Conference Session

Technological Literacy and Technological Policy

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Boz Bowles, Louisiana State University; Paige Davis, Louisiana State University; Warren N. Waggenspack Jr., Louisiana State University; Barbara A. Heifferon, Louisiana State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

established the need to better prepareengineers to operate on the global stage. Also, many other publications, most notably theAccreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET), 4,5,6,7 have emphasized theimportance of improving communication skills of engineering students. At LSU, all three of Page 25.1445.2these needs have been acknowledged and addressed in the College of Engineering’s “Five-YearStrategic Plan: 2010-2015.” 8With these challenges in mind, our university developed a study-abroad program, EncounterEngineering in Europe (E3), in which students traveled to Germany in the summer of 2010 totour factories, plants, and universities, as

Conference Session

Engineering and Technological Literacy: Past and Future

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Steven R. Walk, Old Dominion University

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

States has remained at aboutone half hour since the automobile became the main choice of personal mobility a century ago.This identified invariant is practical and useful, for example, in the design and planning ofautomobiles. The advice to automobile manufacturers is that seat design need onlyaccommodate the average drive, about 30 minutes. This example and other results from studiesof transportation technology histories can provide insight into the design, adoption, andproductivity of telecommuting and „virtual workplace‟ strategies envisioned to be part of thefuture R&D organization and operation.An example of invariant behavior is evident in the consistent trajectories of human exploration,whether terrestrial or extra-terrestrial (see

Conference Session

Innovations in Promoting Technological Literacy I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dan G. Dimitriu, San Antonio College; Simona Dana Dimitriu, Pat Neff Middle School - Northside Independent School District (NISD); Thomas Gadsden Jr., Our Lady of the Lake University

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

by 2010 [4].The problem presented by these new facts is not new but has becoame more pressing with thedevelopment of a global economy. So, how do we help the teachers find new ideas and newmethods that will attract and excite students to learn difficult subjects such as Math and Science?How do we empower them to take initiative and develop new projects and lesson plans that willhelp students accept and overcome the modern world’s technical challenges?In the 1950s, a famous French mathematician, Hadamard [5], found a massive disconnectbetween how we teach math and science and how mathematicians and scientists actually work.He concluded that what the intellectual tools mathematicians and scientistsy used to accomplishtheir work was more

Conference Session

Technological Literacy and Technological Policy

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Zachary Foltz, Iowa State University; Amanpreet Kaur, Iowa State University; William Henry Tushaus, Iowa State University; Christopher Sears Mikelson, Iowa State University; Brian Vincent Skalak; Mani Mina, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

tosequestering stations or pump it in to deep geological formations [11]. There are also many taxincentive programs for both companies and individuals as established in the Energy Provisionsof the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 including residential energy propertycredits, plug-in vehicle credits, and new clean renewable energy bonds.One state that has really stepped up in global warming policy is California. Their GlobalWarming Solutions Act outlines a plan to reduce their state wide greenhouse gases and transitionto a sustainable, clean energy economy. Their strategies and goals include achieving a statewiderenewable energy mix of 33% by 2020, establish targets for transportation-related greenhousegas emissions for regions throughout

Conference Session

Technological Literacy and the Non-science College Student

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert M. Brooks, Temple University; Jyothsna Kavuturu; Mehmet Cetin, Temple University

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

problem has reached a disproportionatelylarger size by following non-linear trends; 4) strategies planned and implemented at personal,local national and world level can mitigate global warming. An appreciation of the necessity tofund strategies to reduce global warming is created. Page 25.1144.4Using Case StudiesThis section dealt with a case study on the topic, “Measurement of carbon stored in vegetation.The students are asked to familiarize with technical jargon (e.g. carbon sequestration, long termcarbon storage, kyoto protocol, carbon credits, terrestrial ecosystems, carbon sinks) by readingscience newspaper articles. Measurements of the

Conference Session

Technological Literacy and Technological Policy

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert A. Heard, Carnegie Mellon University

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

of specialized knowledge, most often in mathematics or in the sciences. Forhumanity students, fewer course offerings in technical fields are available as options because ofthese limiting requirements. This was recognized as one obstacle that needed to be addressed bycarefully choosing the course topic and content. For this particular course, a historical and socialreflection of the use of materials and was planned. We do not avoid numbers or analysis, butpresent these in ways that underline the conceptual point of discussion. With Materials Science and Engineering, the subject itself carries great breadth dealingwith high technical and specialized science through areas of business and impact. It is the latterportion of the field that

