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

15.1194.12could curricular requirements in all areas of STEM be best accomplished? Questions alsoarise about how much and what type of T&E capability would be optimum, and howinstitutions without technology education departments could offer T&E content.Investigations and research into innovative methods around these barriers should provefruitful, and have obvious implications on technological literacy measurements, STEMliteracy measurements and T&E standards in K-12 (and teacher preparation programs).A review of some anecdotal data on the effect of MST graduates and some future researchtopics surrounding the MST program are outlined below.(1) Anecdotal Data:Obvious questions about the MST program arise. What impact are MST graduates having

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

Defining Technological Literacy

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Krupczak, Hope College; David Ollis, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

. Notable results include: creation of approximately 30 new courses, creation ofone new converging technologies major and four converging technologies minors,integration of converging technologies material into numerous existing courses,appointment of a converging technologies director and designation of a building to beremodeled as a Center for Converging Technologies, establishment of an externalconverging technologies advisory board. This program has received the support of thecollege Board of Trustees and is now considered one of the pillars of excellence of UnionCollege. “How Things Work, Physics 105 and 106,” Louis Bloomfield, University of Virginia7,8 This course for non-science majors introduces physics and science in everydaylife

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

Defining Technological Literacy

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Douglass Klein, Union College; Robert Balmer, Union College

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

they design and develop products, systems, and environments to solve practical problems. Close reading of TfAAP suggests that, while the authors may have had primarily in mindteaching technology to the technically illiterate, the goal cuts both ways. The goal includes theability to “manage, assess, and understand technology.” Thus it is not enough to know how itworks or how to build it, the technologically literate citizen must be able to manage and assesstechnology. Thus, TfAAP places burdens on all sectors of education – both liberal arts andengineering – to create more well-rounded graduates. The national efforts of TfAAP are directed at K-12, but shouldn’t there also be a similareffort in higher education? Sadly, in the

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

Conference Session

Defining Technological Literacy

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Greg Pearson, National Academy of Engineering; David Ollis, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

formal pathwayis through technology education. With only about 30,000 teachers nationwide, however,and only one-third of states requiring students to take such courses by high school 12 ,technology education cannot at this time be considered a mainstream subject in U.S.education. Aspects of technological literacy, especially the element of design thinking,can be included in efforts aimed at introducing K-12 students to engineering. ProjectLead the Way (www.pltw.org) may be the largest and best known of these initiatives, butthere are many others that are having an impact. In post-secondary education,technological literacy has been the stated or implied goal of STS (science technologysociety) programs, and programs on the history and philosophy