Multi-perspective survey of the relevance of the revised bloom's taxonomy to an introduction to linux course

Equipping students with higher-order thinking skills as part of a program in information technology is no trivial aim. Course creation must always have this goal in mind. In particular, learning activities and assessments must be designed to teach, encourage the use of, and assess success in achieving this goal beyond merely teaching facts, methods and techniques. In this paper, we examine the degree to which we were able to assess higher-order thinking skills in students enrolled in the first course of an online Linux system administration curriculum. To assist other educators contemplating similar efforts, we briefly describe methods used to classify quiz and assignment items using the Revised Bloom Taxonomy (RBT) and discuss results from a survey administered to students who completed the course. Lessons learned throughout the process are described.