scholarly journals A Systematic Approach To Teaching Critical Thinking Skills To Electrical And Computer Engineering Undergraduates

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karla Conn Welch Conn Welch ◽  
Jeffrey Hieb ◽  
James Graham
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Computing Methods ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Computer Engineering ◽  
Implicit Instruction ◽  
Incoming Freshmen ◽  
Critical Thinking Instruction ◽  
Pilot Implementation

Coursework that instills patterns of rigorous logical thought has long been a hallmark of the engineering curriculum.  However, today’s engineering students are expected to exhibit a wider range of thinking capabilities both to satisfy ABET requirements and to prepare the students to become successful practitioners.  This paper presents the initial results from a systematic effort to incorporate broader critical thinking instruction and assessment into electrical and computer engineering education as part of a university-wide quality enhancement program.  All incoming freshmen are given explicit and implicit instruction in critical thinking in ENGR 100: Introduction to Engineering and other engineering fundamentals courses, using the Paul-Elder framework of critical thinking to define and operationalize critical thinking.  This critical thinking foundation is reinforced later in the disciplinary courses so that students integrate critical thinking with the basic principles and practices of engineering.  In the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) program, at the sophomore level, students use critical thinking skills which were developed during their engineering fundamentals courses, to analyze requirements and constraints which would apply in real-world design projects.  At the junior level, similar use of critical thinking is applied in an introductory computing methods course; and at the senior level, critical thinking skills are again strengthened and assessed in the capstone design course and in the professional issues and current topics seminar.  The latter course emphasizes understanding of professional ethics and current topics in electrical and computer engineering.  Initial data from this pilot implementation indicates statistically significant improvement in critical thinking skills in ECE students who have progressed through this sequence, and as a side benefit, it appears that writing skills also improve.

scholarly journals Examining the Influence of Culture on Critical Thinking in Higher Education

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Vivian Miu-Chi Lun
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Cultural Difference ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Language Ability ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
European Students ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Critical Thinking Instruction

<p>In the midst of an increasingly changing world, the ability to think critically has become a crucial attribute expected of university graduates. However, the endorsement of critical thinking in higher education has been challenged by the growing cultural diversity in university classrooms. Concerns about Asian students' lack of critical thinking and the appropriateness of critical thinking instruction in international education have been raised by teaching professionals. The present dissertation sought to understand the influence of culture on the teaching and learning of critical thinking in higher education. Chapter 2 presented a study examining the instructional contexts of Hong Kong and New Zealand. It was found that similar assessment methods were employed in the university courses in both cultures, but university courses in Hong Kong placed more emphasis on knowledge development whereas those in New Zealand explicitly described critical thinking in the course objectives. Chinese international and New Zealand European postgraduate students were individually interviewed to investigate the exact influence of cultural-educational contexts in Asia and New Zealand on university students' conception and practice of critical thinking (Chapter 3). Both samples of students held similar conceptions of critical thinking, but reported differences in their socialization experiences regarding the practice of critical thinking in their respective cultures. Specifically, stronger inhibition on students' practice of critical thinking was noted in Asia than in New Zealand. In Chapter 4, two studies that investigated the differences in critical thinking skills between Asian and New Zealand European students are presented. In both studies, New Zealand European students were found to perform better than their Asian counterparts on an objective measure of critical thinking skills. The difference was explained by students English language ability but not cultural factors such as cultural differences in cognitive styles or behavioral adoption of New Zealand culture. It was suggested that observed cross-cultural difference in critical thinking skills is related more to language ability rather than cultural variables. A significantly positive relationship between critical thinking skills and academic performance was found, and the relationship was not significantly different between Asian and New Zealand European student samples (Chapter 5). The relationship was also not different as a function of students' adoption of New Zealand culture, indicating that pedagogy with an emphasis on critical thinking is similarly applicable to both Asian and New Zealand European students. Overall, the present findings indicated that culture has an important influence on students' practice of critical thinking. Although there is cross-cultural difference in critical thinking skills between Asian and Western student samples, the difference appears to be related more to language ability rather than cultural factors. The present thesis provided empirical evidence to show that culture influences the educational practice of critical thinking, but the influence of culture does not necessarily impede the application of critical thinking instruction in international classrooms. With appropriate adaptation, critical thinking instruction can be beneficial to the intellectual development of students regardless of their cultural backgrounds.</p>

Critical Thinking, Instruction, and Professional Development for Schools in the Digital Age

2016 ◽  
pp. 27-46
Author(s):  
Howard V. Coleman ◽  
Jeremy Dickerson ◽  
Dennis Dotterer
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Digital Age ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Depth Of Knowledge ◽  
Critical Thinking Instruction