Conference Session

Innovations in Promoting Technological Literacy I

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Isabel Huff, Smith College; Glenn W. Ellis, Smith College; Lucy McAuliffe, Smith College; Sonia K. Ellis, Smith College; Beth McGinnis-Cavanaugh, Springfield Technical Community College

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

indicated a strong interest in using Talk to Me as a tool to promoteliteracy (including ESL learners) and integrate technology throughout the curriculum. Tosupport that effort an audio book is currently being developed and plans are being made totranslate Talk to Me into Spanish. We also recognize that while some of the concepts exploredin Talk to Me will be familiar to teachers, many of the concepts (such as AI) will be new. Toaddress this concern a teacher’s guide is being developed that will include an introduction to IE,tips for how Talk to Me can be used most effectively in a variety of informal and formal learningenvironments, and content readings that will give teachers the background and confidenceneeded to integrate Talk to Me in their

Conference Session

Technological Literacy and the Non-science College Student

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert M. Brooks, Temple University; Jyothsna Kavuturu; Mehmet Cetin, Temple University

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

%. Page 25.362.8 3. In their self evaluations, the students ranked remote consequences as the least important among all the performance indices. The experimental group’s improvement over the control group was 11%. The same improvement (11%) between the two groups was noted by the results of the instructor’s grading on the assignments.The authors plan to extend this strategy to two other courses over the next three years. Themethod presented in this study may be used at other institutions in their courses with appropriatemodifications in order to prepare the students for using creativity to enhance their technologyliteracy.Bibliography1. Mumford, M. D. (2003). Where have we been, where are we going? Taking stock in creativity

Conference Session

Technological Literacy and the Non-science College Student

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mariana Tafur, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Demetra Evangelou, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Johannes Strobel, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

interaction between troubleshooter’sdecision and artifact outcomes in order to draw conclusion about the system’s faults andtherefore developing diagnose skills.This appropriate learning environment is intrinsically related to technological literacy because ofthe interaction with the artifact, which is technology itself.References1. International Technology Education Association. Standards for Technological Literacy: Content for the Study of Technology. Third Edition ed. Reston, VA: ITEA; 2007: http://www.iteawww.org/TAA/PDFs/xstnd.pdf.2. Alcaldia de Funza. Funza: Ciudad Eficiente. Plan de Desarrollo. 2011; www.funza.gov.co/plan.shtml, 2011.3. Alcaldia de Funza. Acuerdo No.15 Diciembre 07 de 2007. 2011; http

Conference Session

Innovations in Promoting Technological Literacy II

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

J. Douglass Klein, Union College

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society, Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

notwithstanding, the evidence suggests a fairly continuous evolutiontoward more complex and ubiquitous technology. But evolution toward what? How much of astep is it from IBM’s Watson,31 to the HAL of 2001,40 to The Matrix?79 How far are we fromtechnology as servant to technology as master? Who or what is in charge here, and should wecare? Unless we are to become the proverbial frog in a frying pan, we (engineers and everyoneelse) must be prepared to think proactively about these questions. Proactive thinking does notmean trying to stop technology, but rather trying to understand and plan for where it is heading.The intent of this course is to lay the groundwork for this kind of thinking.3. Core readings Core readings for the course will be drawn from

Conference Session

Engineering and Technological Literacy: Past and Future

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John W. Blake P.E., Austin Peay State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

entail risk, some that can be anticipated and some that cannot.• Appreciates that the development and use of technology involve trade-offs and a balance ofcosts and benefits.• Asks pertinent questions, of self and others, regarding the benefits and risks of technologies.• Seeks information about new technologies.• Participates … in decisions about the development and use of technology.Including these characteristics in planning the course and assessment will give an indicator ofprogress towards meeting the course objectives.Course: Engineering MaterialsFor this course, the learning outcomes include 1) a working knowledge of materials and theability to apply this in practical applications, 2) a basic background in the science of materials, 3)a

Conference Session

Innovations in Promoting Technological Literacy II

Collection

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Zbigniew J. Pasek, University of Windsor

Tagged Divisions

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society, Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

originated here to use a hologram as the basis for a $99 computer After much brainstorming, a prototype is created. This prototype, Figure 2 below, iscontrolled with internet monitor gloves which allow the user to control the projected 3-D screenby rotating it, clicking certain buttons and even opening documents and internet pages. It alsohas a voice that projects through speakers to communicate to the user. The team came up with“E-Magic” as a name for their product. With the prototype complete, the team travels to variouscompanies to present the proposal of their product for possible investments. Unfortunately, themeetings did not go as planned and the prototype malfunctions many times. One of themalfunctions involved not displaying the proper