[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-504270-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":80,"doc-detail-504270-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":73,"head_meta":75,"extra_data":77,"updated_unix":79},105,"en","does-higher-education-teach-students-to-think-critically-foreword-and-acknowledgements","Does Higher Education Teach Students to Think Critically - Foreword and Acknowledgements","","Edited collection examining whether higher education develops students’ critical-thinking skills, and how OECD initiatives attempted to measure learning outcomes. The foreword recounts ministerial engagement, the AHELO Feasibility Study’s 2008 start and 2013 conclusion, and the decision not to launch a full Main Study amid controversy. It also explains the later CLA+ International Project in 2016, designed to assess critical-thinking competencies across six countries, compiling results and insights for education institutions and governments.",{"@graph":14,"@context":72},[15,34,55],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/does-higher-education-teach-students-to-think-critically-foreword-and-acknowledgements/504270/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/does-higher-education-teach-students-to-think-critically-foreword-and-acknowledgements/504270.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"noah","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-13","2026-10-03",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":33},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",{"@type":56,"mainEntity":57},"FAQPage",[58,64,68],{"name":59,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":61},"What question does the report focus on?","Question",{"text":62,"@type":63},"Whether higher education teaches students to think critically, supported by assessments of learning outcomes.","Answer",{"name":65,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":66},"How did the AHELO Feasibility Study develop?",{"text":67,"@type":63},"It began in 2008 after preparatory work and was concluded successfully in 2013, demonstrating the feasibility concept.",{"name":69,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":70},"Why was the Main Study not pursued?",{"text":71,"@type":63},"Despite proof of concept, political support became contentious in some university associations, and the OECD Education Policy Committee ultimately decided not to proceed.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":74,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":76,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":78,"site_id":7},504270,1791835158,{"code":4,"msg":81,"data":82},"success",[83,87,91,95,100,105,110,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":84,"show_sort_weight":85,"slug":86},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":88,"show_sort_weight":89,"slug":90},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":92,"show_sort_weight":93,"slug":94},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":96,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":97,"show_sort_weight":98,"slug":99},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":101,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":102,"show_sort_weight":103,"slug":104},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":106,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":107,"show_sort_weight":108,"slug":109},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":111,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},8,30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":96,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":81,"data":131},{"doc_id":78,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":111,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":33,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145},1099529839121,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_994ba38a5ba835b3df7d355c54d3ed8d","Does Higher Education Teach Students to Think Critically?  \nEdited by Dirk Van Damme and Doris Zahner  \nDoes Higher Education Teach Students to Think  \nCritically?  \nEdited by Dirk Van Damme and Doris Zahner  \nThis work is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Member countries of the OECD.  \nThis document, as well as any data and map included herein, are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area.  \nThe statistical data for Israel are supplied by and under the responsibility of the relevant Israeli authorities. The use of such data by the OECD is without prejudice to the status of the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Israeli settlements in the West Bank under the terms of international law.  \nPlease cite this publication as:  \nVan Damme, D. and D. Zahner (eds. ) (2022), Does Higher Education Teach Students to Think Critically?, OECD Publishing, Paris, [https://doi.org/10.1787/cc9fa6aa-en](https://doi.org/10.1787/cc9fa6aa-en).  \nISBN 978-92-64-86297-5 (print)  \nISBN 978-92-64-95496-0 (pdf)  \nISBN 978-92-64-82985-5 (HTML)  \nISBN 978-92-64-84829-0 (epub)  \nPhoto credits: Cover © [Rudchenko Liliia/Shutterstock.com](Rudchenko Liliia/Shutterstock.com).  \n[Corrigendato publications may be found on line at:](Corrigendato publications may be found on line at: www.oecd.org/about/publishing/corrigenda.htm)[ ](Corrigendato publications may be found on line at: www.oecd.org/about/publishing/corrigenda.htm)[www.oecd.org/about/publishing/corrigenda.htm](Corrigendato publications may be found on line at: www.oecd.org/about/publishing/corrigenda.htm).© OECD 2022  \nThe use of this work, whether digital or print, is governed by the Terms and Conditions to be found at [https://www.oecd.org/termsandconditions](https://www.oecd.org/termsandconditions).  \nForeword  \nIn 2006, higher education ministers gathered in Athens for a ministerial conference organised by the OECD. I has just been appointed as the new Director for Education of the OECD. Angel Gurría, who had assumed his mandate as Secretary-General of the Organisation, chaired the meeting and succeeded in convincing the excellencies to embark on an ambitious new project of assessing higher education’s learning outcomes. With the success of the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the time seemed ripe to initiate a comparable initiative in higher education. After two years of preparatory work, the Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes (AHELO) Feasibility Study started in 2008. It was one of the OECD Education Directorate’s projects I was most personally committed to.  \nIn those early years, the political support forAHELO was impressive. Despite 20 years of developing quality assurance in higher education, very little was actually known about its “quality”. Global rankings of universities relied on bibliometric data and research indicators but could not provide any transparency on the quality of educational output. In turn, this led to a hugely distorted picture of the global distribution of academic excellence. Governments were unable to demonstrate how rapidly increasing funding for higher education institutions resulted in human capital growth. Qualifications, diplomas, and degrees matter, but the actual skills that graduates bring to labour markets and societies matter more. Qualifications are meaningless if they are not trustworthy guarantees of relevant learning outcomes. Early believers in the AHELO project felt that more transparency about graduates’ learning outcomes would strengthen the hand of universities in any political debate.  \nThe AHELO Feasibility Study was successfully concluded in 2013. After having demonstrated the proof of concept, we believed that countries would b","cbCaidzCLKoi4Ec4","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaidzCLKoi4Ec4","pdf",6636682,267,"English","# Foreword\n# Acknowledgements","[{\"question\":\"What question does the report focus on?\",\"answer\":\"Whether higher education teaches students to think critically, supported by assessments of learning outcomes.\"},{\"question\":\"How did the AHELO Feasibility Study develop?\",\"answer\":\"It began in 2008 after preparatory work and was concluded successfully in 2013, demonstrating the feasibility concept.\"},{\"question\":\"Why was the Main Study not pursued?\",\"answer\":\"Despite proof of concept, political support became contentious in some university associations, and the OECD Education Policy Committee ultimately decided not to proceed.\"}]","Does Higher Education Teach Students to Think Critically - Foreword and Acknowledgements | PDF",1791065610,673]