Limbach and Waugh published in journal

The article, "Implementing a High Impact Critical Thinking Process in a Learner-Centered Environment,” evolved from their combined research, writing and presentations since 2003.

Limbach said the idea impetus for writing the article was to address the importance of critical thinking to the CSC mission of providing educational opportunities, research, service, and programs that contribute significantly to the vitality and diversity of the region.

“We started to study ways to ensure we were meeting this important mandate. This evolved into researching, developing and implementing higher-level thinking techniques into our own courses, as well as adding to the published research in this area to improve the quality of education of learners,” Limbach said.

Waugh said she has noticed an increased level of student engagement with course content as a result of her utilization of the process. Limbach agrees.

“When you actively engage students in their learning, through collaborative assignments and projects, students learn to solve problems by bringing together academic knowledge and real-world applications. Critical-thinking students are interested in their quality of education and their contributions to the workplace and personal life.” Limbach said.

Publication of the article has sparked interest in the five-step “Process for the Development of Higher Level Thinking Skills” which the two faculty members say can be implemented in any teaching setting, including online.

The CSC Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) has offered to host a future brown bag lunch, featuring Limbach and Waugh, and plans to post a blog article related to their work and the paper.

On a larger scale, several national organizations and publishers have sent invitations for them to submit their work for consideration. 

Regarding their joint work, Waugh said finding a colleague who shares a passion for the same topic has been a pleasure.

“With the heavy demands of teaching loads and advising, working with a partner on scholarly activities has allowed us to make larger strides than either of us could have made on our own,” she said.

The publication is a professional achievement for the professors.

“This has been a career-long passion and is, of course, an honor to be recognized for the years of effort and study,” Waugh said.

The full article can be seen at: na-businesspress.com/JHETP/LimbachB_Web14_1_.pdf.