WIP: A Directed Graph Approach to Connecting and Assessing Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving in Engineering Education

This innovative practice work-in-progress (WIP) paper explores the interconnection between critical thinking and problem-solving in undergraduate engineering education using a unique directed graph (digraph) approach. The development and application of critical thinking and problem-solving skills are essential for fulfilling students' academic requirements and achieving success in their future careers, especially when practicing engineers tend to solve open-ended, multi-faceted, and ill-structured problems. Not only is this imperative for students' success, but also for assessing students' ability to apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills to meet ABET student outcomes, and for continuous improvement of instruction and assessment. Our work proposes the use of digraphs to quantitatively measure hierarchical components of Critical Thinking, as outlined in the discipline-neutral Paul-Elder Critical Thinking framework. Our digraph approach to connecting and assessing critical thinking and problem-solving is unique as such a quantitative approach has not been reported. We illustrate our method utilizing an example problem from a sophomore-level Introductory Thermodynamics course, where students process multiple decision-making steps in problem-solving. This decision-making approach to problem-solving can be represented as a complex and detailed digraph, reflecting the inherent nature of problems in Thermodynamics. This selection underscores our choice of course for this WIP and demonstrates the transferability of our approach to problem-solving across various engineering disciplines. This digraph approach lends to a quantitative assessment of problem-solving skills, establishing a measurable link between engineering problem-solving and the discipline-neutral Paul-Elder Critical Thinking framework, and quantitatively assessing critical thinking.