Abstract
The objective of the present paper is to propose arefined conceptionof critical thinking in data-rich environments. The rationale for refining critical thinking stems from the need to identify specific information processes that direct the suspension of prior beliefs and activate broader interpretations of data. Established definitions of critical thinking, many of them originating in philosophy, do not include such processes. A refinement of critical thinking in the digital age is developed by integrating two of the most relevant areas of research for this purpose: First, thetripartite modelof critical thinking is used to outline proactive and reactive information processes in data-rich environments. Second, a new assessment framework is used to illustrate how educational interventions and assessments can be used to incorporate processes outlined in the tripartite model, thus providing a defensible conceptual foundation for inferences about higher-level thinking in data-rich environments. Third, recommendations are provided for how a performance-based teaching and assessment module of critical thinking can be designed.
Highlights
In response to the question, how much data are on the internet, Gareth Mitchell from Science Focus Magazine answers the question by considering the overall data held by just four companies Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft
In circumstances where imminent danger is not present and actions can be enhanced by careful processing of information, it can be useful to learn about reactive processes; this is especially relevant for designing teaching interventions and assessments of critical thinking (Leighton, 2011)
New ways of teaching and assessing critical thinking in data-rich environments are needed, given the explosion of online information. This means employing definitions of critical thinking that explicitly outline the contaminated mindware that should be avoided in data-rich environments
Summary
In response to the question, how much data are on the internet, Gareth Mitchell from Science Focus Magazine answers the question by considering the overall data held by just four companies Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft (https://www.sciencefocus.com/future-technology/howmuch-data-is-on-the-internet/). According to Ridsdale et al (2015), youth may be quite adept at using digital hardware such as smart phones and apps but they often lack the mindware to think and act critically with the information they access with their devices (Stanovich, 2012). This lack of mindware can be observed in the mundane activities of how some first-year undergraduates might tackle their research assignments, it is dramatically illustrated in the political narratives of radicalized young adults (Alava et al, 2017). Young adults are vulnerable to misinformation because they are in
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