Abstract:

Critical thinking is an essential element in all formal educational disciplines. It is important in engineering disciplines in which students are expected to understand and apply basic principles in the analysis of systems and in the design of innovative engineering mechanical and thermal systems. The thermal and fluid sciences subjects, which are primarily Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics subjects, are engineering science subjects that can assist in the development of critical thinking skills. The teaching style of an instructor is a major factor in the enhancement of the critical thinking skills of students.

In this paper, an approach to teaching and learning is presented that is demonstrated to enhance critical thinking skills. The approach is different from the rote approach style of teaching that is presented to and practiced by students during most of their educational journey. The novel approach demands students to dedicate a lot of time in reading critically, taking good notes in lectures, completing homework assignments that involve elements of critical thinking, and taking examinations in which students are expected to derive basic equations starting from the laws of science. An aspect of teaching fluid and thermal sciences that does not receive attention is the lack of emphasis on reading critically sections of a recommended textbook. In the approach presented in this paper, students are expected to complete several objective questions (MCQs or fill in the blanks) that account for about 30 % of the total points on course examinations.

In addition to a description of the teaching and learning approach to enhance critical thinking skills in the paper, an attempt is made to evaluate how well students adjust to the paradigm. The element of critical reading is evaluated and presented separately and in combination with the overall evaluation of each of the courses taught over a few semesters in the fluid and thermal sciences. It is concluded that although the overall performance of students is better than other methods of teaching, there is the need for students to spend more time in reading and discussing critically subject areas that may impede their understanding of the subject matter.

Keywords:

Critical thinking, fluid, thermal, science, engineering.