Engaging Freshman Engineers Using the Paul-Elder Model of Critical Thinking

1. Critical thinking instruction in Introduction to Engineering 
The university has adopted the Paul-Elder
1
framework for its critical thinking model. By adopting this 
framework, faculty throughout the university will use the same language (Paul-Elder is discipline 
neutral) and it is hoped students will better recognize the critical thinking aspects that are implicitly a 
part of most courses. The Paul-Elder framework is shown in figure 1. The framework includes 
standards, elements, and traits. The elements are the elements of thought; they can be used to 
decompose any critical thinking into its constituent components: “what are the assumptions?” The 
standards are used to evaluate the elements, “Are the assumptions valid?” Traits are used to describe 
the characteristics of a good critical thinker, and are the most subtle.
Figure 1. The Paul-Elder Framework of critical thinking
1
. 
Various instruction methods have proven effective in encouraging critical thinking in engineering 
students. In a review of the educational literature, Cooney et al. found two primary areas for best 

---

practices in critical thinking education: writing for reflection and problem-based learning
2
. Similarly, 
Romkey and Cheng highlighted interdisciplinary problems, open-ended problems and discussion, 
reflection, and active learning as effective techniques for critical thinking development
3
. Despite the 
technique applied, several common themes emerge when researching effective development of critical 
thinking skills
2,3,4
: 
1. Explicit instruction of critical thinking is important; assessment tools and frameworks can be used as a guide, 
2. The instructor should model “good” critical thinking practice, 
3. The instructor must provide ample opportunities for the students to practice critical thinking. 
In “Introduction to Engineering,” explicit critical thinking instruction uses the Paul-Elder framework 
and includes lecture presentations on the eight elements and the standards and reading assignments from 
Learning to Think Things Through by Gerald Nosich
5
. Nosich elucidates the P-E Framework by clearly 
distinguishing between analysis and evaluation as it relates to critical thinking. The elements provide a 
way for any piece of reasoning to be analyzed or understood and the standards are filters or ways to 
evaluate the reasoning, to determine if the reasoning was done well. Figure 2 illustrates the process of 
reasoning using the Paul-Elder critical thinking framework. In “Introduction to Engineering,” 
differentiating between analysis and evaluation in terms of the elements and standards and the ability of 
the elements and standards to guide analysis and thinking is emphasized.