Back to the basics: Read critically, reflect prudently and write analytically

Over the last couple of years, there has been a tremendous progress in Computer Science education research, techniques and new pedagogies. Although, such research shows an increase in student learning, retention and engagement; recently, we have been seeing students struggling with basic skills, such as critical reading and analytical writing. This problem is exacerbated, when faculty skip certain course content because of time limit or lack of student preparation or to satisfy other student learning outcomes. Therefore, students are not exposed to content which may expose them to higher order thinking as required by critical reading and analytical writing. This paper presents a technique that addresses both of these issues by creating reflective writing assignments, which attempts to improve students' fundamental skills along with exposing them to more advanced topics.