University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center

The UNM Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center (HSLIC) supports students’ learning critical thinking skills as a foundation for lifelong learning.

Critical thinking skills include, but are not limited to: the ability to analyze problems and find needed information; the ability to compare and contrast different viewpoints; and the ability to evaluate the quality of different sources of information.

HSLIC supports the development of students’ critical thinking skills throughout HSC curricula through its services and training programs.

The Best Pedagogical Practices Working Group recommends the following:

• When learning objectives focus on students’ critically reviewing designated sources or acquiring background information, then students should focus their attention on analyzing the information in these sources rather than on finding them. The HSLIC’s role would include providing:
• links to e-reserves from WebCT courses
• links within WebCT to public domain documents and web sites.

• When learning objectives focus on students’ identifying relevant sources and critically evaluating the quality of these relevant sources, then students need to develop fully their critical thinking skills by effectively navigating and utilizing a variety of online resources. The HSLIC’s role would include providing:
• links to the HSLIC home page for resource access
• links to resources to assist students – including library help pages, Reflib email or AskIngrid querying systems
• links to online search tutorials
• in-person instruction by HSLIC faculty where geographically feasible.

• To facilitate the development of critical thinking skills in the curriculum HSLIC provides links to direct faculty to available resources.  This website includes links to:
• an interdisciplinary bibliography on critical thinking in the curriculum
• an ideas site on integrating critical thinking into courses
• information about HSLIC’s Learning Design Center and how it can help you
• WebCT faculty instructional pages
• the College of Nursing critical thinking website.

For more information contact Jonathan Eldredge, PhD
Library Knowledge Consultant
Phone: 272-0654
Email: jeldredge@salud.unm.edu

*Best Pedagogical Practices Working Group Members: Janis Teal, Chair; Dick Carr, Jon Eldredge, Ingrid Hendrix, Deborah LaPointe.