Conference Session

Technological Literacy for Undergraduate Students

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Krupczak, Hope College; Kate A. Disney, Mission College

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

framework is intended to form theorganizational infrastructure for creating a repository of course materials and an onlinecommunity for course developers and instructors.The proposed framework will help faculty develop expertise in adapting existing innovativecourse materials and standards for defining technological literacy and incorporating themefficiently into their own courses.What Is Technological Literacy?In 2006 the National Academy of Engineering published Tech Tally 3. In this document the NAEdefined technological literacy as “an understanding of technology at a level that enables effectivefunctioning in a modern technological society”. This reflects E.D. Hirsh’s definition of“literacy” as “information that is taken for granted in public

Conference Session

Objectives, Assessment, and Methods for Teaching Technological Literacy

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert J. Gustafson, Ohio State University; John Krupczak, Hope College; James F. Young, Rice University, Electrical & Computer Engineering; Mani Mina, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

that appropriately reflects the values and culture of society for which it is intended.9 Give examples of relationships among technologies and connections between technology and other fields of study.Responsibility10 Can identify and analyze professional, ethical, and social responsibilities as related to technology.11 Participates appropriately in decisions about the development and use of technology.12 Demonstrates an interest and ability in life-long learning and self-education about technological issues.Capabilities13 Formulate pertinent questions, of self and others, regarding the benefits and risks of technologies.14 Obtain and interpret information about new technologies.15 Discriminate the role of problem

Conference Session

Technological Literacy

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William R. Loendorf, Eastern Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

previously not considered by them. It is alsointeresting to note that many of the students, at the middle and high school levels, neverconsidered a technical career path or in some cases a college education.The range, depth, and breadth of questions were very intriguing, fascinating, and stimulating.The actions of the audiences reflected interest, curiosity, and excitement. As a result, thediscussion became a lively exchange of comments, questions, and ideas. The most frequentlyquestion asked was, why? Of course, that question is often times the hardest to answer.Many students stayed around after the presentation was over to ask more questions and exploreeducational possibilities. Many even asked if a college course was offered that

Conference Session

Objectives, Assessment, and Methods for Teaching Technological Literacy

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Scott Bartholomew; Geoff Wright, Brigham Young University; Ron Terry, Brigham Young University

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

country? [In Class Assessment] 1.75(1-5 scale, 5 = very frequently used; 1 = very infrequently used)Are the STL's used in classrooms across the country? [In collaboration with 3.5other teachers] (1-5 scale, 5 = very frequently used; 1 = very infrequentlyused)Are the STL's used in classrooms across the country? [In personal reflection] 1.75(1-5 scale, 5 = very frequently used; 1 = very infrequently used)Are the STL's used in classrooms across the country? [In Unit/Activity 2.25planning] (1-5 scale, 5 = very frequently used; 1 = very infrequently used)FindingsSurvey Results. Several noteworthy findings were recorded from the university student survey.Although students regarded ITEEA’s technological literacy standards

Conference Session

Objectives, Assessment, and Methods for Teaching Technological Literacy

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Steve Macho, Buffalo State College; Su Wang, China National Institute for Educational Research

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

instruction. To meet these goals and objectives a workshop plan was created. The plan was tocombine lectures and hands on activities. Dr Macho provided the lectures and Michael Bastonilead the hands-on portions. The intention was to immediately reinforce the ideas presented in thelectures with tactile experiences, and then reflect on those experiences. The content of thelectures were the design methods described in American Society for Engineering Education(ASEE) paper A Functional K-12 Conceptual Framework for Teaching Technological Literacy 1.The hands-on experiences were centered on design challenges using Totally Trebuchet kits fromGears Educational Systems, LLC.Method The method of gathering data was a mixed design of quantitative

Conference Session

Technological Literacy

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Krupczak, Hope College; Lauren Aprill; Mani Mina, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

and reflect on the how it might work. Faraday’s law and examples ofsome applications are discussed. Students then examine the ring thrower from the point of viewof Lenz’s law. Next students are given a copper pipe and a very strong magnet that fits insidethe pipe. When the magnet is dropped inside the pipe it falls more slowly than a magnet fallingthrough a non-conducting pipe. This difference is to the magnetic field caused by the currentinduced in the pipe by the field of the falling magnet. Students are asked to explain the reasonfor the slower rate of falling. The principle is the same as the ring throwing device but this notrevealed to the students initially. Figures 9 and 10 are photographs of these two devices.Figure 11 shows a sample

Conference Session

Technological Literacy for Undergraduate Students

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Krupczak, Hope College; Lauren Aprill

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

develop their own designs for simple technologicaldevices based on knowledge acquired by completion of these projects.AcknowledgementThis work was supported by the National Science Foundation under award: DUE-0633277. Anyopinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those ofthe authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.Bibliography 1. Our Student’s Best Work: A framework for accountability worthy of our mission, American Association of Colleges and Universities (AACU) 2nd Edition (2008). 2. Pearson G., and A.T. Young, editors, Technically speaking: Why all Americans need to know more about technology, National Academies Press, (2002). 3