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Level 4 Diploma in Business Management

What critical thinking is: a systematic way to evaluate arguments

BM401 · Academic Writing and Research Skills — Week 7 of 16

CourseBM401
Week7 of 16
SemesterI
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This week’s topics

What critical thinking is: a systematic way to evaluate arguments

  1. A systematic approach to evaluating arguments
  2. Objective v subjective

What you will be able to do

  • 3.1 Explain what is meant by the term ‘critical thinking.’

Activity

Start with this week’s 2 videos, then discuss how they apply to this week’s topic and note one example from a real business.

Study materials

Videos

  • 5 tips to improve your critical thinking - Samantha Agoos · YouTube · TED-Ed · 4 min · for registered students
  • 4 tips for developing critical thinking skills | Steve Pearlman, Ph.D. | TEDxCapeMay · YouTube · TEDx Talks · 18 min · for registered students

Further resources

  • College Success, 7.3–7.4: Analytical and critical thinking · PDF · OpenStax College Success (2020, updated 2023), 7.3–7.4: analysing and evaluating arguments, pp. 208–213 · for registered students
  • Writing Guide, 8.1: Information and Critical Thinking · PDF · OpenStax Writing Guide with Handbook (2021), 8.1 on objective information versus opinion, pp. 242–243 · for registered students
  • Thinking critically about critical thinking and problem-based learning in higher education · Open-access article · Thorndahl & Stentoft (2020), Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning. Scoping review of what critical thinking means in higher education. · for registered students
Materials marked “for registered students” open in the student portal, which is set up as soon as you receive final acceptance.
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Course plan
  • Week 1: What academic research and writing is: seeking the truth an…
  • Week 2: Academic writing conventions: academic language, paragraphs…
  • Week 3: Paraphrasing, summarising and writing to a word count
  • Week 4: Types of research (descriptive, associational, intervention…
  • Week 5: Sources of information and evidence: journals, textbooks, c…
  • Week 6: The research process: primary and secondary research
  • Week 7: What critical thinking is: a systematic way to evaluate arg…
  • Week 8: Midterm evaluation
  • Week 9: Critical thinking skills: critical reading, analysis, inter…
  • Week 10: Why critical thinking matters in research: creativity, lang…
  • Week 11: Evaluating an argument: coherence, testing the evidence and…
  • Week 12: What makes a reliable academic argument: evidence, premise …
  • Week 13: Inductive and deductive reasoning
  • Week 14: Building a logical argument structure for a given topic
  • Week 15: Review and coursework completion
  • Week 16: Final evaluation and project assessment
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