Perspectives on critical thinking through online discussion forums in engineering mathematics

Abstract

This study set out to examine the online mathematical communication and measure the progress of critical thinking (CT) skills of students that occurred in collaborative groups, during two collaborative problem solving sessions via online Discussion Forums (DFs), in a first year Engineering Mathematics unit which spans 14 weeks. It was found that the calculated CT scores have improved from the first to the second DF session. The CT scores were connected with moderation techniques associated with Socratic Questioning and reflection scaffolds, during the first session, but not in the second. Students' perceptions on the DFs were analyzed and was found that majority of the students found the DF sessions quite challenging to their thinking skills and profitable for developing their problem solving skills. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010.