Critical or analytical thinking "is that mode of thinking - about any subject, content, or problem - in which the thinker improves the quality of his or her thinking by skillfully taking charge of the structures inherent in thinking and imposing intellectual standards upon them" (Paul & Elder, 2008, as cited by The Foundation for Critical Thinking, n.d., para. 10). For more information on definitions of critical thinking, please see Defining Critical Thinking.
You're going to hear a lot about critical thinking during your time as an RRU student. After all, the demonstration of critical thinking is an essential aspect of university-level writing, and that's an exciting opportunity to connect your thinking with your reader(s).
Reference
The Foundation for Critical Thinking. (n.d.). Defining critical thinking. https://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/defining-critical-thinking/766
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While the video is playing, click "Slides" to navigate through the presentation or "Notes" to see the transcript. Click on Introduction to Academic Writing (PowerPoint) if you would like the slides from the video; the transcript is available via the slide notes. If you are working in Chrome and the file doesn't download, please try a different browser.
Try this interactive module to help you assess if you've effectively demonstrated your critical thinking in your arguments. For the best experience, click on the arrows in the top left corner to view it in full screen.