Fostering critical thinking in an under-graduate public management programme : an investigation on the role of integrated assessments

M.Ed. (Curriculum Policy Evaluation)Critical thinking is an essential component and graduate attribute addressed within higher education. Students in higher education institutions are expected to possess and display certain levels of critical thinking skills. They, therefore, are expected upon completion of their programmes in higher education, among others, to demonstrate personal and process competencies, and capacity to effectively interact in the world of work, as well as in a continuous changing global context by demonstrating their ability to identify and solve real world problems and make decisions using critical and creative thinking in their fields of study. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of integrated assessments in fostering critical thinking in an under-graduate programme in Public Management. This study is conducted within the intepretivist and qualitative paradigm of social inquiry, with the goal of gaining a deep level of understanding of university lecturers’ experiences, multiple perceptions and meanings of integrated assessments and critical thinking in their daily teaching and learning context. This was done in an attempt to gain valuable insights on the development and design of integrated assessment tools and instruments that incorporate critical thinking ..