Students think all the time, whether it’s about what’s for lunch, how to make studying more efficient, or pondering an assignment for a philosophy course. A panel of students from Hope College and Aquinas College who earned their critical thinking badges said the experience altered how they think both inside and outside the classroom. They now have a process which brings visibility of their critical thinking skills to everyday activities.

How do we know they’ve truly transformed their critical thinking skills? We turned to the employers in the room. We were joined by reps from Steelcase, Spectrum Health, Helen Devos Children’s Hospital, and Universal Forest Products. All employers in attendance agreed: the Lab’s critical thinking badge is more exemplary of a critical thinking skill set than what’s presented on the traditional resume.

Future iterations of the critical thinking badge will be powered by the critical feedback from the students, and hiring insights from employers to make the pilot round 2 even more student-centered and accessible to employers.