It’s Critical

• Esther K Cho

  University of San Diego, USA

  Author

• Karly V. Jerman

  University of San Diego, USA

  Author

• Kameron J. LaCalli

  University of San Diego, USA

  Author

• Sabrina E. Lucero

  University of San Diego, USA

  Author

• Victoria S. Maraga

  University of San Diego, USA

  Author

• David P. Pennington

  University of San Diego, USA

  Author

• Aimee E. Slavensky

  University of San Diego, USA

  Author

• Rachel E. Stein

  University of San Diego, USA

  Author

• Neil V. Vranicar

  University of San Diego, USA

  Author

• Frank Jacobitz

  University of San Diego, USA

  Author

Critical thinking is an essential skill for achievement as an engineering student and for success in the engineering profession. Critical thinking can be defined as a mental process to responsibly form an unbiased conclusion that includes identification, skillful analysis, and evaluation of evidence to guide decision-making. This article evaluates a research project undertaken by students at the University of San Diego. In the investigators’ work, they analyzed the definitions of critical thinking and bias, what tools could be used to help in the critical thinking process, and how concepts such as bias and critical thinking affect engineers in their occupations. The team then presented this information to several introductory engineering classes in the form of a lecture and asked the students to assess their knowledge and understanding of critical thinking concepts before and after the presentation. The investigators evaluated the surveys and discovered that most students improved their definitions of bias and critical thinking after the lecture. The students also generally improved their self-rating of understanding critical thinking concepts.

1. Esther K Cho, University of San Diego, USA

   Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering

2. Karly V. Jerman, University of San Diego, USA

   Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering

3. Kameron J. LaCalli, University of San Diego, USA

   Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering

4. Sabrina E. Lucero, University of San Diego, USA

   Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering

5. Victoria S. Maraga, University of San Diego, USA

   Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering

6. David P. Pennington, University of San Diego, USA

   Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering

7. Aimee E. Slavensky, University of San Diego, USA

   Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering

8. Rachel E. Stein, University of San Diego, USA

   Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering

9. Neil V. Vranicar, University of San Diego, USA

   Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering

10. Frank Jacobitz, University of San Diego, USA

    Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering

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Copyright (c) 2016 Frank Jacobitz, Esther K Cho, Karly V. Jerman, Kameron J. LaCalli, Sabrina E. Lucero, Victoria S. Maraga, David P. Pennington, Aimee E. Slavensky, Rachel E. Stein, Neil V. Vranicar

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