There are now established methods and models to assess critical thinking in any discipline. The approach selected will depend on how critical thinking is defined, whether national norms are needed, and how the results will be used. (Author)

Research on variables that may bias student ratings of faculty have found them generally insignificant, but students do rate differently by academic field. The real problem arises from not knowing why this occurs. Institutions and individuals should decide how they will take these differences into consideration when interpreting student ratings.…