4. Thinking and Planning
4. Critical thinking and planning
In academic work you need to develop and present your position on issues. You do this by exploring different ideas and bringing together the most relevant reasons and evidence.
Why is it important?
An assignment is an opportunity to present your understanding of a topic and make connections in your knowledge. Although it is important to use ideas from other people to help you do this, it must go beyond repeating what other people have said.
How do I do it?
Evaluate all the ideas you've gained from reading and discussions. Look for how the ideas might connect and build on each other. Create a plan with one main idea for each paragraph, supported by examples and evaluation. You may need to do further research and reading as your perspective on the topic evolves.
Student tips (30 seconds)
Break down your assignment into sections and write bullet points for what you want to include in each section.
Key terms for critical thinking and planning
Click on the words below to see a description of what they mean in the context of your university studies.
Thinking and Planning quiz
Evaluate your critical thinking and planning skills by taking our quiz. If you have already enrolled on succeed@solent, jump to step 2.Step 1 Enrol on succeed@solent. (This link opens in a new tab, close the tab once you have enrolled.)
Step 2 Take the quiz.