UNDERGRADUATE ENGINEERING STUDENTS AND CRITICAL THINKING: A PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS

In 2007, the University of Louisville began implementation of their multi-year Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Ideas to Action (i2a): Using Critical Thinking to Foster Student Learning and Community Engagement, whichfocuses on improving the critical thinking skills of undergraduate students and more effectively preparing them to contribute to society and the workforce. The Paul-Elder critical thinking framework was selected to serve as the structure for i2a initiatives. In addition to the QEP, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) revised the accreditation criteria in 2000 to require program assessment according to eleven outcomes that all require critical thinking skills. Critical thinking can be incorporated into engineering classes in a variety of ways including writing assignments, active learning strategies, project-based design experiences, and course redesign. Clearly, accurately, and consistently assessing critical thinking across engineering courses can be challenging. The J.B. Speed School of Engineering began revising core courses in the undergraduate curriculum to align with goals and objectives of i2a and the ABET criteria. As a common course for all entering engineering students, Introduction to Engineering was the logical course to introduce critical thinking to engineering students and to prepare them for the critical thinking demands they will experience in their future discipline specific courses and careers. Another course that is common to all engineering disciplines at J.B. Speed School of Engineering is Differential Equations for Engineering, and is typically taken during the student's sophomore year. These two courses provide the foundation for this study. The purpose of this research study is to assess the critical thinking skills of undergraduate engineering students as they progress through the engineering program. The specific research question is: How do the critical thinking skills of undergraduate engineering students change as they matriculate through the engineering program? This manuscript presents baseline critical thinking data for the three cohorts enrolled in the study.