Course Outline

Programme : Higher Diploma (Common Core Course)

Academic Year : 2021/22
Module Code : GE 1435
Module Name : Creative and Critical Thinking
No. of Credits : 3
No. of Lecture Weeks : 15
Contact Hours/Week : 3 hours
Lecturer : Dr. Anthony Chan 陳英凱博士
Contact : Email: hoicuhk@gmail.com / hoi6168@cuhk.edu.hk

Course Objectives
The aim of the course is to promote students’ development in attitude and thinking process, leading
them to a greater maturity and fruitful personal life. Games, cases and exercises will be used
during the classes to let students experience thinking in action. To motivate students to actively
change their own attitudes and participate in experiential workshop-style tutorials, a lot of
everyday and interesting examples and cases will be discussed.

Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. link different theories and ideas in the thinking process to enhance creativity;
2. demonstrate critical thinking skills and critical disposition
3. identify the principles of effective thinking;
4. apply the principles of creative and critical thinking to develop a systematic approach to
problem solving and decision-making.

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 Indicative Teaching Schedule
Lecture Learning Activities/ Learning
Week Major Lecture Outline Continuous Assessment Outcomes
01 Introduction to Creative and Critical Lecture 1, 2
Thinking

- The values of Creativity Reading: Handout 1

- The values of Critical Thinking

02-03 Identifying Problems & Root Cause Lecture 2, 3

Analysis
Class discussion
- Nature of Problem Consumer Culture
- Types of Problem & Decision
- Introducing Root Cause Analysis Reading: Handout 2
- Introducing the idea of Crisis and
Change
- Systematic Approach

04-07 Ways to Enhance Creativity and Lecture 1, 3, 4

Approaches for Creative Thinking
Case study 1
- Brainstorming
- Mind Mapping
- Story-boarding Reading: Handout 4 and 5
- Lateral Thinking
- Six Thinking Hats
- Six Universal Questions
- Attribute Listing
- Metaphorical Thinking
- Discontinuity Principle

08 Ways to Enhance Critical Thinking Lecture 2, 3

Logico-linguistic Analysis Class discussion

- Meaning and definition Ethics and Justice 1
- Linguistic pitfall
- Reading: Handout 6 and 7
2
 09 Informal Fallacies Lecture 2, 3
- Fallacies of irrelevance
- Fallacies of insufficiency Case study 2
- Fallacies of inappropriate
presumption Reading: Handout 8 and 9
- Fallacies of inconsistency
Test in Lesson 9 or 10

10-11 Identifying and Evaluating Lecture 2, 3

Arguments
Class discussion
- Logical Thinking: Basic Concepts Ethics and Justice 2
- Propositions
- Arguments Reading: Handout 10 and 11
- Deduction and induction

12 Inquiring, Generating Ideas, Analyzing, Lecture 1, 3, 4

Exploring Challenges, Drawing
Conclusions Class discussion
Gender Studies

Reading: Handout 12

Group Presentation will be started

from lesson 13

13-15 Thinking in Action: Creative and Lecture 1, 2, 3, 4

Critical Thinking in Everyday Life
Case study 3
Reading: Handout 13

Students are required to submit the

individual assignment (MS Word
File) through Moodle on or before
25 Apr 2022 (Before 18:00)
(Veriguide: Similarity <40%)
Note:
Students should know that the above teaching schedule is just an outline of the course. As this is not
in any sense hard and fast, the lecturer can make adjustment to it where appropriate.
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** Individual lecturers are advised to indicate clearly:
1. the lesson expected to conduct ‘group presentation’
2. the lesson expected to submit ‘individual assignment’
3. the texts/ articles/ supplementary reading under ‘Reading’ in the right column
**Test should be completed in or before lesson 10

Assessment

Final exam Mid-term Assignment Case Presentation Project Class Other: Please
or test exam or test studies participation specify:
(%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%)
10 40 40 10
Continuous Assessment
Class Participation 10%
Test 10%
Project 40%
Assignment 40%
Total: 100%

Details of Assessment
Class Participation (10%)

Class Discussion (5%)

Learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4
- Students are expected to contribute to class discussion.
- Comments that clearly explained and are closely related to intellectual, social and/or cultural
issues, respectful of others and with sufficient foundation will be evaluated positively.
- Students should be able to link different ideas and arguments in the thinking process to
enhance creative and critical faculties that enable them to manage change and crisis creatively
and constructively.

