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

concept of teaching technological literacythroughout the curriculum. Page 15.1193.2IntroductionFirst year courses are an integral part of many engineering and engineering technology degreeprograms. These courses serve to introduce newly declared majors to careers in engineering andtechnology. A student taking such a course should come away with a foundation of knowledgeabout engineering and technology, about the different engineering disciplines, the work involved,and career prospects to be able to make an informed decision on whether they should pursuesuch a degree or not and what discipline would be the best match to their talents and

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

, third and fourth modules were each themed on a current technology not only to befound in the news but tied to curricula offered by the College. Linking the modules to currentCollege offerings was recognized as an opportunity to expose and attract students to thesescientifically–based careers. In addition, the modular structure of the course allows the contentto be swiftly altered should another scientific technology offering become more of a focus withinthe institution.Each of these subsequent modules followed the same methodology. First, the basic scientificconcepts of biology, physics or chemistry (including important terms and math concepts)underlying the technology are presented. Building upon that base, one or more

Conference Session

Teaching Technological Literacy - Engaging Students

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Steven Walk, Old Dominion University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

quantitative technology forecasting techniques, and the author providesseveral examples of his experiences researching and applying the methodologies. The authorshares his experience introducing the concepts and sample studies in discussions of career andpersonal technology choices with undergraduate students in introduction to engineering andengineering technology courses.IntroductionLiteracy in technology, including knowledge of technological and social change, has been citedin various organization and research publications1,2,3 as cornerstone to maintaining social,cultural, and economic progress in the United States and around the world. The means to modeland project technological and social change has been improving over the years

Conference Session

Installing & Assessing Technology Literacy Courses

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Matthew Ohland, Clemson University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

-qualified pre-college teachers of mathematics, science, and technology.” Thereport’s recommendations include:8 • To make pre-college teaching more competitive with other career opportunities, resources must be provided to support programs in teacher preparation at institutions that succeed in integrating faculty and curricula of schools of engineering and science with schools of education; and • To improve effectiveness of pre-college teaching, stakeholders must collaborate to support outreach efforts to K-12 by science and engineering professionals to motivate high quality curricular standards and expand content knowledge for classroom teachers and support research on learning that better informs K-12

Conference Session

Improving Technical Understanding of All Americans

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kara Harris, College of Technology - Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

, and it suggests that the profession is for someone “like me.” Girls want their future job to be enjoyable, have a good working environment, make a difference, offer a good salary, and be flexible. (p.12) 8With this obvious need present to recruit individuals into ETTE, specifically females andan understanding of what motivates young women to choose certain career paths, theresearcher has identified specific factors that influenced females to choose ETTE as acareer path. Research Questions 1. What are the basic demographic data of females pursuing degrees in ETTE in the United States? 2. What factors influenced females to peruse degrees in ETTE?Methodology This study was conducted in the fall semester

Conference Session

Installing & Assessing Technology Literacy Courses

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Camille George, University of St. Thomas; Elise Amel, University of St. Thomas; Karl Mueller, University of St. Thomas

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

elementary education majors. She is a member of ASME, ASEE, SWE, ESW and EWB.Elise Amel, University of St. Thomas Professor Amel is an industrial/organizational psychologist. Her expertise includes survey development, psychometrics (reliability, validity, utility), data analysis, as well as feminist issues in psychology and business law. She is personally interested in how gender affects career choice. She believes strongly in the scientist-practitioner model, using her academic background to solve practical problems and using her problem solving experiences to enhance her teaching. She has received an award for excellence in service learning. Professor Amel also has specific expertise

Conference Session

Technology Literacy for Non-Engineers

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lawrence Whitman, Wichita State University; James Steck, Wichita State University; David Koert, Wichita State University; Larry Paarmann, Wichita State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

