Professional Development
Building Institutional Capacity Through Faculty Development
Strong implementation of CAE’s Critical Thinking Skills Program starts with strong support. That’s why we offer in-depth professional development that prepares faculty not just to teach critical thinking, but to inspire it.
With the right tools and training, faculty gain the confidence to integrate these workforce-ready skills into their existing curriculum—elevating both student outcomes and institutional value. Our workshops also address the urgent need to develop students’ critical thinking skills in the age of AI, empowering faculty to guide responsible use of generative tools while strengthening students’ ability to analyze, reason, and communicate effectively.
What Faculty Learn: Topics That Translate to Impact
CAE’s three-day professional development workshops are built around the real-world needs of today’s faculty, blending research, pedagogy, and practical strategies to make critical thinking a seamless part of any course of study.
The Why Behind
the Program
First, we unpack the research and cognitive science behind CAE’s approach. We help faculty understand the role of critical thinking for students’ academic and career success in the AI age and how and why the program works so they can teach with purpose and confidence.
Curriculum
Integration
We share with faculty how to develop students’ critical thinking skills through intentional instruction, deliberate practice, and regular assessment. Faculty will also learn how to incorporate critical thinking skills development into their courses by using or developing performance tasks. Whether it’s a first-year seminar or an advanced course, faculty walk away with subject-specific tools that work.
Effective Use
of Data
Faculty learn how to interpret student assessment data to identify learning gaps, track progress, and provide targeted feedback. Our reports make it easy to turn insights into action.
Best Practices for
Student Engagment
We share techniques to foster meaningful classroom discussion and deeper learning. Faculty receive templates, rubrics, and real examples to help make critical thinking visible and valuable to students.
Preparing Faculty for the AI Age
CAE supports faculty in navigating the challenges and opportunities presented by generative AI—emphasizing that critical thinking is more essential than ever. Through our professional development, faculty explore how to help students use AI tools responsibly, analyze outputs for accuracy and bias, and apply human judgment in real-world contexts.
By integrating Critical Thinking Skills in the AI Age into instruction, faculty empower students not just to use AI, but to question it, challenge it, and make informed decisions beyond what algorithms can provide.
Download our free guide for practical strategies, classroom activities, and insights that will prepare students prepare students to lead in the AI era.
“I taught the first lesson in the module this morning and I’m not sure it could have gone better. The kinds of discussions I was hearing in class had me grinning from ear to ear. These are the best problem statements I’ve seen at the start of the semester ever.”
~ Faculty Member
Partner With CAE to Build Workforce Readiness
CAE’s Critical Thinking Skills Program gives every student the opportunity to build, practice, and demonstrate the workforce skills that last a lifetime.
“I gained valuable insights into the strengths and challenges of integrating critical-thinking instruction into my course. Critical thinking has relevance far beyond classroom activities.”
~ Faculty Member