Critical Thinking and Communication
Module Description
Critical thinking and communication are 21st Century Skills, necessary for individuals in general and most essential in academic studies, particularly when reading, writing, and working with peers or professionals.
Critical thinking affects the way information is sourced, generated, and gathered ensuring clarity, accuracy, precision, consistency, relevance, validity, depth, breadth, and ethical considerations.
Critical thinking requires that students examine and evaluate ideas against what they already know to establish their worthiness. When students think critically, they can consider an argument from different perspectives and identify and evaluate its strengths and weaknesses.
This unit will help students face the difficult aspect of understanding “what constitutes an argument”, to identify assumptions and beliefs in any piece of writing, incorporating, and evaluating information. It will also help students to use this skill to review academic texts and to spot the strengths and weaknesses of published work.
Entry Requirements
Candidates who apply for this course will possess:
- A related qualification at EQF Level 4 such as the IATA Foundation in Travel and Tourism Diploma.
and/or
- One ‘A’ Level or equivalent and a pass in English Language* and Mathematics at EQF Level 3 (‘O’ Level or equivalent).
- In the case of mature students who do not possess all the formal required academic qualifications, then the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) process could be applied such that if evidence of equivalent learning is found then the applicant could still be accepted in the course. Such RPL process will subject applicants to an interview held with a board of experts within the field, chosen specifically by IDEA Academy, so as to verify their experiences and prior learning.
*Students whose first language is not English and do not possess an ‘O’ level pass in English Language will be required to demonstrate English language capability at IELTS level 6.0 or equivalent.
Target Audience
This course is targeted at:
- Individuals seeking to advance their academic and professional knowledge in Travel and Tourism.
- Individuals wanting to pursue a wide range of career paths in the travel and tourism industry.
Career Paths
The potential positions for which this programme aims to prepare could be and are not limited to:
- Travel Consultant.
- Operations Manager.
- Event Organiser/ Planner/ Manager.
- Business Development Executive.
- Hotel Manager.
- Travel Agency Manager.
- Marketing Executive.
- Tour Operator.
How you’ll be assessed
The course comprises:
- Evening classes for part-time courses.
- Classes held throughout the day for full-time courses.
- Guided learning, presentations, comprising synchronous online discussions, tutorials and/or videos.
- Self-study hours comprising research, reading and assignment work.
Assessment
Modular Assessment is carried out via two mandatory components:
- Formative Assessment
- Summative Assessment
The programme includes different forms of assessment which allow for and promote students’ critical engagement. The formative and summative assessment tasks may include an in-class assignment and/or a home-based written assignment using diverse assessment tools which may take the form of online and in-class discussions, examinations, case studies, reports, proposals, essays, and presentations, etc., as applicable to the diverse modules.
Learning Outcomes
Competences
At the end of the module/unit the learner will have acquired the responsibility and autonomy to:
- Define what constitutes critical thinking.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the different approaches to Critical Thinking.
- Evaluate arguments coherently.
- Make use of academic evidence to produce coherent arguments.
- Appraise texts for bias.
Knowledge
At the end of the module/unit the learner will have been exposed to the following:
- Define what constitutes critical thinking.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the different approaches to Critical Thinking.
- Evaluate arguments coherently.
- Make use of academic evidence to produce coherent arguments.
- Appraise texts for bias.
Skills
- Offer different perspectives to an argument.
- Differentiate between ordinary and critical thinking.
- Draw logical conclusions.
- Apply flexible thinking strategies.
- Correct one’s own self-thinking patterns.
- Question and test information.
- Evaluate the various components of problems and their complexities.
Module-Specific Learner Skills
- Analyse problems and/or arguments.
- Provide supporting evidence when evaluating arguments.
- Test the validity of assumptions and suppositions.
Module-Specific Digital Skills and Competences
- Navigate through the online learning platform to find, download, and upload assignments, discussion boards, literature, tutorials, etc.