ASSIGNMENT BRIEF

PROGRAMME TITLE	MSci in Health and Social Care Management Sept 2025	MODULE CREDIT VALUE	20
MODULE TITLE	Critical Thinking Skills (CTS)	MODULE LEVEL	4
MODULE CODE	LSME410	ACADEMIC YEAR	2025-26
LEARNING OUTCOMES	On successful completion of this module students will be able to: Demonstrate an understanding of critical thinking skills: what it is and why it is important. Apply an understanding of logical reasoning to an analysis of an academic argument or proposition. Be able to apply relevant critical thinking skills when evaluating sources of information and data. Use critical thinking skills when writing an assignment or evaluating the writing of others.
SUBMISSION DEADLINES	Assignment 1: Case Study, 04/11/2025 4pm Assignment 2: Case Study, 09/12/2025 4pm	ISSUE DATE	25/09/2025

MODULE DESCRIPTION

Critical thinking is the ability to question what we read, hear and/or see. In all academic disciplines, there are differences of opinion, conflicting evidence and uncertainty, and a key skill in higher education is the ability to assess the evidence and arguments presented by others. This involves researching the topic, analysing the arguments given by different researchers in the field, and weighing up the evidence so that you can form your own understanding and conclusions about whose point of view you agree with and why.

ASSESSMENT TASKS

There are TWO assignments for this module:

Assignment 1 – (Case Study) 2000 words +/- 10%

Total Weighting: 50%

Intended Learning Outcomes: 1 and 4

Assignment 2 – (Case Study) 2000 words +/- 10%

Total Weighting: 50%

Intended Learning Outcomes: 2 and 3

ASSIGNMENT 1 – CASE STUDY

Child and Youth Safety Online

The full details of this case study can be found at: https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/child-and-youth-safety- online

Young people aged 15 to 24 are more likely to use the Internet than the rest of the population, but this generational gap has been slowly narrowing over the last four years. According to the revised estimates, around 77 percent of people aged between 15 and 24 used the Internet in 2023.

This has created unprecedented opportunities for children and young people to communicate, learn, socialize, and play, exposing them to new ideas and more diverse sources of information.

Risks of the Internet for young people

But with these opportunities come serious risks. Cyberbullying and other forms of peer-to-peer violence can affect young people each time they log in to social media or instant messaging platforms. Over a third of young people in 30 countries report being cyberbullied, with 1 in 5 skipping school because of it.

When browsing the Internet, children and young people may be exposed to hate speech and violent content – including messages that incite self-harm and even suicide. Young internet users are also vulnerable to recruitment by extremist and terrorist groups.

Digital platforms have also been used as vectors for disinformation and conspiracy theories that have a harmful effect on children and young people.

Most alarming is the threat of online sexual exploitation and abuse. It has never been easier for child sex offenders to contact their potential victims, share imagery and encourage others to commit offences. Some 80% of children in 25 countries report feeling in danger of sexual abuse or exploitation online.

Children can also be put at risk when tech companies breach their privacy to collect data for marketing purposes. Child- targeted marketing through apps – and the excessive screen time it often results in – can compromise a child’s healthy development.

What the UN is doing to protect young people online

The borderless nature of the Internet means keeping young people safe online is a global challenge. The UN is actively working to protect children and youth online through various programmes and initiatives.

Cybersecurity

The Child Online Protection (COP) Initiative is a multi-stakeholder network launched by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to promote awareness of child safety in the online world and to develop practical tools to assist governments, industry and educators.

The ITU Guidelines on Child Online Protection are a comprehensive set of recommendations for all relevant stakeholders on how to contribute to the development of a safe and empowering online environment for children and young people.

Cyberbullying

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has teamed up with social media platforms to answer some of the most common questions about cyberbullying and give advice on ways to deal with it. UNICEF’s Kindly initiative aims to end cyberbullying — one message at a time.

Every first Thursday of November, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) marks the International Day against Violence and Bullying at School Including Cyberbullying, recognizing that school- related violence in all its forms is an infringement of children and adolescents’ rights to education and health and well- being. The day is an opportunity for stakeholders around the world step up efforts to ensure students’ safety at school and in online spaces.

Sexual exploitation and abus

UNICEF prevents and responds to the online sexual exploitation of children at the country and global level.It supports coordinated national responses to online child sexual exploitation in over 20 countries – using the WePROTECT Global Alliance model – strengthening the capacity of on-the-ground responders to provide services to victims.

The World Health Organization (WHO), in its 2022 report on preventing online violence against children, focuses on child sexual abuse, including grooming and sexual image abuse and cyber aggression and harassment. The report highlights the importance of implementing educational programmes directed at children and parents.

Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is a global crime that trades in people and exploits them for profit.

Human traffickers have become adept at using internet platforms to recruit victims and attract clients.