Case Study (5%)

Learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4
- The topic will be assigned by the lecturer
- Active participants will gain higher marks than those students who do not contribute to the
class.
- The success of the course relies on active student discussions, which are designed to be
reflective, with a problem solving focus and of contemporary interest.
- All discussion is to provoke students to become conscious of their own thinking patterns and
aware of alternative processes, towards constructing a model for critical and effective
thinking.
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Assessment Guideline:
Participation in discussion 30%
Appropriate examples and reference material used 30%
Quality of analysis 40%
** The total marks only constitute 10% of the overall score of the course
** Given the course lasts for 15 weeks, we suggest the no. of case study should NOT be more
than 5.

Test (10%)
Learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3
- A test will be conducted in or before lesson 10
- All the contents within lectures 1 to 8 will be covered.
- Students are required to apply various thinking skills or theories to solve a problem or make
suggestion to an assigned topic from different perspectives.
- Test will be assessed by one questions.

Project (Group Presentation) (40%)

Overall Performance 35% (Group 20% Individual: 15%)
Peer Evaluation 5%
Learning outcomes: 1,2,3,4

Please identify the problem of the assigned topic. You need to find out three root causes and
consequences of the problem, and show how it can be solved by five practical solutions with
reference to news, data, specialists’ idea and knowledge learnt from this course. You should
also bring in controversial topics for discussion during the presentation.
Guidelines:
- Each class will be divided into groups of 4-5 students and each group will have 45 minutes to
deliver their presentation.
- Every student in each group should work together to carry out the group project.
- The topic of the presentation should be assigned by the lecturer.
- The project should be related to intellectual, social and/or cultural issues.
- The content of presentation should include the background information, subject matter, ways
of solving the problems and etc.
- Students should note that it is the quality of analysis rather than the number of roots
causes and solutions which is the major consideration in assessment.

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Topics for Presentation and Individual Assignment
1. The Problem of Obesity in Hong Kong
2. Abandoned Animals in Hong Kong
3. Lack of Support for Arts Development in Hong Kong
4. Smartphone Addiction Among Young People in Hong Kong
5. Lack of Support for Sport Development in Hong Kong
6. Lack of Recycling of Plastic Waste in Hong Kong
7. Hidden Elders in Hong Kong
8. Poverty of Ethnic Minorities in Hong Kong
9. Homeless People in Hong Kong
10. Compensated Dating of Hong Kong Young People under the age of 16

Individual Assignment (40%)

Learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4

Please identify the problem of the selected topic. You need to find out three root causes and
consequences of the problem, and show how it can be solved by five practical solutions with
reference to news, data, specialists’ idea and knowledge learnt from this course.

- Topic for individual assignment can be selected from the list of presentation earlier on but
cannot repeat what students have done for group presentation.
- Students are required to analyze an intellectual, social and/or cultural issue from multiple
perspectives
- Students should link different ideas and arguments in the thinking process to analyze the issue
selected.
- The content of assignment should include the background information, subject matter, ways
of solving the problems and etc.
- Students should note that it is the quality of analysis rather than the number of roots
causes and solutions which is the major consideration in assessment.
- The overall length of this paper should be within 4500 words (max 4500 words) in Chinese or
English, double-line spacing.
- Students are required to submit the individual assignment (MS Word File) through Moodle on
or before 25 April 2022 (Before 18:00) (Veriguide: Similarity <40%)

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Topics for Presentation and Individual Assignment
1. The Problem of Obesity in Hong Kong
2. Abandoned Animals in Hong Kong
3. Lack of Support for Arts Development in Hong Kong
4. Smartphone Addiction Among Young People in Hong Kong
5. Lack of Support for Sport Development in Hong Kong
6. Lack of Recycling of Plastic Waste in Hong Kong
7. Hidden Elders in Hong Kong
8. Poverty of Ethnic Minorities in Hong Kong
9. Homeless People in Hong Kong
10. Compensated Dating of Hong Kong Young People under the age of 16