AC 2007-710: A CLASS FOR UNDERGRADUATE TECHNICAL LITERACYUSING LEGO MINDSTORMSLawrence Whitman, Wichita State UniversityJames Steck, Wichita State UniversityDavid Koert, Wichita State UniversityLarry Paarmann, Wichita State University Page 12.12.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2007 A CLASS FOR UNDERGRADUATE TECHNICAL LITERACY USING LEGO MINDSTORMSAbstractMuch effort is underway to encourage students to pursue careers in science, technology,engineering, and mathematics. There is a growing base of infusing these necessary skills andattitudes to stimulate the pursuit of these avenues as careers. There is also much effort aimed ataddressing the

Conference Session

Engineering and Technology for Everyone

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Patricia Carlson, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

commitment to 21st century education focuses onlife and career skills. In this section, teachers indicated to what degree Moodle – with itsemphasis on visualization, rich context, staged problem solving, and electronically enabledcollaboration / communication – help students learn skills that mirror professional STEMpractices in a technology-based environment. The segment also contained items on skillsfoundational to group work – such as communication and collaboration.This cluster contains encouraging results for a set of competencies that move beyond the three“Rs” in the traditional view of K-12 instruction (see Table 4). We note that these more nuancedskills are difficult to teach and require substantive preparation and monitoring from a

Conference Session

Improving Technical Understanding of All Americans

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mary Kasarda, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Brenda Brand, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Michael Collver, Montgomery County Public Schools; Gabriel Goldman, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

during the process. This aspect is particularly appropriate and critical for the success of courses and experiences focused on achieving technological literacy in young students.While it can be argued that the application of Bandura’s (and other’s) educational components forself-efficacy should be applied to all levels of STEM education, the authors believe it isparticularly critical in scenarios where one of the major goals is to achieve technological literacyand comfort with STEM subjects in younger students. By achieving self-efficacy of students intechnological literacy, the door is opened for many students to pursue STEM careers who wouldnot have considered this path otherwise. Assessment of this hypothesis is underway, but

Conference Session

Teaching Technological Literacy - Engaging Students

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Krupczak, Hope College; Kate Disney, Mission College

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

. Page 15.957.2Efforts to attract students to an engineering career must acknowledge that two-year institutionsor community colleges represent the fastest growing segment of higher education.15 Recent datashows that 40% of individuals earning bachelor or master’s engineering degrees started highereducation in a community college. The trend is higher in some states such as California forwhich more than 48% of graduates with science or engineering degrees started at a communitycollege.16Despite this contribution to the nation’s engineering workforce, engineering education in acommunity college environment presents formidable challenges for both students andinstructors. Most community colleges have small engineering programs with only a few faculty

Conference Session

Service Courses for Non-Engineers

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Krupczak, Hope College; Timothy Simpson, Pennsylvania State University; Vince Bertsch, Santa Rosa Junior College; Kate Disney, Mission College; Elsa Garmire, Dartmouth College; Barbara Oakley, Oakland University; Mary Rose, Ball State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

between theNAE and ITEA approaches, but first we review other related work in this area.Engineering and Technology Courses for Non-Engineers.The engineering education community has begun developing a broader scope, becoming activebeyond its traditional boundaries. Engineers have embraced the need to increase the awarenessand understanding of engineering as a career by initiating a number of programs aimed at the K-12 audience. A recent example is the American Society for Engineering Education’s (ASEE)publication, Engineering Go For It,[9] and a website [10] aimed at a K-12 students and teachers.Most major engineering societies now have outreach activities for K-12 [11-14]; meanwhile,ITEA is working to develop program and assessment standards, and

Conference Session

Engineering for Nonengineers: Ideas & Results

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mani Mina, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

devices and systems • Understand the capabilities and limitations of basic manufacturing processes and engineering systems.Who is it for? and who is in it?The program is design to be an effective minor to supplement the student’s non-engineeringdegree programs. This proposed program is designed to help students who are not engineeringmajors but are interested in understanding “how things work” • Are looking at directorship, management, technical marketing, sales, and related careers in an industry that continues to involve more technology • Are possibly interested in public policy—decisions impacting government, education, industry, religious institutions, health care • Are thinking about working in bioengineering

