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Promoting Critical-Thinking Skills by Using Negotiation Exercises.

Many writers argue that it is necessary to develop critical thinking skills in business students because these skills are needed to deal with the increasing complexities of real-life problems. Although the goal appears to be laudable, it is not always clear how to go about achieving it. In this article, the authors describe active learning experiences in a course on business negotiations that serve the dual purpose of teaching students to negotiate and sharpen their critical-thinking skills. In the current atmosphere of resource constraints, it is unlikely that separate courses can be set up for improving critical-thinking skills. A course on business negotiations, suitably designed to incorporate appropriate active-learning experiences, is one way to promote higher order thinking skills.

Team-Building Tools for Students

Abstract In this article, the authors describe why college students need good teamwork skills, how instructors can encourage students to develop those skills, and how team projects can be designed to improve teamwork skills. An action plan and team-building tools are provided.

Experiential learning: Introducing faculty and staff to a university leadership development program

This description explores a form of experiential learning using specific outdoor learning activities in a higher education setting to introduce participants to each other and to build a team in a leadership program. Participants in the Leadership Enhancement and Development Program(LEAD) created at the University of West Florida (UWF) include both faculty and staff members.