How Engineering and Computing Students Demonstrate Critical Thinking during Required Co-op Work Experiences

This Research Full Paper will discuss the demonstration of critical thinking of undergraduate students through their required co-op experiences. Critical thinking is an important 21st century skill that is expressed through measurable outcomes such as the ability to successfully use information, design, analyze, and problem solve. At Rochester Institute of Technology, a primarily technically focused university with strong programs in engineering and computing sciences, there is a dedicated effort to enhance the critical thinking ability of the students on campus. This paper will discuss our initiative for the integration of critical thinking into the student experience. In addition, the majority of our students complete one or more paid cooperative education experiences to satisfy their degree requirements. Upon completion of the experience, the employers are asked to rate the student performance on several metrics, one of which is demonstration of critical thinking. By analyzing the data from these surveys, we have found that employers consistently rate our students as proficient and capable. Our analysis shows that there is a slight difference in critical thinking ratings based on field of study, but not based on term in which it occurred, or number of experiences students engaged in.