Thompson, A., & Robinson, B. S., & McNeil, J. C. (2016, June), Enhancing Critical Thinking in a First-Year Engineering Course using a Hands-On Study of Vectors  Paper presented at 2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, New Orleans, Louisiana. 10.18260/p.26694

\bibitem{asee_peer_26694}
  Thompson, A., \& Robinson, B. S., \& McNeil, J. C. (2016, June), \emph{Enhancing Critical Thinking in a First-Year Engineering Course using a Hands-On Study of Vectors}
  Paper presented at 2016 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, New Orleans, Louisiana.
  10.18260/p.26694

Angela Thompson P.E., Brian Scott Robinson, and Jaqi C. McNeil.  "Enhancing Critical Thinking in a First-Year Engineering Course using a Hands-On Study of Vectors".  2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2016, June.  ASEE Conferences, 2016.  https://peer.asee.org/26694 Internet.  10 May, 2024

\bibitem{asee_peer_26694}
  Angela Thompson P.E., Brian Scott Robinson, and Jaqi C. McNeil.
  "Enhancing Critical Thinking in a First-Year Engineering Course using a Hands-On Study of Vectors".
  \emph{2016 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2016, June}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2016.
  https://peer.asee.org/26694 Internet.  10 May, 2024

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_26694
author = "Angela Thompson P.E., Brian Scott Robinson, and Jaqi C. McNeil"
title = "Enhancing Critical Thinking in a First-Year Engineering Course using a Hands-On Study of Vectors"
booktitle = "2016 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition"
year = "2016"
month = "June"
address = "New Orleans, Louisiana"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/26694}
number = {10.18260/p.26694}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Enhancing Critical Thinking in a First-Year Engineering Course using a Hands-On Study of Vectors

This evidence-based practice paper describes development of a hands-on activity that was integrated within existing curriculum for first-year engineering students in an Introduction to Engineering course. Critical thinking instruction is a key component of this course and is demonstrated to students through instruction and application of the Paul-Elder (PE) critical thinking framework. In past years, students applied the framework primarily through a series of written assignments.
This year, the instructors aimed to enhance students understanding of the PE framework and development of critical thinking skills through a collaborative team project investigating vectors. Students mapped out paths on campus using a tape measure and compass, then described their paths using vectors. They were asked to reflect critically on the results, considering sources of error in their measurements, and write a team report explicitly addressing elements from the PE framework.
Student surveys conducted at the end of the semester suggested a better student impression of critical thinking development as a result of the added vector assignment compared to previous years with only written assignments. A review of student reports revealed that, while the majority of students were adequate at applying at least some of the key critical thinking elements specific to this assignment, only a small percentage of them appeared to successfully conduct a thorough application of the PE framework. As a result of this work, several improvements to the course and assignment have been identified and will be implemented in future iterations of the curriculum.    

AU  - Angela Thompson P.E.
AU  - Brian Scott Robinson
AU  - Jaqi C. McNeil
CY  - New Orleans, Louisiana
DA  - 2016/06/26
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Enhancing Critical Thinking in a First-Year Engineering Course using a Hands-On Study of Vectors
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/26694
DO  - 10.18260/p.26694
ER  -