Conference Session

The Philosophy of Engineering and Technological Literacy

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alan Cheville, Bucknell University; John Heywood, Trinity CollegeDublin, The University of Dublin

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

engineering education of critical self-reflection andfocusing on problems. This is not surprising because as early as the nineteenth century theUnited States possessed a Society for the Promotion of Engineering Education that hadsponsored the first of these major reflections, and subsequently several more. Socially relevantissues in engineering education (and STEM education more generally) are often identified bynationally distributed reports from blue ribbon panels. In engineering these date back to theMann report of 1918, through the 1923 Wickenden study, the 1940 Hammond Report, the 1955Grinter Report, the Goals of Engineering Education report (1968), Engineering Education andPractice in the United States (1985), The Engineer of 2020 (2004), to

Conference Session

The Philosophy of Engineering and Technological Literacy

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

George D. Ricco, Gonzaga University

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

applied within themodern engineering education framework. While this may be a novel treatment, it does not gofar enough in addressing Heidegger’s critics and contemporaries – something we will attemptthrough using a lens borrowed from Jaspers’ work – that of his interpretation of existence andmeaning. In order to further ground this philosophical treatment, we will bring into play keyarguments of Husserl’s metaphysics, which contain constructs still relevant to a modernengineering philosophy. Finally, we hope to integrate the three in a manner relevant colleagueswithin engineering education and beyond. Whereas recently I reflected upon the developments in engineering philosophy broughtabout by a few colleagues with reference to core

Conference Session

Promoting Engineering and Technological Literacy

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dan G. Dimitriu, University of Texas at San Antonio; Mehdi Shadaram P.E., University of Texas, San Antonio

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Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

exists.In 1996 ABET (formerly the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology), adopted anew set of standards for undergraduate engineering education. They were called EngineeringCriteria 2000 and shifted the focus of undergraduate engineering accreditation from lists ofrequired courses to eleven learning outcomes (9).Preliminary WorkSome of the new outcomes went beyond the standard classic engineering education. Amongthem five outcomes (listed below as “f” through “g”) were a clear reflection of the need toanchor engineering education into ever-evolving reality of interaction between technology andsociety:f. An understanding of professional and ethical responsibilityg. An ability to communicate effectivelyh. The broad education necessary to

Conference Session

The Philosophy of Engineering and Technological Literacy

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Krupczak Jr, National Science Foundation; Mani Mina, Iowa State University; Kate A Disney, Mission College

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

engineer- ing philosophy and literacy. In particular how such literacy and competency are reflected in curricular and student activities. c American Society for Engineering Education, 2016 Initial Results in Developing an Engineering Reasoning Assessment for General EducationDespite the importance of technology to our well-being and the significance of engineeringprinciples to economic prosperity, limited work has been done measuring the degree to whichundergraduate students possess a broad understanding of the principles, products, and processesof technology. While assessments of learning gains within courses that form part of anengineering major have been developed under ABET

Conference Session

The Philosophy of Engineering and Technological Literacy

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jonathan S Weedon, Case Western Reserve University

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

, pounds, and feet) into more computable units for wind force. The display on thewhiteboard reflects back to the participants that their task cannot continue as it had beenaccomplished up to the present moment. The goal of calculating was impeded by the variousunits of measurement, which Bob saw, recognized, and decided to have changed. For theparticipants, the whiteboard “structures mutual orientation to a shared interactional space” 12. Itbrings the group’s attention to a space where everyone can see the agreed-upon record of thegroup’s activity and appraise its progress in satisfying the task. Bob noticed the impediment andacted in a way to further the group’s desired activity. He refined the equation to make simplercomputations. The

Conference Session

Promoting Engineering and Technological Literacy

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Krupczak Jr, NSF Division of Undergraduate Education; Mani Mina, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

- ing philosophy and literacy. In particular how such literacy and competency are reflected in curricular and student activities. c American Society for Engineering Education, 2016An Exercise to Promote and Assess Critical Thinking in Sociotechnical ContextThis work addresses a practical means to more clearly link the completion of an ABET-accredited undergraduate engineering degree with critical thinking about sociotechnicalissues. An exercise has been created which can be used to develop and measure an aspectof critical thinking by engineering students in a sociotechnical context. This exercise canbe used as one possible measurement of the ability of an engineering student todemonstrate attainment of ABET

Conference Session

Promoting Engineering and Technological Literacy

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Janet L. Gbur, Case Western Reserve University; Daniela Solomon, Case Western Reserve University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

Workshop should have less speakers Other (please specifiy)Figure 2. Results from the panelist survey based on how the event could be improvedThe results of the attendee survey mirrored the panelists’ responses on the organization andlength of the workshop again noting that it was a well-organized event and the length wasappropriate, though a small percentage felt the event was somewhat long. In addition to thesequestions, the attendees were also asked to reflect on their thoughts regarding workshop content,suggestions for future events, if they would consider attending again and most importantly thebenefit(s) from attendance.The attendees overwhelmingly replied that the topic was of interest to them and that some

Conference Session

Promoting Engineering and Technological Literacy

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

James W Malazita, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Dominic Francis Gelfuso; Dean Nieusma, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

upon one another in physical space during the printing process. This additive processof layering is a particular technological advantage of 3D printing: because 3D prints do notrequire a mold to produce, additive manufacturing processes allow for the creation of single-castobjects with more intricate and diverse topologies than industrial injection-molding processes.These new kinds of solid-shape designs have already made impacts across both engineering36 andthe arts.37This cross-colonization of multiple disciplines by 3D printing is reflected by themes of hybridityin the rhetoric surrounding the technology. Both photosculpture and 3D printing werecontextualized as a creative hybrid of human and machine, though with very different

Conference Session

Promoting Engineering and Technological Literacy

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jonathan Grunert, Virginia Tech; Stephanie G. Adams, Virginia Tech

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

and Exposition,Seattle, Washington. 10.18260/p.246415 Riley, Donna. Engineering and social justice. Chapter 2 “Mindsets in Engineering” Synthesis Lectures onEngineers, Technology, and Society 3.1 (2008): 33-45.6 Bandura, Albert. (1977). “Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change.” Psychological Review,Vol 84(2), Mar 1977, 191-215.Acknowledgment: This material is based upon work supported, in part, by the National ScienceFoundation, under grant 1256529. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendationsexpressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views ofthe National Science Foundation.For more on content of the course, see Riley, D., Grunert, J., Jalali, Y., Adams, S.G