Children and teenagers are susceptible to deceptive ploys in the search for acceptance, attention, or friendship and are often ‘courted’ by traffickers on social media platforms.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) supports

Member States in their efforts to prevent and combat human trafficking, including through online safety awareness activities aimed at children and young people.

Internet for Trust

UNESCO is spearheading the global effort to develop regulatory solutions to improve the reliability of information on digital platforms in the face of rising disinformation. In February 2023, the UN agency hosted the Internet for Trust conference to discuss a set of global guidelines which aim to create a safe and secure internet environment for users while protecting freedom of expression and access to information. The guidelines urge digital platforms to recognize their specific responsibilities towards children who have a special status given their unique stage of development and limited political voice.UNESCO is also the lead UN agency promoting media and information literacy (MIL),which empowers people to think critically about information and use of digital tools. UNESCO strives to equip youth with media and information literacy skills empowering them to be leaders and peer educators in the creation and dissemination of MIL knowledge and resources. Since 2016, it has been holding the Youth Agenda Forum to help young people learn about the latest developments in MIL. This is part of the annual Global Media and Information Literacy Week, a major occasion for stakeholders to review and celebrate the progress achieved towards media and information literacy for all.

Children’s rights in the digital age

Children’s rights are enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) that monitors implementation of the Convention has laid out the ways that young people and children should be treated in the digital world, and how their rights should be protected.

The Committee consulted with governments, civil society and over 700 children and young people in 27 countries, asking them how digital technology impacts their rights, and what actions they want to see taken to protect them. The findings were laid out in a `general comment.`

The Committee recommended that States take strong measures, including legislation, to protect children from harmful and misleading content. Children should also be protected from all forms of violence that happens in the digital environment, including child trafficking, gender-based violence, cyber-aggression, cyber-attacks and information warfare.

Children’s perspectives and experiences need to be considered when drafting policies that govern the use of young people’s digital use, as well as when designing the technology itself. UNICEF supports the Global Kids Online and Disrupting Harm projects to gather evidence on children’s digital rights, opportunities, and risks to better understand how use of digital technology contributes to their lives and when it amplifies their risk of harm.

Safer Internet Day

UN agencies and partners, including innovators in the private sector, are forging a digital path towards boosting safety online, especially for children and young people. With support from ITU, UNICEF and UNODC, Safer Internet Day is celebrated in February every year. From cyberbullying to social networking to digital identity, each year Safer Internet Day aims to raise awareness of emerging online issues and current concerns.

Resources

Guidelines on Child Online Protection
ITU Global Programme on Child Online Protection
Child online protection in sports
What works to prevent violence against children online?
Convention on the Rights of the Child
Digital misinformation/disinformation and children UNICEF report 2022
Media & Information Literacy Curriculum for Educators & Learners
Measuring digital development – Facts and Figures 2024
Minding the data: protecting learners’ privacy and security

Assignment Task:

Perform the Case Study evaluation by providing a correct response to the following:

In a short introductory statement, describe the purposes of applying critical thinking to the above case study.
Demonstrate an understanding of critical thinking skills by examining claims made in the given case study.
1. Using your developing critical thinking skills, evaluate the ideas expressed in the case study based on your research and understanding of the topic.[Total: 100 Marks]

ASSIGNMENT 1 – INDICATIVE MARKING CRITERIA

ASSIGNMENT 2 – CASE STUDY

Ageing

The full details of this case study can be found at: https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/ageing

The global population is aging, but growth may peak by century`s end. Virtually every country in the world is experiencing growth in the number and proportion of older persons in their population.

The world’s population is expected to keep growing for another 50 or 60 years, peaking at around 10.3 billion in the mid-2080s, up from 8.2 billion in 2024, before declining gradually to 10.2 billion in 2100, according to the World Population Prospects 2024

The probability of this peak occurring within the century is quite high -estimated at 80%, a significant increase from 30% in 2013-

. The population in 2100 is now expected to be about 700 million fewer than previous forecasts, largely due to lower-than- expected fertility rates in major countries, particularly China.

By 2080, people aged 65 and over will outnumber children under 18

By the late 2070s, the global population aged 65 and older is projected to reach 2.2 billion, surpassing the number of children under age 18.By the mid-2030s, there will be 265 million individuals aged 80 and older, outnumbering infants.

Even rapidly growing nations will experience a rise in the elderly population over the next 30 years. Those nations will need to prepare for significant demographic changes by strengthening health and long-term care systems, ensuring social protection sustainability, and investing in new technologies.

Given that women generally live longer than men, policies must ensure equitable access to retirement benefits, address gender- specific healthcare needs, and bolster social support systems to alleviate caregiving burdens.

