Writing Intensive High Impact Practice along with Transparency in Learning and Teaching Promote Critical Thinking in Writing Assignments in Two Community College Science Courses

Writing Intensive (WR) High Impact Practice (HIP), which incorporates Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT), was applied to written assignments in Human Biology and Anatomy and Physiology II (A&P II) courses. As part of our study sponsored by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), certified AAC&U Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education (VALUE) Institution rubric scorers assessed 100 assignments from students in two science courses for critical thinking using the critical thinking VALUE rubric. Students in A&P II, who had completed on average 75% of degree credits, had statistically significant higher distributions of critical thinking scores than those in Human Biology who will have completed on average 25% of degree credits at completion of the course. The distribution of scores between race and gender did not reveal any statistical differences. WR with TILT in written assignments promotes learning, equity and critical thinking.