Critical Thinking is defined as self-reflective thinking; it is the art of analyzing thinking with the purpose of improving it. Critical thinking is one of the 21 century skills that students must develop in order to succeed in the information age. Even though instructors recognize the importance of promoting critical thinking skills in instruction, most instructors don’t feel well equipped to teach those skills. This paper summarizes the main results from a study aimed at improving critical thinking skills in first year engineering students that are not calculus ready.
Specifically, the study involves the development of a course to teach critical thinking skills to first year engineering students that are non-calculus ready. Seventy students have participated in the study, with critical thinking skills being assessed using standardized tests as well as using rubrics developed by the investigators. The structure of this NSF sponsored course was presented at 2016 ASEE Annual Conference. For the second year of this NSF grant, the investigators are expanding thinking skills to include mathematical thinking skills. The focus of this paper is on the mathematical thinking skills promoted in students and how they were evaluated. Areas of weaknesses in students’ mathematical thinking were identified and specific activities were developed to address those areas of concern. Since first year engineering students tend to struggle in math, this study is essential to improve the retention of engineering students, especially those that are non-calculus ready. Institutions searching for ways to improve the retention of non-calculus ready engineering students will benefit from attending this presentation.
Lizzie Y. Santiago, Ph.D., is a teaching associate professor for the freshman engineering program in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources. She holds a Ph.D. in chemical engineering and has postdoctoral training in neural tissue engineering and molecular neurosciences. She teaches freshman engineering courses and supports the outreach and recruiting activities of the college. Her research interests include neural tissue engineering, stem cell research, absorption of air pollutants in human upper airways, attrition and university retention, increasing student awareness and interest in research and engineering, STEM education, and recruitment and retention of women and minorities.
Melissa Morris is currently an Assistant Professor in Residence in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She previously served as a Teaching Associate Professor for the Freshman Engineering Program, at WVU
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