Abstract
The authors assert that they have identified a formula which addresses the three main aims of the TEF, and seeks to answer crucial questions in Part A, chapters 1-4 of the green paper, entitled: ‘Teaching Excellence, Quality and Social Mobility’. The authors argue the following: (i) That the key transferable skill, which leads to enhanced student employability, is that of critical reasoning - the ability to apply subjectively derived (qualitative) logical argument to solve problems, supported by objectively researched (quantitative) authority - which provides legitimacy to the answer; (ii) That the development of the critical reasoning skill does not favour those who come from a traditional educational background, and rewards students from all walks of life who bring to their degree studies a wealth of valuable life experience derived from a variety of diverse sources; (iii) That the critical reasoning skill is possible to be objectively assessed, utilising a universally adopted checklist. In this paper, the authors’ have formulated a simple three-part checklist, which subdivides the essential elements of the critical reasoning skill into its composite parts, for use in assessments. This checklist, when applied by the assessor, has two main purposes: (i) to ensure that the student has achieved the appropriate grade for the assessment; and (ii) to ensure consistency and maintenance of quality in the assessment method. This checklist not only raises teaching standards, but, as the authors have found, also increases student academic performance on undergraduate degree programmes, in-line with the government’s proposals.
Author Information
Dan Berger, University of Hertfordshire, UK
Charles Wild, University of Hertfordshire, UK
Paper Information
Conference: ECE2016
Stream: Education: social justice and social change
This paper is part of the ECE2016 Conference Proceedings (View)
Full Paper
View / Download the full paper in a new tab/window
Comments
Powered by WP LinkPress