HIGHER EDUCATION TEACHERS' PERCEPTION, STRATEGIES AND CHALLENGES IN TEACHING CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS: A CASE STUDY OF HIGHER SCHOOL OF TECHNOLOGY FEZMOROCCO

In today’s digitalized and fast-evolving world, critical thinking skills have become necessary requirements for academic and professional success and sustainable development. For this reason, universities should educate and prepare highly employed graduates since the most valuable and most complicated skills to find generally not related to technical skills but relatively soft ones to thrive in this evolving world. New competencies must be added to one’s curricula. This study, therefore, investigated university teachers' perception of the importance of teaching critical thinking skills and the most effective practices adopted to enhance its development in university. The study employed a qualitative approach to investigation. 17 Moroccan university instructors answered an open-ended questionnaire. The findings showed that critical thinking continues to gain momentum. Almost all respondents believe that critical thinking skills are a prerequisite for their learners. The results also revealed that oral and written reflection and argumentation, collaborative and cooperative learning, connection with the real world, problem and project-based learning are considered the most effective practices to enhance critical thinking skills development. Getting to know University professors' perception of the importance of critical thinking skills and the sound strategies to teach them is fundamental to set up meaningful curriculum design and to prepare graduates to become more employable