Critical thinking

Students in Australian universities are expected to be critical thinkers, readers and writers. This means not just accepting other people's ideas, theories, explanations etc, without questioning them. Just because something is published, or because the author has specialised in that field, does not mean that their opinion or interpretation is correct, the only one, or based on sound research. Your tutors are expecting you to question what you hear and read, whether it is reliable, what are the underlying assumptions and to demonstrate that you have done this.