Abstract
Critical thinking is a core ability for application-oriented graduate students to tackle complex engineering problems and grow into high-level innovative practitioners. However, application-focused technical universities still show a persistent mismatch: cultivation detached from industrial needs, skill training prioritized over critical reasoning, insufficient exposure to complex authentic contexts, and superficial integration of digital tools. Situated within industry-education integration and guided by a practice-oriented pedagogy, this study uses an AI platform as the technical carrier to clarify the core connotations of critical thinking and proposes an framework structured as "scenario introduction-knowledge integration-practice-based critical reasoning-outcome validation." It specifies how the platform supports case analysis, solution justification, and risk anticipation. University-enterprise co-developed courses, authentic project training, and a three-dimensional mentoring mechanism then align technology with talent cultivation. Evidence from the compulsory graduate course Elastic-Plastic Mechanics at Beibu Gulf University suggests that the proposed framework strengthens students' problem identification and analysis, solution optimization, and risk control in translating research outcomes during technological R&D. This study offers a practical reference for peer institutions advancing science-education integration through digital tools to cultivate industry-ready application-oriented professionals.