Work in Progress: Universidad de las Américas, Puebla Quality Enhancement Plan: Enhancing Critical Thinking Skills in Our Undergraduate Students

Universidad de las Americas, Puebla (UDLA) is a Mexican private institution. Since 1959, the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) has accredited UDLA in the US. SACS requires every institution to develop an acceptable Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) regarding student learning, and show that is part of an ongoing planning and evaluation process. UDLA arrived at the theme of the QEP from the results of a survey of nine semi-distinct groups of faculty, students, administrators, and alumni. The central theme of UDLA´s QEP involves three major aspects: an emphasis on critical thinking (CT); a focus on evaluating the CT of students through their writing; and an elaboration of teaching practices aimed at fostering CT. UDLA´s QEP officially started this fall. Planning, faculty development efforts, and formative assessments of tested courses will be presented with special emphasis on our engineering school disciplines