Learning Activities
Teaching will be in the form of lectures and discussions. Exercises and case studies are given in
class to promote students’ understanding and problem solving skills. Students have to complete
self-assessed exercises and assignments to reinforce what have been learned. Tests will be given
to test their knowledge and students are encouraged to raise any questions either in class or during
the tutorial sessions. Students are encouraged to use Moodle, the web learning platform, to have
open discussion with teacher and peers throughout the semester.

Intended distribution of learning activities:

Lecture Interactive Lab Discussion Field trip Project Web-based Other: Please
tutorial of case teaching specify
(hr) (hr) (hr) (hr) (hr) (hr) (hr) (hr)
21 3 10 9 2 (Test)
Students must pass the continuous assessment in order to pass this course.

Academic Honesty
School of Continuing and Professional Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong places very
high importance on honesty in academic work submitted by students and adopts a policy of zero
tolerance on cheating in examinations and plagiarism. Any related offence will lead to disciplinary
action including termination of studies at the School.

Attention is drawn to School policy and regulations on honesty in academic work, and to the
disciplinary guidelines and procedures applicable to breaches of such policy and regulations. For
details, please refer to the Student Handbook.

7
由學院老師製作的教學材料，包括課堂筆記、作業及考試題目等，其版權屬香港中文大學
專業進修學院擁有；學生可從學院採用的網上教學系統(例如 Moodle)下載由學院老師製作
的教學材料供其學習使用；惟未經相關老師事先同意下，不得分發/分享/複製這些材料予
第三者。

The copyright of the teaching materials, including lecture notes, assignments and examination
questions etc., produced by teachers of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies, CUHK
(CUSCS) belongs to CUSCS. Students may download the teaching materials produced by
teachers from the Learning Management Systems, e.g. Moodle adopted by CUSCS for their own
educational use, but shall not distribute/ share/ copy the materials to a third-party without seeking
prior permission from the staff members/ teachers concerned.

Reference:
Babin, J. & Manson, R., Critical Thinking: The Beginners User Manual to Improve Your
Communication and Self Confidence Skills Everyday. The Tools and The Concepts for Problem
Solving and Decision Making, Independently Published, 2019.
Browne, M. Neil & Stuart M. Keeley, Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking,
7th edition, Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2004.
Copi, I. M., Cohen, C., Rodych, V., Introduction to Logic, 15th Edition, New York: Routledge,
2019.
Hurley, P. J., Watson, L., A Concise Introduction to Logic, 13th Edition, USA: Cengage Learning,
2018.
Judkins, R., Art of Creative Thinking, Sceptre, 2015.
Love, S.L.& Stobaugh, R., Critical Thinking in the Classroom: A Practitioner's Guide, 1st edition,
Mentoring Minds, 2018.
Moore, B. N & Parker, R., Critical Thinking, 12th edition, McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2016.
Michalko, M, Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative-Thinking Techniques, 2nd Edition, New York:
Ten Speed Press, 2006.
Michalko, M, Creative Thinking: Putting Your Imagination to Work, New World Library, 2011.
Morrow D.R. & Weston, A., A Workbook for Arguments: A Complete Course in Critical Thinking,
2nd edition, Hackett Publishing Company Inc, 2015.
Ruggiero, V, The Art of Thinking: A Guide to Critical and Creative Thought, Longman, 2014.
Weston, A, A Rulebook for Arguments, 5th Edition, USA: Hackett, 2018.
Rutherford, A., Models For Critical Thinking: A Fundamental Guide to Effective Decision Making,
Deep Analysis, Intelligent Reasoning, and Independent Thinking, Independently Published, 2018.

