Baxter-Magolda's Epistemological Reflection Model

Domains	Absolute Knowing	Transitional Knowing	Independent Knowing	Contextual Knowing
Nature of knowledge	Is certain or absolute	Is partially certain and partially uncertain	Is uncertain--everyone has own beliefs	Is contextual; judge on basis of evidence in context
Role of learner	Obtains knowledge from instructor	Understands knowledge	Thinks for self, shares views with others, creates own perspective	Exchanges and compares perspectives, thinks through problems, integrates and applies knowledge
Role of peers	Share materials, explain what they have learned to each other	Provide active exchanges	Share views, serve as a source of knowledge	Enhance learning via quality contributions
Role of instructor	Communicate knowledge appropriately, ensures that student understands knowledge	Uses methods aimed at understanding, employs methods that help apply knowledge	Promotes independent thinking, promotes exchange of opinions	Promotes application of knowledge in context, promotes evaluative discussion of perspectives. Student and teacher critique each other
Evaluation	Provides vehicle to show instructor what was learned	Measures students' understanding of the material	Rewards independent thinking	Accurately measures competence. Student and teacher work toward goal and measure progress