Conference Session

Technological Literacy for K-12 and for Community College Students: Concepts, Assessment, and Courses

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Stephen O'Brien, The College of New Jersey

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

deals with, for example, deeper contextuallearning and open-ended design/problem-solving. With deep experiences in all four areas ofSTEM, our K-5 MST graduates have high content knowledge and high skill levels in STEM,resulting in overall higher teacher effectiveness. Perhaps more importantly, MST programgraduates have comfort (low anxiety) in a broad set of subjects and experiences.In this paper we give a detailed description of (i) the K-5 MST program, (ii) a brief overviewof a quantitative characterization of the program and (iii) unique research topics madepossible with our K-5 STEM graduates and their students.Summary:The K-5 MST program at our institution offers a unique opportunity both for increasingteacher effectiveness and K-5 student

Conference Session

Technological Literacy for K-12 and for Community College Students: Concepts, Assessment, and Courses

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Randy Libros, Community College of Philadelphia; Kathleen Harter, Community College of Philadelphia

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

. Use of nanostructured devices for tracking versus privacy issues and a hypotheticalcase study of a solar panel company (which uses nanotechnology in its manufacturing process)moving into a town provide opportunities to explore the societal impacts of nanotechnology.6PedagogyThe pedagogy employed for all the modules is active and cooperative and includes some if notall of these techniques in each module: group work, project based learning, role plays, paneldiscussions and guest speakers. The use of interactive, team-based activities in the course aredrawn from many of the “best-practices” identified in educational literature that have beenshown to increase student understanding and retention of materials as well as improve studentpersistence

Conference Session

Technological Literacy - Courses, Educational and Accreditation Standards

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Blake, Austin Peay State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

value tothem and to society.There are (or should be) higher expectations on engineering and engineering technology majorsin regards to technological literacy. This is obvious in the area of capabilities. For example,while a citizen should have a basic understanding of the design process, the major must beprepared on graduation to become a productive part of the design team and should be prepared tolead a team later in their career. A citizen should be prepared to participate in debates abouttechnology. They should be prepared to understand and thoughtfully weigh the arguments of theexpert. A graduate should be expected to do more. They should have greater knowledge in theirarea of expertise, and they should be the experts and take a leading

Conference Session

Teaching Technological Literacy - College Courses and Minors

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Krupczak, Hope College; Mani Mina, Iowa State University; Robert J. Gustafson, Ohio State University; James Young, Rice University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

provide little practical understanding of our complex human-built technologicalinfrastructure. Non-engineers who complete a university natural science distribution requirementare hardly prepared to lead the world’s largest economy through its present turmoil and to makeinformed decisions about topics such as supporting the automotive industry, developing fossilfuel alternatives, or appropriate regulation of nanotechnology.Minors can provide an efficient and credible way for non-engineering majors to obtain apractical and meaningful degree of technological literacy. These minors will not be intended todevelop design-level engineering knowledge, but rather are based on the general competenciesadvocated by the National Academy of Engineering in such

Conference Session

Teaching Technological Literacy - College Courses and Minors

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Doyle, Penn State University; Richard Devon, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

concept of open source design. Technical writing coursescould also readily embrace the practice. We are seriously considering creating both these coursesin lieu of what we have done so far. In the case of design, the course will probably be graduatelevel where we can attract even more students in nanotechnology research. In this way, we canmodel further diffusion of TL through process.We have not addressed the issue of metrics. Rather like the collaborative education movement,we are inclined to pursue it first and measure the impacts later hoping for the best. And just likethat movement the first tangible results might be a rise in our teaching evaluations, which didhappen. The students were enthusiastic participants all semester and the formal

Conference Session

Technological Literacy - Courses, Educational and Accreditation Standards

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Blake, Austin Peay State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

, although specific expectations for majors willoften exceed expectations for non-majors. A graduate of an engineering technology orengineering degree program would have knowledge and capabilities required for practice in theirfield that would go far beyond expectations for a non-major. These aspects are directly related tothe curriculum in any degree program. Aspects related to broader questions and concerns, suchas the impact of technology on society, are not closely linked to the traditional elements of thecurriculum. These aspects of technological literacy are, however, at least as important to ourgraduates as they mature and move into positions of leadership as they are to non-majors.Accreditation Criteria – Program OutcomesThe need to prepare

Conference Session

Technological Literacy and the Educated Person

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michele Dischino, Central Connecticut State University; James DeLaura, Central Connecticut State University; Patrick Foster, Central Connecticut State University; David Sianez, CCSU

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

show that in2003, 68.3% of engineering degrees were awarded to Caucasians, 14% to Asian Americans,5.1% to African Americans, 5.4% to Hispanic students and 7.2% to others. It is important to notethat since 1999 there has been a declining trend in the number of Hispanic and African Americanstudents among all engineering graduates. At the same time, the percentage of bachelor’sengineering degrees awarded to women is only 20%.Benefits of After School ProgramsWell-implemented after school programs can have a positive impact on a range of academic andother outcomes, particularly for disadvantaged children and youth. Academic outcomesassociated with participation in after school programs include12:  Better attitudes toward school and higher