This chapter presents theories, issues and practices for creating effective, technologically rich learning environments in schools. In the digital age, teachers and school leaders must work together to ensure the development of higher level critical thinking skills for students. Using Bloom's Revised Taxonomy of Knowledge and Webb's Depth of Knowledge as theoretical guides, this chapter discusses how teachers may move towards more flexible, student-centered instructional models rather than traditional teacher-centered methodologies. Guiding questions are presented to assist teachers in determining what to consider when designing technology-enhanced instruction to promote higher level critical thinking skills. Topics include a review of technological factors influencing technology integration, modifications of teacher practices to best match the changing culture in K-12 classrooms, examinations of pedagogical practices in techno-centric classrooms, current and future professional development needs for teachers, and the importance of assessment and evaluation in monitoring the effectiveness of instructional practices in 21st Century learning environments.

Critical Thinking, Instruction, and Professional Development for Schools in the Digital Age

2017 ◽  
pp. 1235-1254
Author(s):  
Howard V. Coleman ◽  
Jeremy Dickerson ◽  
Dennis Dotterer
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Digital Age ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Depth Of Knowledge ◽  
Critical Thinking Instruction

This chapter presents theories, issues and practices for creating effective, technologically rich learning environments in schools. In the digital age, teachers and school leaders must work together to ensure the development of higher level critical thinking skills for students. Using Bloom's Revised Taxonomy of Knowledge and Webb's Depth of Knowledge as theoretical guides, this chapter discusses how teachers may move towards more flexible, student-centered instructional models rather than traditional teacher-centered methodologies. Guiding questions are presented to assist teachers in determining what to consider when designing technology-enhanced instruction to promote higher level critical thinking skills. Topics include a review of technological factors influencing technology integration, modifications of teacher practices to best match the changing culture in K-12 classrooms, examinations of pedagogical practices in techno-centric classrooms, current and future professional development needs for teachers, and the importance of assessment and evaluation in monitoring the effectiveness of instructional practices in 21st Century learning environments.

scholarly journals A Framework for Infusing Critical Thinking into Chinese College EFL Learners’ Argumentative Writing Process

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 16
Author(s):  
Chunxia Lu
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Writing Process ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Argumentative Writing ◽  
Pedagogical Tool ◽  
Writing Ability ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Written Argumentation ◽  
Critical Thinking Instruction

Written argumentation, as a language skill and a cognitive skill as well, is not easy for EFL learners. In China, related studies found that college EFL learners are weak in written argumentation due to the deficiency of critical thinking. In order to enhance Chinese college EFL learners’ argumentative writing ability, this paper reviewed the nature of argumentative writing, the relationship between critical thinking and argumentative writing and previous studies on effects of critical thinking instruction into argumentative writing, and then pointed out that it is reasonable to infuse critical thinking into argumentative writing process in Chinese EFL context. With teachers’ feedback and students’ reflection as the pedagogical tool, the author synthesized an instruction framework for infusing critical thinking skills into Chinese EFL learners’ argumentative writing process hopefully to provide reference for further research and instruction.

scholarly journals Board 137: Critical Thinking Skills in Non-calculus Ready First-year Engineering Students

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lizzie Santiago ◽  
Anika Pirkey ◽  
Mustapha Animashaun ◽  
Melissa Morris
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
First Year

scholarly journals Development of Problem-Based Kinematics Teaching Material to Improve Students' Critical Thinking Skills

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Inung Diah Kurniawati
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Teaching Material ◽  
Teaching Materials ◽  
Physics Teaching ◽  
Average Value ◽  
Material Development ◽  
Average Analysis

Physics learning needs to be given by giving problems so that students can gain experience from their thinking abilities. Student's mindset will be more focused if they are able to think critically. The purpose of this study was to develop problem-based teaching material to improve informatics engineering students' critical thinking skills. With this teaching material development, students are expected to be able to maximize their thinking skills. This study used development research design that aimed to produce a problem-based physics teaching material. The trial subjects for this teaching materials were 3 lecturers and 12 informatics engineering students from University of PGRI Madiun. From this study, quantitative and qualitative data were obtained. The obtained data from the assessment of lecturers and students will be analyzed by average analysis technique. From the average value obtained, the feasibility level of problem-based teaching material will be determined. Based on the results of the analysis, the average value of 3.33 with good category were obtained. Furthermore, the results of this teaching materials development can be used in the implementation test. Teaching materials were needed by students to gain direct experience in learning physics.

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