| This study investigates the perceptions of engineering faculty regarding the development of critical thinking skills in engineering and highlights similarities and differences as a function of academic level: technical, baccalaureate, and graduate. The randomly selected subjects were 251 engineering and technology faculty who are members of the American Society of Engineering Educators. Subjects were categorized in three groups based on level of student taught. There were 45 subjects in the technical group, 146 in the baccalaureate, and 60 in the graduate.An investigator developed survey instrument was used to solicit perceptions from engineering faculty regarding the importance of critical thinking skills to engineering, the value they perceive the engineering profession places on critical thinking skills, the critical thinking skills that engineers should possess, the extent that these skills are possessed by graduates, teaching strategies that aid the development of critical thinking skills, and the extent of use of these teaching strategies. The data was analyzed to characterized similarities and differences among faculty perceptions. The study further analyzed the data to determine if any difference in perception regarding critical thinking skills can be attributed to the type of program in which the faculty teach--technical, baccalaureate, and graduate.Analysis of variance procedures revealed significant differences (.05 level) between those critical thinking skills important to engineering and valued by engineering, between critical thinking skills engineers should possess and those graduates do possess, and between teaching strategies which are perceived to aid higher order thinking development and those actually in use. A significant difference (.05 level) was revealed regarding the perceptions of those teaching at the technical level compared to those at the baccalaureate and graduate levels with respect to valued thinking skills, critical thinking skills that engineers should possess, skills that graduating engineers do possess, and teaching strategies in use. Suggestions for further research include the development of an engineering specific critical thinking assessment instrument and further study of teaching strategies that enhance higher order thinking skills in engineering and technology students. |
