Lecture 17 - Critical Evaluation

If you can’t think critically, you can’t think creatively. And if you can’t think creatively, you can’t produce compelling content and copy.

Figure 1: Critical Thinking Process

Today lecturer started the lecture by discussing What is a Critical Evaluation Is. 

According Deakin (2012) "Critical evaluation is a central process in all academic work. It involves thinking critically, which is applying rational and logical thinking while deconstructing the texts you read (and write) at university".

Browne and Keeley (2001, p. 2) define critical thinking as:

1.     an awareness of a set of interrelated critical questions
2.     the ability to ask and answer critical questions at appropriate times
3.     the desire to actively use the critical questions

As lecturer stated a critical evaluation is a formal argument which highlights both, the positives and negatives and there is sufficient amount of evidence to support the argument. Upon completion of the argument, the writer should mention his/her justification i.e. which side does he/she support and why. So, to summarize a critical evaluation consists of the following:

• Argument
• Evidence
• Justification

After stating above criteria before concluding the lecture for the day lecturer showed us an audio clip on critical evaluation where different university students express their idea of critical evaluations. Lecturer asked to jot the important points expressed by university students from that video relating to the critical evaluations.

Reality of the Lecture:

From this lecture I understood how to write a proper critical evaluation for my future projects including my final year project since so far I misunderstood that critical evaluation only reflects the layout of the assignment and the overall authors point of view.

References:

Deakin. (2012). Critical Analysis. [Online]. http://www.deakin.edu.au/current-students/study-support/study-skills/handouts/critical-analysis.php [Accessed 16th August 2012]

Browne, M & Keeley, S 2001, Asking the right questions: a guide to critical thinking, 6th edn, Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, N.J.