A Prototype for the Automatic Assessment of Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking is a complex construct to define and understand, also due to a variety of definitions in the field. In recent years, different ways to assess Critical Thinking have been developed, based on methods such as natural language processing. The present paper describes a prototype developed for automatic Critical Thinking assessment in the presence of open-ended questions or essays. The prototype is designed to assess four areas related to Critical Thinking in open questions: basic linguistic skills, relevance, importance and novelty. Future development of the prototype will require the inclusion of new indicators, such as argumentation and critical evaluation.