Develop a rubric to help the instructor measure the specific goals of the course and to see if those goals and objectives were met. Questions should include whether students can adapt the information beyond the basics. Design the rubric to answer whether a student can provide supporting facts, grasp an issue and provide context, see if there is bias in literature and identify things like consequences and provide solutions to problems.
Administer a test to see what students learn; testing is one of the most effective ways to determine the critical thinking skills of a student in both a pre-test and post-test. Use the test to determine what a student knew coming into a course and what they learned upon leaving a course. The test can also be used for the instructor to figure out what areas they need to work on in order to develop the critical thinking skills of the student.
Assign learning journals so students can provide a daily or weekly reflective analysis of what they are learning. Guide students through the process by giving them a set of questions or themes that should be addressed in their writing. Advanced education classes may also take advantage of having students put their learning journals online to other students in the class can see how they interpret and analyze the information.