Critical and Creative Thinking in General Education: A Descriptive Case Study

Abstract as part of a strategic planning effort begun in 2008, the College of William & Mary began the process of reviewing and changing its general education program. Approved by the faculty in 2013, the university is implementing an innovative curriculum called the College Curriculum, designed in part to help students acquire knowledge and develop the skills and habits of critical and creative thinking. The purpose of this study was to investigate the institution\u27s and faculty\u27s understanding of how the new curriculum addressed student development of critical and creative thinking. This descriptive case study provided a review of the literature on general education, critical and creative thinking; a review of key documentation; and structured interviews with faculty and other members of the community with an understanding of the problem. Lattuca and Stark\u27s (2009) academic plan model provided a theoretical frame to analyze the data, determining that the impetus for initiation of the curriculum review was primarily driven by internal forces within the college. Using established governance procedures, the faculty played the leading role in its development and approval to include establishing the goal of developing critical and creative thinking as key principle in the curriculum. However, based on the research, there is a lack of coherence among the faculty as to what, when, and how these critical skills are developed. The findings indicated a need to develop and share a plan among the faculty and students of what constitutes these competencies and how they are developed through the college curriculum