Lusofona de Educacao 44:173–189) with 32 students of the 3rd year of the Basic Education Program, distributed in two groups: 1) the presential group (academic year 2018/19) and 2) the distance learning group through synchronous sessions and virtual rooms in small groups (academic year 2019/20). The results show that there are no statistically significant differences in the total score of the Critical and Creative Thinking Test or with regard to the different skills assessed by the Critical and Creative Thinking Test: interpretation, analysis, explanation, evaluation, synthesis and creativity. In line with recent research, these results, to be confirmed at a larger scale, point out that CL is equally effective in promoting CT for students in face-to-face or in distance synchronous learning environments.

The 21st century challenges claim for a shift in engineering education to a broader socio-cultural understanding of the engineer’s role and responsibility in society, putting Critical Thinking (CT), teamwork and oral communication skills into the forefront. This paper proposes an innovative integrated model to design and deliver high-quality CT educational activities, based both on the use of the CRITHINKEDU educational protocol and the Paul-Elder CT framework, altogether with the combination of different active learning strategies, such as structured questioning, problem-based learning, role play, and cooperative learning. The model was tested during the ‘Critical Thinking Day’ workshop, which brought together 8 labor market professionals, 150 students and 25 teachers from different disciplinary fields and educational levels to critically solve real-world problem situations. The results of the post-questionnaire on participants’ perceptions showed that the experience impacted them positively, indicating great potential for its replication in the engineering educational context. Although future research is needed to validate the model, the study herein presented is the first attempt towards this achievement.

Promoting students’ Critical Thinking (CT) in Higher Education Institutions (HEI) has been an essential and challenging goal in the 21st century. This exploratory research study attempted to characterize how CT is being fostered in Portuguese HEI. Semi-structured interviews were carried-out with 5 university teachers from different domains, focusing several topics: CT notion, CT aims, CT approach, interventions, teaching strategies, learning materials, assessment methods, challenges and barriers. Results highlighted the undervalue of CT dispositions by university teachers, the lack of clarity regarding the design principles and criteria behind effective CT instruction and assessment, and the need to change institutional culture and conditions towards the support of CT educational practices – this will also enable the long-term integration of CT across the curricula and the transferability of skills and dispositions to other contexts. In general, teachers agreed on the importance to be explicit and clear in their CT teaching practice, and on the use of authentic situations, dialogue and active learning strategies for the effective development of students’ CT.

Developing optimum solutions to engineering problems typically relies on structured and complex thought processes that require evaluation, interpretation and opinion. Well-developed critical thinking (CT) skills are essential for dealing with the multi-dimensional nature of these problems. CT in an engineering context is well reported in teaching and learning academic literature. However, much of this is framed within theoretical and conceptual frameworks. Practical approaches of how CT skills are best promoted in engineering curricula are less common. A state-of-art review of practical interventions that target the development of CT in engineering students is presented. The review draws on 25 selected peer-reviewed journal articles in established engineering databases and focusses on teaching strategies where their effects in promoting CT skills in students are measured. Considerable variability in the reviewed literature was apparent. CT interventions and strategies are often reported, but metrics of their success in enhancing students’ CT is often limited to qualitative, subjective inferences. To more robustly and holistically ensure that CT is clearly embedded in university curricula, there needs to be well-funded research programmes that allow different methods to be developed and trialled over extended periods in higher education engineering programmes. European Commission The Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA)

This study examines the effects of cooperative learning interventions on college students’ critical thinking (CT) development. It presents the results of an investigation in which 19 students were assigned to work in a cooperative learning (experimental group) context, and 22 other students (control group) followed a lecture-based learning process. The development of the students’ critical thinking skills was subsequently assessed with a pre- and post-test. The results showed greater improvements in critical thinking skills among the students of the intervention group suggesting clearly that the effects of cooperative learning are very positive.

