Ideas to Action (i2a)

i2a Institute

Sharing the Impact of Critical Thinking

May 20-22, 2013
Shelby Campus, Founders Union

Explore new approaches to foster critical thinking skills and to capture and use student learning data.

The 2013 i2a Institute, now in its fifth year, is designed for UofL faculty and staff to connect with campus colleagues, engage with national experts, share scholarly projects, consider students’ experiences, and delve into learning data that together illuminate how we foster and assess critical thinking skills across the undergraduate experience.



New for 2013:

  • A student panel and a faculty panel designed to share perspectives and spark dialogue about i2a experiences.
  • Dr. Scott Simkins, from North Carolina A&T State University at Greensboro, will deliver a plenary session “Using Just-in-Time Teaching to Promote Critical (and Reflective) Thinking”
  • A poster session featuring i2a projects by faculty and staff designed to facilitate the exchange of best practices and emerging impact data and networking across departments and disciplines.

"My sincere thanks to you and the other i2a folks for putting on the institute. I enjoyed it, was engaged by it, and am glad that I attended. I am especially intrigued by the use of fundamental and powerful concepts; I plan to try them in one of my courses in which students experience the material as challenging and somewhat abstract."

- Barry R. Horowitz, Ph.D.

Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Day 1: Monday, May 20

Back by popular demand for the fifth year in a row, Dr. Gerald Nosich will lead a lively day-long workshop on the fundamentals of teaching critical thinking. New this year will be table facilitators to provide guidance and support during the group exercises and individual exploratory activities.

Day 2: Tuesday, May 21

Day 2 of the Institute will kick off with a student panel and an interactive forum, allowing undergraduate and graduate students to share their i2a-related insights and experiences and giving participants a chance to ask questions and launch a dialogue with students.

The morning also includes a poster session to provide a venue for faculty and staff to share and discuss their i2a projects and results in an informal setting with Institute participants.

The afternoon offers a repeating set of 75-minute concurrent sessions led by faculty and staff and designed to engage participants in exploring new practices and strategies related to the teaching and assessment of critical thinking.

Day 3: Wednesday, May 22

Day 3 of the Institute will begin with a faculty panel and open forum, providing attendees with experience in using i2a concepts and tools to share their perspectives and lessons learned and giving Institute participants an opportunity to ask questions and deepen the dialogue.

This is followed by a second set of 75-minute, interactive concurrent sessions. The afternoon centers around a brand new plenary session by visiting scholar Dr. Scott Simkins.

The Institute will conclude with reflective exercises to help attendees consolidate and apply their newly learned Institute ideas.

Who Should Attend?

  • Full and part-time faculty and staff who are interested in infusing critical thinking innovations and related assessment strategies into their instruction
  • Administrators and staff in higher education who want to learn more about infusing and assessing critical thinking into curricular, co-curricular, and student service projects and programs
  • Other educators interested in learning more about the teaching and learning of critical thinking

Registration cost for non-UofL affiliates is:


$125 per day
$300 for all 3 days

Group rate for 3 days: $250 per person for groups of 4 or more from the same school/university

Registration and Other Information


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