Conference Session

Teaching Technological Literacy - College Courses and Minors

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kelli Huser, Iowa State University; Thomas Kelly, Iowa State University; Mani Mina, Iowa State University; Seth Ballou, Iowa State University; Joseph Crispin, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

the class and reviews the impacts of engineering andtechnological developments through focusing on one of the topics. In order to help futuredevelopers, this paper defines the topic and discusses how focusing on each topic enables theclass to show the impacts throughout the human developments and eras.IntroductionTechnological literacy serves many purposes in enhancing a non-engineering student’seducation. Many students are interested in learning how various technologies work that they mayencounter in their future careers. Other students intend to work with engineers and pursue agreater appreciation and practical understanding of the responsibilities of their future co-workers.A significant purpose of technological literacy is to enhance the

Conference Session

Technological Literacy - Courses, Educational and Accreditation Standards

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yung-Hsiang Lu, Purdue University; Guangwei Zhu, Purdue; Cheng-Kok Koh, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

AC 2010-1563: USING THE TETRIS GAME TO TEACH COMPUTINGYung-Hsiang Lu, Purdue University Yung-Hsiang Lu is an associate professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. In 2008, he was one of the three recipients of Purdue "Class of 1922 Helping Student Learn Award." In 2004, he obtained the National Science Foundation Career Award. He obtained the Ph.D. degree from the Department of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University. This study is supported in part by NSF CNS 0722212 "CPATH EAE: Extending a Bottom-Up Education Model to Support Concurrency from the First Year." Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations are those of the authors and do not necessarily

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

increase at nearlydouble the overall growth rate for all occupations by 2014, growing by 26% from 2004 to 2014,while employment in all occupations is projected to grow 13% over the same period 7. Yet inspite of such promising job prospects, the National Science Foundation recently reported that theUnited States is experiencing a chronic decline in homegrown science, technology, engineeringand math (STEM) talent and is increasingly dependent upon foreign scholars to fill workforceand leadership voids.8 Results from a recent survey by the American Society for Quality (ASQ)revealed that more than 85% of students today are not considering technical careers and thatmore parents encourage their daughters to become actresses than engineers.9 This is one

Conference Session

Technology Literacy for Engineering Students

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Devon, Pennsylvania State University; David Ollis, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

while it has become increasingly complex for those who produce and maintain technology. It is also pervasive and an integral part of growing up and being educated. As such the need for programs in technological literacy is diminished 5. The use of information technology in the workplace and the need to prepare students for careers that use information technology has long been the cornerstone of policies for the use of TL in raising productivity. This seems indisputable, but the market is a much stronger driver than policy in achieving this. Where policy can help is in reducing the digital divide that leave students from low income backgrounds stranded in low income jobs.5 It is also helpful in

Conference Session

Technology Literacy for Engineering Students

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Byron Newberry, Baylor University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

, Page 12.660.2and interested in, careers in engineering is a crucial objective for the profession and one thatdepends on sufficient numbers of young people—and their parents—understanding theprofession and what it does.I personally support wholeheartedly the movement to increase the technological literacy of ourcitizenry and I applaud those who have made efforts to advance that cause. In fact, I havedeveloped and directed engineering and computer science summer camp programs for middleschool students, I frequently make presentations at schools and career fairs, and I have taughtcourses in the history of science and technology to college students from non-technical majors. Inote these things about myself only because in what follows I may cast

Conference Session

Technology Literacy for Non-Engineers

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Blake, Austin Peay State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

sociology who studyengineering and technology. Just as engineers can learn from the historians and sociologists, thehistory or sociology major interested in pursuing an academic career in these fields should beencouraged to learn more from engineers about engineering and technology. While majors inmathematics and physical science will have more affinity for engineering and technology, theyneed help understanding the differences between their fields and engineering. Many math andphysical science majors go on to teach in secondary schools, where they are likely to be guidingstudents for whom engineering would be a good career choice, and they may be tapped to teachtechnological literacy at the secondary school level. For them to do this successfully

