Division of Academic and Student Affairs
Office of Assessment
Last Updated: May 2019
Critical and Creative Thinking Competencies: Expectation &
Definitions
Expectation: The General Education Competencies develop through multiple and sustained
experiences across the General Education Program (GEP). The GEP provides a foundation for
Critical and Creative Thinking and other General Education Competencies. It is expected that
each degree program provide additional support to build upon that foundation throughout the
major.
Definition of Critical Thinking: Critical thinking is the active, persistent and careful consideration
of a belief or form of knowledge. It includes analysis and judgments about the ideas and
conditions that support beliefs and the conclusions that follow. Critical thinking involves analyzing
and evaluating one's own thinking and that of others. It is subject to intellectual standards
including clarity, accuracy, precision, relevance, significance, depth, breadth, logic and fairness.
Definition of Creative Thinking: Creative thinking is the generation of new ideas within or across
disciplines. It draws upon or breaks rules and procedures in those disciplines and actively
engages students in bringing together existing ideas into new configuration; developing new
properties or possibilities for something that already exists; and discovering or imagining
something entirely new. Standards for judging creative thinking include originality,
appropriateness, flexibility, and contribution to the domain.
Critical Thinking Outcomes:
1. A generally educated NC State student will raise questions, formulate problems and
identify appropriate information when solving a problem.
2. A generally educated NC State student will evaluate and interpret information presented
when solving a problem.
3. A generally educated NC State student will generate, judge and synthesize appropriate
solutions for a problem.
4. A generally educated NC State student will organize and communicate their thinking
effectively in written form.
Creative Thinking Outcomes:
1. A generally educated NC State student will apply creative thinking skills to explore
alternatives, convey unique or novel ideas, create new knowledge, and adapt to new
context and information.
2. A generally educated NC State student will apply creative thinking skills to evaluate the
benefits and drawbacks of ideas, recommend appropriate solutions and take risks in
proposing approaches or directions.
