<p>I think I started as an instructor in an academic program thinking that all students would have already developed some level of critical thinking skills by the time that they reach college. Being reminded that recent models of K-12 education have focused more on "teaching to the tests" as a way to meet the requirements that all students be able to demonstrate certain basic knowledge in order to graduate from high school. The idea that this focus in education has limited the development of critical thinking skills and led students to expect that this will be the same with advanced education. The question I frequently receive from students of "what do I need to know for the test" makes more sense to me after hearing this in this module. I learned that it is important to clearly let students know at the beginning of the course that "active learning" is an important part of the course and that it will help build and strengthen the critical thinking skills that are required in the field that the student is pursuing a career in.</p>