Conference Session

Engineering Courses for Non-engineers

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Blake, Austin Peay State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

system work. The story includesmany examples where engineers, operating under constraints, identify and solve problems.October Sky tells an autobiographical story of a group of young men who, after a long learningcurve with many failures, develops the technology to make very successful small rockets. Whilethis is a story about high school students, it reflects the perspective of an author who went on toan engineering career with NASA, and the story is a useful study for technological projects atany level. Moving to fiction and a setting in the distant future, Forbidden Planet tells a story ofthe enticing benefits of new technological marvels. It also explores the risks of unintended andunanticipated consequences. While these movies illustrate

Conference Session

Technology Literacy for Engineering Students

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Camille George, University of St. Thomas; Elise Amel, University of Saint Thomas; Christopher Greene, University of Saint Thomas

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

interested in how gender affects career choice. She believes strongly in the scientist-practitioner model, using her academic background to solve practical problems and using her problem solving experiences to enhance her teaching. She has received an award for excellence in service learning. Professor Amel has specific expertise developing assessment plans and dissemination approaches through her work on the UST Bush Foundation Grant. She has completed pedagogical presentations and publications about international education and service learning.Christopher Greene, University of Saint Thomas Dr. Chris Greene comes to the University of St. Thomas following a 20+ year career in industry

Conference Session

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

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Steve Macho, Buffalo State College

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

. Page 15.30.7Evaluation Overview The evaluation plan for the Buffalo State College 2007 Engineers of the Futureprogram was based upon four evaluation questions. All four of these evaluationquestions implied that a measurable change would occur. The four evaluation questionswere: 1. Did partnering schools implement rigorous pre-engineering curricula? 2. Did partnering schools teach mathematics, science, and technology through hands-on experiences in engineering-related content? 3. Did participating teachers gain subject matter expertise? 4. Did partnering schools offer engineering-related career paths awareness? Evaluation of the program was performed in a fashion similar to a classic pre/postdesign. Data was

Conference Session

Service Courses for Non-Engineers

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

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

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

technologicalliteracy is defined as the broad understanding of all types of technological devices and processnot just computers. Educators in Computer Science, Engineering and Technology have aresponsibility to educate all students not just those intending technical careers. Despite the needfor all Americans to become technologically literate, technical literacy is not likely to gain wideacceptance until the scholarly community develops standard courses that are supported bytextbooks and other course materials. This National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsoredworkshop sought to identify and define several models of technological literacy courses. Basedon a review of courses already developed and comparisons to other disciplines, four candidatestandard models

Conference Session

Engineering for Nonengineers: Ideas & Results

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kathryn Neeley, University of Virginia; W. Bernard Carlson, University of Virginia; Sarah Pfatteicher, University of Wisconsin - Madison; Bruce Seely, Michigan Technological University; Douglass Klein, Union College; Ronald Miller, Colorado School of Mines

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

and careers. The answers to both these questions have rootsdeep within academic culture. Changing that culture is a significant challenge, but one that seemsclearly worth making.A third possible area of research would focus on service learning and community-based studentresearch, another area where multiple forms of expertise are required for effective course designand meaningful research.ConclusionTechnology in Context offers an incremental approach to integrating courses that achieve theaims of TL into undergraduate curricula. With a relatively small investment of faculty time, theapproach should result in a much larger number of courses that both function as and areexplicitly recognized as TL courses. Perhaps more importantly, designing

Conference Session

Service Courses for Non-Engineers

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Suchan, United States Military Academy; Susan Schwartz, United States Military Academy; Edward Sobiesk, United States Military Academy

