The following website from the University of Oregon's 'Teaching Effectiveness Program' includes a discussion of the benefits of using student feedback to improve a course:

"Student feedback is an invaluable component in the wide array of tools that can be used to improve teaching. By gathering midterm feedback, courses can be adjusted mid-stream to make them better learning experiences for students. Through careful consideration of end of the term feedback, courses can be improved each year. Asking for student feedback connects students and instructors and creates a sense of good will."

from www.uoregon.edu/~tep/resources/assessment/usingfeedback.html

For some interesting reading on critical thinking, check out the following link to the Skeptic's Dictionary - a website that approaches thinking with the opinion that "skepticism is most valuable when seeking and evaluating information".

http://www.skepdic.com/refuge/ctlessons.html

The following is an excerpt from the Teaching and Learning Center at the University of Nebraska: The first day of class is a very important time for faculty to establish a tone for what will happen the rest of the term. It is appropriate that a teacher reflect on just what climate and first impression she/he would like to establish. This article offers some ideas about that all important day.