Critical thinking (CT) is widely recognized to be among the most essential skills for university graduates to successfully compete in the 21st century global economy; yet, much obscurity remains regarding its practical role in higher education. In fact, there is a need for an accepted educational plan with pedagogical guidelines that university instructors can lean on for integrating CT into subject instruction. Accordingly, this study aimed to identify the instructional design components recommended by instructors and students for promoting CT in higher education academic courses. The study involved ten higher education instructors and 342 undergraduate students in science and engineering. In order to address the research goal, the study followed the grounded theory approach in which the data was analyzed from a qualitative perspective. The data was collected through two research tools: semi-structured interviews and an online survey. The current study identified eight instructional design components for promoting CT. These components include four pedagogical practices: explicit teaching of CT, integration of digital tools, collaborative learning and constructing questions , as well as four modes of engagement: critical engagement with information, comparing approaches to problem-solving, guided inquiry and experimentation and raising doubts and evaluating credibility . The study introduces an adaptive model incorporating CT-enhanced pedagogical practices, for policymakers and instructional designers, to foster CT in science and engineering courses. © © 2025. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
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