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

studentswho embrace and believe in IT, and who are confident from their current experiences that theywill have the ability to successfully employ future, not-yet-developed IT tools throughout theirprofessional career. We accomplish this goal by emphasizing hands-on learning, with studentscompleting numerous in-class exercises and labs as well as several team projects, all of whichare designed to help them learn how to learn IT.Even though this course is for non-engineers, we receive an abundance of anecdotal evidencefrom our former students that the technological literacy gained in this course has made asignificant difference in their chosen fields.A Foundation Based on CyberspaceThe concepts of the World Wide Web (WWW) and electronic media permeate

Conference Session

Engineering and Technology for Everyone

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Krupczak

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

community has responded enthusiastically to the need toincrease the career awareness and understanding of engineering among K-12 students. Howeverefforts directed at the undergraduate non-engineering student population have been limited. Page 14.545.1To achieve widespread impact, classes must be taught at many institutions around the country.To accomplish this, standard models of technological literacy courses must be developed.Standard course models will reduce the effort needed by instructors who desire to offer coursesfor non-engineers. As a beginning to this process, a workshop was convened at the NationalAcademy of Engineering of representative

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

, and mathematics. Science and technology became important concerns;chemistry was taught before 1809, a degree in scientific studies was added, and in 1845, Unionbecame the first liberal arts college to offer engineering. In 1895 the Electrical Engineeringprogram was initiated and from 1902 to 1913 it was headed by the “electrical wizard” of theGeneral Electric Company, Charles P. Steinmetz. Today Union continues to offer an outstanding engineering education in a contemporaryliberal arts context. We provide students with a solid foundation for a professional career as wellas an understanding of the liberal arts, and a mastery of the principles that allow students to serveas leaders to advance technology in a socially responsible manner

Conference Session

Engineering Courses for Non-engineers

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bradley Bishop, United States Naval Academy

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

class because I did not have room for it in my matrix. It was the best course I have ever taken, hands down. It was interesting and very informative. I learned a lot about new technologies, which was really cool. It was interesting, informative, and showed the 'why' of engineering, where the other classes focused on the 'how'. Hands down the best (and most different) class that I've taken. ... I didn't want to take bathroom breaks during class because I didn't want to miss anything.ConclusionIt is difficult to anticipate the impact of this course on the students’ careers, but it is clear that thetopic is interesting, motivating and valued. The most challenging aspect of the course ismaintaining

Conference Session

Technology Literacy for Non-Engineers

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

AnnMarie Thomas, University of Saint Thomas; Mark Breitenberg, Art Center College of Design

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

Arts andSciences classes are relevant to their future careers as artists and designers. Byintegrating discipline specific elements into their final projects, the importance oftechnological literacy, particularly basic engineering principles, is hopefully conveyed.Our best metric for judging whether this goal was accomplished is by looking at the endof term evaluations, particularly those questions which ask students whether the course isrelevant to their studio work, and whether they would recommend it to other students in Page 12.635.10their major. As can be seen in the Evaluations section of this paper, the response to thoseevaluation questions has

Conference Session

Improving Technical Understanding of All Americans

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mary Rose, Ball State University; Jim Flowers, Ball State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

Course Management Systemas its primary delivery and collaborative venue.With the successful implementation of this online course and the results of a national needsassessment which demonstrated a perceived need for and interest in an online masters degreeprogram in technology education [4], the department received approval to transition twograduate programs to complete online delivery, including the Master of Arts in TechnologyEducation and the Master of Arts in Career and Technical Education. Since 2000, Technology:Use and Assessment has served both technical and technology teachers from these programs, aswell as graduate students from audiology, wellness and gerontology, computer science, policystudies, and school administration. After 12

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

to continue to learn throughout their careers. With experience, graduates should grow Page 15.1195.2professionally from the level of a junior team member to that of a leader with responsibility forthe broad scope of a technological project. Their job duties should progress from dealing withspecific problems as part of a broader project to managing the entire project where the personmust deal with social and economic as well as purely technical issues.While the initial job function may have the graduate performing basic tasks such as calculationsand analyses where someone else makes critical judgments based on these calculations, or