Abstract
This analysis investigates the deployment of the Cornell Critical Thinking Test Level Z (CCTT-Z) as a placement tool to assess incoming students' readiness for a design thinking studio at the College of Architecture and Design at Lawrence Technological University. In 2018, the college shifted its first-year curriculum from an arts-based model to one grounded in design thinking, emphasizing process orientated practices focused on cognitive skill development, problem-solving, and human-centred design. The college aimed to identify students potentially unprepared for the cognitive demands of design thinking so focused support could be actualized. In Fall 2024, the CCTT-Z was administered to 149 students, with 131 completing the assessment, and results were correlated with studio performance. Contrary to expectations grounded in existing literature linking critical thinking and design ability, analysis revealed a near-zero correlation (r=0.078), indicating independence between the two variables. This paper explores this disconnect in context, serving as an early exploratory case study and a call to action for design educators to further investigate approaches to supporting student success through the early identification of at-risk students. The findings challenge assumptions about standardized critical thinking tests as predictors of design success and suggest the need for discipline-specific evaluation tools that might better capture the cognitive processes involved in design thinking.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drslxd.2025.079
Citation
Plowright, P.,and Yolac, A.(2025) Disconnected Measures: Exploring the Relationship Between Critical Thinking Tests and Design Studio Outcomes, in Clemente, V., Gomes, G., Reis, M., Félix, S., Ala, S., Jones, D. (eds.), Learn X Design 2025, 22-24 September 2025, Aveiro, Portugal. https://doi.org/10.21606/drslxd.2025.079
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Full Paper
Disconnected Measures: Exploring the Relationship Between Critical Thinking Tests and Design Studio Outcomes
This analysis investigates the deployment of the Cornell Critical Thinking Test Level Z (CCTT-Z) as a placement tool to assess incoming students' readiness for a design thinking studio at the College of Architecture and Design at Lawrence Technological University. In 2018, the college shifted its first-year curriculum from an arts-based model to one grounded in design thinking, emphasizing process orientated practices focused on cognitive skill development, problem-solving, and human-centred design. The college aimed to identify students potentially unprepared for the cognitive demands of design thinking so focused support could be actualized. In Fall 2024, the CCTT-Z was administered to 149 students, with 131 completing the assessment, and results were correlated with studio performance. Contrary to expectations grounded in existing literature linking critical thinking and design ability, analysis revealed a near-zero correlation (r=0.078), indicating independence between the two variables. This paper explores this disconnect in context, serving as an early exploratory case study and a call to action for design educators to further investigate approaches to supporting student success through the early identification of at-risk students. The findings challenge assumptions about standardized critical thinking tests as predictors of design success and suggest the need for discipline-specific evaluation tools that might better capture the cognitive processes involved in design thinking.