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Wisconsin Association for Critical Thinking

The Wisconsin Association for Critical Thinking (WACT) is open to staff and instructors in the UW System who are interested in pedagogical or theoretical issues surrounding critical thinking.

WACT’s mission is to:

I. Develop a stimulating and supportive community of individuals interested critical thinking. Toward this end, WACT

  1. Compiles a “human resource list” where members who so desire can identify their teaching and research interests.
  2. Provides on-line and in-person forums through which members can exchange ideas about pedagogical and theoretical issues in critical thinking, form reading or discussion groups, and initiate other activities.

II. Encourage the teaching of critical thinking. Toward this end, WACT

  1. Provides a venue through which members can bring their collective wisdom to bear upon problems that arise when teaching critical thinking.
  2. Facilitates the sharing of instructional resources (e.g. syllabi, lesson plans, and assessment devices).

III. Nurture individual and collaborative research addressing pedagogical or theoretical issues in critical thinking. Toward this end, WACT

  1. Enables members to identify and contact colleagues who might be interested in providing informal peer review of individual work or who might wish to collaborate on a joint research project.
  2. Encourages SoTL (Scholarship of Teaching and Learning) projects related to critical thinking.

WACT especially welcomes instructors who regularly teach critical thinking skills or who would like to teach critical thinking skills, either in the context of a stand-alone course on critical thinking or as an important element in a course not specifically devoted to critical thinking.

No formal training in critical thinking is required, no experience teaching critical thinking is needed, no specific conception of critical thinking is expected, and no particular approach to critical thinking is presupposed. Logic, scientific reasoning, critical reading, and critical writing all fall well within the scope of critical thinking.


We keenly realize that staff and instructors have many claims upon their time, so WACT members are encouraged to participate in the group at whatever level of activity is right for them. To request free membership, contact dwarren@uwsp.edu.