This phenomenological study investigated the lived experiences of the instructor and a group of learners in three online graduate courses in which critical thinking skills were emphasized alongside course content. Students completed a pre and post course self-assessment reflection and participated in post course interviews. The instructor was also interviewed. The courses included several research-based strategies to promote critical thinking skills including asynchronous discussion, instructor modeling and coaching, explicit instruction about critical thinking, self-assessment, writing, Socratic questioning, and scoring rubrics that included critical thinking criteria. The strong call for educational institutions to improve students' critical thinking skills comes from internal sources as well as from employers. Developing critical thinking skills, however, does not happen naturally or easily. This exploration of the experiences in online courses that emphasized critical thinking skills within the context of course content yielded critical findings for all educators, institutions, and learners interested in improving critical thinking skills.