Migration as a driver of population growth

In 50 countries, immigration is expected to mitigate population decline due to low fertility and an aging population. For countries such as Italy, Germany and the Russian Federation, where the population has already peaked, the peak would have occurred earlier without immigration. By 2054, immigration will drive population growth in 52 countries, including Australia, Canada, and the USA, and in 62 by 2100.While emigration generally has little effect, in 14 countries with ultra-low fertility, it will significantly contribute to population loss.In nations with fertility below replacement levels, encouraging decent work and return migration may be more effective in slowing population decline than policies aimed at increasing fertility.

Life expectancy returning to pre-COVID-19 levels

Since 2022, global life expectancy has returned to levels before COVID-19. In 2023, fewer than 5 million children under age 5 died for the first time.This improvement mainly happened in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan, which are expected to grow in population through 2054.

Life expectancy at birth reached 73.3 years in 2024, with further reductions in mortality expected to result in an average global life expectancy of around 77.4 years in 2054.

Better life expectancy should help increase population growth or slow decline in most areas, especially where death rates are going down, along with some immigration.

Did you know?

In 63 countries and areas – containing 28 per cent of the world’s population in 2024 – the size of the population peaked before 2024. This group includes China, Germany, Japan and the Russian Federation.
By the late 2030s, half of the women in countries with populations that have already peaked will be too old to have children by natural means.
In 2024, 4.7 million babies, or about 3.5 per cent of the total worldwide, were born to mothers under age 18. Of these, some 340,000 were born to girls under age 15, with serious adverse consequences for the health and well-being of both the young mothers and their children.
The number of women in the reproductive age range, which is about 15 to 49 years old, is expected to increase until the late 2050s. It will likely reach around 2.2 billion, up from nearly 2.0 billion in 2024.
In countries with young populations, investment in education, health and infrastructure, along with reforms to promote decent work opportunities and improve government transparency and efficiency, is vital to ensure this opportunity isn`t wasted.
Raising the minimum legal age at marriage and integrating family planning and safe motherhood measures into primary health care can help to raise women’s levels of education, facilitate their economic participation and reduce the incidence of early childbearing.

Key Conferences on Ageing

To begin addressing these issues, the General Assembly convened the first World Assembly on Ageing in 1982, which produced a 62-point Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing. It called for specific action on such issues as health and nutrition, protecting elderly consumers, housing and environment, family, social welfare, income security and employment, education, and the collection and analysis of research data.

In 1991, the General Assembly adopted the United Nations Principles for Older Persons, enumerating 18 entitlements for older persons — relating to independence, participation, care, self-fulfillment and dignity. The following year, the International Conference on Ageing met to follow-up on the Plan of Action, adopting a Proclamation on Ageing. Following the Conference`s recommendation, the UN General Assembly declared 1999 the International Year of Older Persons. The International Day of Older Persons is celebrated on 1 October every year.

Action on behalf of the ageing continued in 2002 when the Second World Assembly on Ageing was held in Madrid. Aiming to design international policy on ageing for the 21st century, it adopted a Political Declaration and the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing. The Plan of Action called for changes in attitudes, policies and practices at all levels to fulfil the enormous potential of ageing in the twenty-first century. Its specific recommendations for action give priority to older persons and development, advancing health and well-being into old age, and ensuring enabling and supportive environments

Resources

Perform the Case Study evaluation by providing a correct response to the following:

Apply an understanding of logical reasoning to analyse the arguments presented in the above article.
Apply your developing critical evaluation skills to evaluate the sources of information (hyperlinked and marked in blue text) in the above article.
1. In your conclusion, comment on a systematic and rigorous process carried out in producing the above.

ASSIGNMENT 2 – INDICATIVE MARKING CRITERIA

COMPLETING THE TASKS

In order to complete Assignments 1 and 2, you will need to research different information sources such as textbooks, journals, articles and the internet. You are also required to develop skills in the analysis and synthesis of information.

Analysis requires you to critically examine different aspects of a topic and identify important issues.

Synthesis requires you to summarise the information you have analysed clearly and coherently.

Discussions with your peers and friends will also help you understand the case studies’ arguments from different perspectives.

The following strategies will help you to make a better plan to complete the above assignments:

Recognise the nature and importance of critical thinking at the very start
Differentiate between descriptive and analytical writing
Formulate important questions and issues.
Gather and assess relevant information.
Look for assumptions and check the assumptions against the evidence
Develop different perspectives
Identify the gaps in the source material and take informed action supported by evidence.

Please Note: Make use of information on assignment preparation and command verb usage in your Canvas Platform.

Please refer to the Module Guide for more information on;

Core and supplementary reading materials and useful websites
Guidance on how to present and submit your work
Penalties for exceeding or not meeting the suggested word
Penalties for late submission
Referencing your work including the use of AI

ASSIGNMENT 1 – CASE STUDY Child and Youth Safety Online The full details of this case study can be found at: https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/child-and-youth-safety- online Young people aged 15 to 24 are more likely to use the Internet