critical thinking

“Critical thinking is the use of those cognitive skills or strategies that increase the probability of a desirable outcome...” –Halpern, Diane F. Thought and Knowledge: An Introduction to Critical Thinking. 1996.
This definition of critical thinking relates to finding sources and reliable information. I had to critically think to find good databases, key words to search, and ways to find information to increase my probability of finding good sources (i.e. the desirable outcome).

"The purpose of critical thinking is, therefore, to achieve understanding, evaluate view points, and solve problems. Since all three areas involve the asking of questions, we can say that critical thinking is the questioning or inquiry we engage in when we seek to understand, evaluate, or resolve." – Maiorana, Victor P. Critical Thinking Across the Curriculum: Building the Analytical Classroom. 1992.
To create a solution to the issue of housekeeping injuries, I had to understand and evaluate the solutions scholars and others have proposed to help solve the problem and present solutions of my own intermixed with solutions from others. I had to mentally ask questions to figure out good ways to fix the problems with hotel housekeeping.

“…Being aware of one's own prejudices and biases, and not allowing them to sway one's judgment." – Kurland, Daniel J. I Know What It Says . . . What does it Mean? 1995.
In my project it was important to make sure I understood the biases and prejudices to make sure my hypertext wasn’t swayed. Not that I have a set bias or prejudice about housekeeping, but while searching articles it was clear that many articles could be biased. In order to be “critically thinking” I needed to be aware of those biases and prejudices.
"Critical thinking includes the ability to respond to material by distinguishing between facts and opinions or personal feelings, judgments and inferences, inductive and deductive arguments, and the objective and subjective. It also includes the ability to generate questions, construct, and recognize the structure of arguments, and adequately support arguments; define, analyze, and devise solutions for problems and issues; sort, organize, classify, correlate, and analyze materials and data; integrate information and see relationships; evaluate information, materials, and data by drawing inferences, arriving at reasonable and informed conclusions, applying understanding and knowledge to new and different problems, developing rational and reasonable interpretations, suspending beliefs and remaining open to new information, methods, cultural systems, values and beliefs and by assimilating information."
MCC General Education Initiatives
A lot of the articles I found about housekeeping had graphs, data, statistics, etc… that I had to critically think about and analyze. To understand them, and interpret their meanings, I had to analyze them, see relationships, organize information, and develop reasonable interpretations…just like this definition of critical thinking says I need to do.