Designing and implementing a module to foster critical thinking in management education: An exploration of rationale and methods

Abstract

This article presents a critical analysis of a tutorial redesign within a final-year undergraduate management module at a UK Higher Education Institution (HEI). In response to student disengagement, limited critical thinking, and surface-level learning, the module was restructured to emphasise student-led inquiry, case-based learning, and dialogic engagement. Drawing on qualitative and quantitative data, including student reflections, tutor observations, survey responses, and assessment outcomes, the study explores how the intervention impacted learning experience, academic confidence, and epistemological development. We found five interrelated shifts: from disengagement to relevance, repetition to critique, silence to voice, and resistance to reflexivity. Students reported increased confidence in applying theory, engaging in complex reasoning, and articulating independent arguments. Final assessments showed enhanced depth, originality, and theoretical synthesis. This study contributes to the literature on critical pedagogy and management education by demonstrating how small-scale, well-aligned pedagogical interventions can cultivate deeper engagement, critical capacity, and student voice. It calls for continued reflection on inherited teaching models and supports the integration of critical, participatory learning environments in higher education.