Integrate Critical Thinking Across Any Subject With Real Scenarios
Help students build their critical thinking skills using timely, engaging scenarios rooted in real-world decisions and performance tasks.
Explore Sample Scenarios from CAE’s Critical Thinking Skills Program
A key component of CAE’s Critical Thinking Skills Program is real-world scenarios that immerse students in authentic decision making. Students are asked to analyze evidence, weigh competing priorities, and communicate their recommendations clearly. These scenarios aren’t just engaging exercises, they’re high-impact tools that build transferable skills like critical thinking, communication, and problem solving across majors and academic levels.
Below are sample topics that could be used in CAE’s Critical Thinking Skills Program to help students practice applying their critical thinking skills.
- Finance – Advise a major bank on whether to acquire a small-town community bank.
- Business Management – Recommend a solution to address the rise in retail shoplifting linked to self-checkout systems.
- Business Strategy / Accounting – Help a small business choose between launching a brick-and-mortar store or an e-commerce platform.
- Human Resources – Decide on the best approach to resolve a hiring pipeline bottleneck to meet staffing goals.
- Microplastics – Endorse a campaign strategy: educate the public or advocate for policy change?
- Urban Development – Advise a town board on historic preservation vs. economic growth.
- Medical Policy – Recommend whether hospitals should shift to disposable plastic tools.
- Gene Editing – Take a stance on the ethics of gene editing in humans, animals, or products.
- Traffic Congestion – Choose a solution for urban congestion: implement congestion pricing or expand public transit?
- Self-Driving Vehicles – Advise the city council on the regulation of autonomous taxi fleets.
- Classics / History – Take a position on the Social War in ancient Rome using historical documents.
- Art – Advise a gallery on whether AI-generated art should be included.
- Maritime History – Choose to restore or preserve shipwreck artifacts as-is for museum display.
- Physics – Recommend an approach to feed gorillas without disturbing their natural habitat.
- Computer Science – Advise your company on the best cybersecurity tool based on performance data.
- Agriculture – Determine whether to use controlled burns and recommend the most effective irrigation method.
- Engineering/Materials Science – Select the best screen material that meets manufacturing standards.
Build the Skills That Matter Most
CAE’s Critical Thinking Skills Program offers ready-to-use performance tasks or we can help you develop performance task scenarios aligned to your courses. Our performance-based assessments measure students’ proficiency in critical thinking, problem solving, and written communication. Our professional development workshops support faculty with integrating critical thinking skills instruction into their courses.
Our Critical Thinking Skills Program helps students significantly improve their critical thinkings skills leading to better academic and career outcomes. Institutions gain by increasing student engagement, retention, and employment metrics.
“This program changed how I teach. My students are more confident presenting arguments and backing them up with real evidence.”
~ Faculty Member, Critical Thinking Workshop Participant
Get Started With CAE
Bring real-world relevance and measurable skill development to your students while helping your institution meet critical goals.