8
村上隆，《藝術創業論》，台北:商周文化， 2007年。
李天命，《哲道行者（最終定本）》，明報出版社，2009 年。
李天命，《李天命的思考藝術（最終定本）》，明報出版社，2009 年。
貝剛毅，《思方導航─批判思考導論》，香港:匯智出版社，2011 年。
何秀煌，《思想方法導論》，台北:三民書局，2011 年。
陳英凱、朱振威、朱耀偉，《文化研究 60 詞》，香港:匯智出版社，2011 年。
呂大樂、吳俊雄、馬傑偉，《香港‧生活‧文化》，香港:牛津大學出版社，2011 年。
梁光耀，《圖解實用倫理學（修訂版）》，香港：非凡出版，2016 年。
邁可‧桑德爾，《正義：一場思辨之旅（桑德爾指定授權，10 周年全新譯本）》，先覺，2018
年。

9
 GE1435
Assessment Rubric for Class Participation 10%

Grade / Mark Description

Outstanding Extremely well prepared for class discussion and case study, active in
9-10 sharing views, providing relevant and helpful examples, suggesting
insightful solutions, and raising thoughtful questions.

Proficient Usually well prepared for class discussion and case study, quite active in
7-8 sharing views, providing relevant examples, suggesting practical solutions,
and raising some thoughtful questions.

Competent Partially prepared for class discussion and case study, infrequent sharing of
5-6 views, providing limited relevant examples, suggesting mediocre solutions,
and raising questions not closely related to the topic.

Need Improvement Not well prepared for class discussion and case study, a very few sharing of
3-4 views, providing irrelevant examples, suggesting incomplete solutions, and
raising questions not related to the topic.

Fail Never prepared for class discussion and case study, no sharing of views, not
1-2 providing any example, not suggesting any solution, no intention to raise
any question related to the topic.

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GE 1435
Assessment Rubric for Mid-term test

Grade / Mark Description

Outstanding All or almost all of the questions are clearly and accurately responded. All or
9-10 almost all of the responses are well organized, clear, fluent, and with sufficient
elaboration.

Proficient Most of the questions are clearly and accurately responded. Most of the responses
7-8 are well organized, clear, fluent, and with sufficient elaboration.

Competent Some of the questions are clearly and accurately responded. Some of the
5-6 responses are well organized, clear, fluent, and with sufficient elaboration.

Need Few of the questions are clearly and accurately responded. Few of the responses
Improvement are well organized, clear, fluent, and with sufficient elaboration.
3-4
Fail Very few of the questions are clearly and accurately responded. Very few of the
1-2 responses are well organized, clear, fluent, and with sufficient elaboration.

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GE 1435 Creative and Critical Thinking
Marking Criteria for Project Oral Presentation (35%)

Competence
Level Excellent (5) Good (4) Average (3) Below Average (2) Not Satisfactory (1)
Assessed
Criterion
Strong engaging Introduction providing Some overview in the Introduction with no No introduction; poor
introduction providing overview of presentation; opening; inadequate overview; poor organization organization and
clear overview of good organization and organization of main of content; ends without a irrelevant content; ends
contents with supports; conclusion without a conclusion.
presentation; excellent ends with appropriate points; points sometimes
Organization and content organization with conclusion are not clear; conclusion
(8%) relevant content; is limited
conclusions reinforces
main points in
memorable fashion

strong linkage of good linkage of different some linkage of different poor linkage of different ideas no linkage of different
Linkage of different ideas and different ideas and ideas and arguments in the ideas and arguments in and arguments in the thinking ideas and arguments in
arguments in the thinking arguments in the thinking process to the thinking process to process to analyze the issue the thinking process to
process to analyze the issue thinking process to analyze the issue selected analyze the issue selected selected analyze the issue selected
selected analyze the issue
(6%) selected
insightfully analyzed discussed the research in presented and discussed reported some of the findings discussion of findings is
the research findings, light of the knowledge some of the research but did not address the minimal and irrelevant to
adopted demonstrating findings research question
Discussion of findings demonstrating
clear understanding of the
the research question or
(6%) understanding of the findings theory adopted
significance of the
main research question
Demonstrates full Demonstrates good Demonstrates some Demonstrates poor Demonstrates very poor
knowledge by knowledge by answering knowledge by answering knowledge by answering the knowledge and cannot
answering all class most of the class questions some of the class class questions without answer questions about
questions with with explanations and questions with elaboration; Attempts to subject • Does not clearly
explanations and elaboration; Provides clear explanations and define purpose and subject; define subject and
Individual understanding of elaboration; Provides purpose and subject; elaboration; Provides provides weak examples, purpose; provides weak
the content clear purpose and appropriate examples, clear purpose and subject; facts, and/ or statistics, which or no support of subject;
subject; pertinent facts, and/or statistics that some examples, facts, do not adequately support the gives insufficient support
(10%) examples, facts, and/or support the subject; and/or statistics that subject; includes very thin for ideas or conclusions
statistics; supports includes some data or support the subject; data or evidence
conclusions/ideas with evidence that supports includes some data or
evidence conclusions evidence that supports
conclusions

