Critical thinking for civic thinking in science
	Jeffrey Gerwing, Portland State University, Oregon
	David McConnell, University of Akron, Ohio 
	Donald Stearns, Wagner College, New Jersey
	Stephen Adair, Central Connecticut State University

We assessed changes in students’ ability to think critically about scientific 
information and apply that thinking to civic decisions in general education 
science classes at three institutions.  Student responses to a hypothetical 
situation involving scientific information were assessed using the Structure 
of the Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO) taxonomy for critical thinking and a 
newly-developed rubric to assess civic thinking.  The results showed improvement 
in students’ critical and civic thinking skills when these skills were explicitly 
addressed in the class.