Faculty Fellow in Program Development - Spring 2022

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Spring 2022 Faculty Fellow in Program Development

The Walker Center for Teaching and Learning’s Faculty Fellow in Program Development for Spring 2022 is Dr. Karissa Peyer, HHP.

Dr. Peyer’s programming focused on the topic of Critical Thinking. In addition to the book recommendation and workshops listed below, she developed a web-based library of assignment ideas and project templates hosted on the WCTL website.

Dr. Peyer is an Assistant Professor of Health and Human Performance at UTC. Her research focuses on family behaviors, physical activity, and childhood obesity. Prior to completing her PhD, she served as an Exercise Physiologist and after-school program coordinator at the University of Wisconsin Health system’s Pediatric Fitness Clinic.

Workshops

Dr. Karissa Peyer has developed two workshops to help faculty challenge students. Follow the links below where you will find instructional videos that talk about how to create short-term exercises and/or a long-term project that can prompt students to hone their critical thinking skills.

#1 Quick Wits: Short Critical Thinking Activities

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This workshop presented a number of small critical thinking exercises that can be built into individual class meetings/modules. Attendees learned a general framework for activities that could be quickly incorporated with existing course material and had a chance to work on adapting these activities to fit their own courses.

#2 Good Thinking: Semester-Long Projects to Build Critical Thinking

This workshop focused on ways to build a semester-long class project that helps students apply critical thinking skills through multiple smaller assignments. Examples of these projects from multiple disciplines were discussed and participants had a chance to begin brainstorming about how this type of project could be used in their own courses.

Critical Thinking Book Recommendation

That's the way we've always done it.

I just know.

Don't be a flip-flopper!

Even in academe (maybe especially in academe), it can be easy to become stuck in our ways and trapped in our bubbles. Think Again, by Wharton organizational psychologist Adam Grant, challenges us to step out of our comfort zones and embrace the “joy of being wrong.” Through relatable, personal stories interspersed with clear evidence from controlled research, Grant provides tips and strategies for questioning our own assumptions, opening the minds of others, and encouraging our students and communities to ask questions and think deeper.

Basics of Critical Thinking

Additional Resources

UTC RAVE Alert