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 Regular/constant eye Steady eye contact. Presenter focused on only Minimal eye contact by Holds no eye contact
contact. The audience The audience was engaged part of audience with focusing on small part of with audience, as entire
was engaged, and by the presentation at a little eye contact. The audience. The audience was report is read from notes
Individual presentation skill presenter held the suitable volume and body audience was distracted. not engaged. Presenter spoke in low volume or
(5%) audience’s attention. language. Presenter could be heard too quickly or quietly making monotonous tone, which
Appropriate speaking by only half of the it difficult to understand. causes audience to
volume and body audience. Body language Inappropriate/disinterested disengage
language. was distracting. body language.

Peer Evaluation 5%
Punctuality:
Complete the assigned duty on time
Co-operation:
Willing to help and listen to others opinion
Contribution:
Data collection, original idea and preparation for the presentation

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GE 1435 Marking Criteria for Individual Assignment (40%)
Competence Not
Level Excellent (5) Good (4) Average (3) Below Average (2) Satisfactory (1)
Assessed Criterion
synthesizes components synthesizes some attempts to preliminary attempts to no attempt to
with expertise and components with synthesize components synthesize synthesize essay’s
formulates a some expertise and but cannot sustain the components; yet, components; Essay
begins to formulate a effort. analysis feels sloppy at
Analysis of problem: sophisticated, complex cohesive look at the times. lacks cohesion.
claims, evidence, and conclusion are analysis of the problem. problem but lacks
synthesized. some sophistication.
(10%)
excellent ability to read good ability to read fair ability to read poor ability to read very poor ability to
Ability to read critically from different critically from different critically from critically from different critically from different read critically from
perspectives perspectives different perspectives perspectives perspectives different
(5%) perspectives

strong linkage of good linkage of some linkage of poor linkage of no linkage of

Linkage of different ideas and arguments in different ideas and different ideas and different ideas and different ideas and different ideas and
the thinking process to analyze the issue arguments in the arguments in the arguments in the arguments in the arguments in the
selected thinking process to thinking process to thinking process to thinking process to thinking process to
(5%) analyze the issue analyze the issue analyze the issue analyze the issue analyze the issue
selected selected selected selected selected

excellent understanding good knowledge of some knowledge of limited knowledge of very little
and application of key concepts & key concepts & themes key concepts & themes knowledge of key
knowledge of creative themes in creative and in creative and critical in creative and critical concepts & themes
Application of knowledge and learning from and critical thinking; critical thinking; good thinking; some thinking; limited in creative and
the course deep learning from this learning from this learning from this learning from this critical thinking;
(5%) course and in-depth course; adequate use course course little learning from
knowledge of key of knowledge; this course
concepts & themes.
insightfully analyzed the discussed the research presented and reported some of the discussion of
research findings, in light of the discussed some of the findings but did not findings is minimal
demonstrating knowledge adopted research findings address the research and irrelevant to the
Discussion of findings understanding of the
demonstrating clear question
research question or
(5%) understanding of the
significance of the main findings theory adopted
research question

excellent organization good organization and inadequate poor organization and very poor
with relevant content; presentation; sound organization and presentation; minimal organization and
Organization content, and referencing excellent and consistent referencing presentation; and inconsistent presentation; did
(10%) referencing inconsistent
referencing not reference
referencing

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