Critical Thinking (CT) education has been a field of growing concern within the Portuguese Higher Education (HE) context, in an attempt to meet the labour market needs and the most demanding and complex societal challenges. However, there is a lack of systematic literature review studies characterizing the different CT educational practices adopted by faculty teachers. Thus, this review intends to understand to what extent the Portuguese teachers in HE have been developing CT skills and dispositions in their students, in a continuous, explicit and effective way. Following the steps of review methods, 27 empirical studies complying with the inclusion criteria were analysed. Results show that CT educational practices are gradually increasing over the years, but they tend to be developed with an implicit, non-intentional and short-term basis, neglecting the development of CT dispositions in the classroom. Studies from different nature are needed (experimental, longitudinal) in order to assess the permanency or generalization of CT in students. Several difficulties were found and future work should stimulate the discussion on the ways to overcome them, guiding HE teachers and institutions in the development, support and evaluation of CT practices., A educação do Pensamento Crítico (PC) tem sido uma preocupação crescente no contexto do Ensino Superior (ES) português, tanto para satisfazer as necessidades do mercado de trabalho, como para responder aos desafios societais cada vez mais complexos. No entanto, há ainda uma carência de estudos sistemáticos de revisão da literatura que caracterizem as diferentes práticas educativas de PC adotadas pelos docentes universitários. Assim, a presente revisão pretende compreender em que sentido os docentes portugueses do ES têm desenvolvido competências e disposições de PC nos seus alunos, de forma contínua, explícita e eficaz. Seguindo as etapas de métodos de revisão da literatura, foram analisados 27 estudos empíricos. Os resultados mostram que, embora as práticas educativas de PC tenham aumentado gradualmente ao longo dos anos, as mesmas tendem a ser adotadas de forma implícita, não-intencional e em curtos períodos de tempo, desvalorizando o desenvolvimento de disposições de PC em sala de aula. Verifica-se a necessidade da existência de estudos complementares (experimentais, longitudinais), a fim de avaliar a permanência ou generalização do PC nos estudantes. Trabalhos futuros deverão estimular uma discussão mais aprofundada sobre como superar as dificuldades encontradas, orientando docentes e instituições de ES no desenvolvimento, suporte e avaliação de práticas educativas de PC., L’éducation à la Pensée Critique (PC) est un domaine de préoccupation croissante dans le contexte de l’Enseignement Supérieur (ES) portugais, pour répondre soit aux besoins du marché de travail, soit aux défis de plus en plus complexes de la société. Il existe cependant un manque d’études systématiques de révision de littérature qui caractérisent les différentes pratiques éducatives de la PC adoptées par les facultés. Ainsi, ce travail a l’intention de comprendre dans quelle mesure les enseignants portugais de l’ES développent des compétences et des dispositions de la PC chez leurs étudiants, d’une manière continue, intentionnelle et efficace. En suivant les étapes des méthodes de révision de littérature, 27 études empiriques ont été analysées. Les résultats montrent que, bien que les pratiques pédagogiques de la PC se développent, elles tendent à être adoptées implicitement, de manière non-intencionelle et sur des périodes de courte durée, minimisant le potentiel de développement de la PC. Il existe un besoin de plus d’études complèmentaires (expérimentales, longitudinales) afin d’évaluer la permanence ou généralisation de la PC chez les étudiants. Les travaux futurs devraient stimuler une discussion approfondie sur la manière de surmonter les difficultés rencontrées, orienter les enseignants et les établissements de l’ES dans le développement, le soutien et l’évaluation des pratiques éducatives de la PC., La educación en Pensamiento Crítico (PC) ha sido un campo de creciente preocupación dentro del contexto de la Educación Superior (ES) portuguesa, en un intento de satisfacer las necesidades del mercado de trabajo, y atender a los complejos desafíos sociales. Sin embargo, existe una carencia de estudios sistemáticos de revisión bibliográfica que caracterizan las diferentes prácticas educativas adoptadas por el profesorado. Por lo tanto, esta revisión intenta comprender en qué medida los profesores portugueses de ES han estado desarrollando habilidades y disposiciones de PC en sus alumnos, de manera continua, explícita y efectiva. Siguiendo los pasos de los métodos de revisión, se analizaron 27 estudios empíricos. Los resultados muestran que, aunque las prácticas educativas de PC han aumentado gradualmente, las mismas tienden a ser adoptadas de forma implícita, no intencional y de corta duración, desvalorizando el desarrollo de disposiciones de PC. Se observa la necesidad de más estudios complementares (experimentales, longitudinales), a fin de evaluar la permanencia o generalización del PC en los estudiantes. Los trabajos futuros deberán estimular una discusión más detallada sobre cómo superar las dificultades encontradas, orientando docentes e instituciones de ES en el desarrollo, soporte y evaluación de prácticas educativas de PC.

The use of argumentative strategies that promote the defense of well-grounded personal arguments contributes to the development of a critical, ethical and political thought that leads to responsible and socially committed people. Based on the quality of the produced arguments in philosophical essays, this work evaluates the potential application of a cooperative learning method – the constructive controversy – for the development of argumentative skills in secondary school students in philosophy. The quality of the arguments was evaluated through the analysis of a total of 144 philosophical essays produced by the students over a school year. The results point to the advantages of using this method over more traditional ones in the acquisition of argumentative skills.

Considering the results of research on the benefits and difficulties of peer review, this paper describes how teaching faculty, interested in endorsing the acquisition of communication and critical thinking (CT) skills among engineering students, has been implementing a learning methodology throughout online peer review activities. While introducing a new methodology, it is important to weight the advantages found and the conditions that might have restrained the activity outcomes, thereby modulating its overall efficiency. Our results show that several factors are decisive for the success of the methodology: the use of specific and detailed orientation guidelines for CT skills, the students’ training on how to deliver a meaningful feedback, the opportunity to counter-argument, the selection of good assignments’ examples, and the constant teacher's monitoring of the activity. Results also tackle other aspects of the methodology such as the thinking skills evaluation tools (grades and tests) that most suit...