Conference Session

Engineering for Nonengineers: Ideas & Results

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Deborah Mechtel, U.S. Naval Academy; Andrew McCue, U.S. Naval Academy; Keith Kintzley, U.S. Naval Academy; Robert Voigt, U.S. Naval Academy

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

course sequence is used for ABET accredited majors.This paper presents the approach used by the Electrical and Computer EngineeringDepartment at the Naval Academy to improve the technological literacy of non-engineering students. Electrical engineering fundamentals and applications areemphasized with the relevant mathematics introduced as needed. Applications of thefundamentals evolve to stress the relevance of a particular topic area. Key technicalconcepts are reinforced with practical laboratory exercises. The final practical exercisetakes place aboard a Naval Academy patrol craft. The students explore the electricalsystems on the ship and relate them to the fundamentals studied during the semester.Course outcomes show that students across a

Conference Session

Engineering for Nonengineers: Ideas & Results

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Vince Bertsch, Santa Rosa Junior College

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

AC 2008-1344: TECHNOLOGICAL LITERACY AS A SCIENCE GE COURSE INCALIFORNIA’S UC, CSU AND CCC SYSTEMSVince Bertsch, Santa Rosa Junior College Professor, Dept of Engineering and Physics Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa, CA Vince Bertsch teaches and develops curriculum for a wide spectrum of freshman and sophomore level engineering and physics courses including Electric Circuits and Devices, Engineering Graphics and Design, Mechanics, Electricity and Magnetism, Properties of Materials, Intro to Engineering, and Computer Programming. He has done engineering work for Versatron, Empire Magnetics and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

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

solutions to problems. The last model toemerge is concerned with assessing technological impacts, connecting technologicaldevelopments to other areas of society, history and culture, or reflecting on engineering in abroader context.1. Technology Survey Courses. ‚ Address a range of technologies. ‚ May include social and historical dimensions. ‚ May include lectures, demonstrations, laboratories. ‚ Scientific principles usually a major component. ‚ Includes “How Things Work” courses ‚ Includes Physics courses that emphasize everyday technology. ‚ Could include some introduction to engineering courses.Examples: Bloomfield. ............................How Things Work: Physics of Everyday Life [8,10] DeGoode

Conference Session

Improving Technical Understanding of All Americans

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Daniel Engstrom, ITEA/Cal U

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

learning resources based onselected technological and science literacy standards; and disseminating the units to teachers intraining workshops and distance learning. Each unit has standards-based content, suggestedteaching approaches, and detailed learning activities including brainstorming, visualizing, testing,refining, and assessing technological designs. Students learn how inventions, innovations, andsystems are created and how technology becomes part of people’s lives.The primary goals of the project were to: 1. Create a model for standards-based instructional units addressing the study of technology and science to be implemented in grades 5 and/or 6. 2. Align contemporary classroom/laboratory instruction with technological literacy

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

in ETTE. The researcher recommends that professionals consider the work of both theExtraordinary Engineers Project 8 and the work of Shanahan 10 in conjunction with thefindings of this study when recruiting females into the profession. According to the datafrom this study, females appear to be most influenced by their own personal interestswhen choosing ETTE as a career path. In addition Shanahan suggested instead of tryingto fix the girls make the classroom/laboratory environment more conducive andwelcoming of females. Furthermore, the Extraordinary Engineers Project indicated thatfemales desire a career that is flexible, will allow them to make a difference, enjoyable,has a good working environment, and has a good income. When talking

Conference Session

Engineering for Nonengineers: Ideas & Results

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Ollis, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

Engineering Education, 2008 TECHNOLOGY LITERACY AS A PATH TO “ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS IN A GLOBAL AND SOCIETAL CONTEXTIntroduction A “device dissection” laboratory has been used by the author for more than adecade to instruct first year engineering students in “How Things Work.” More recently,this lab has been combined with weekly lectures to create a course in technologicalliteracy for non-engineering students. While this pair of courses neatly partitions theofferings into one for engineers and another for non-engineers, the argument hasfrequently been made that engineering students themselves need to have “Tech Lit” aswell, so that they understand not only device construction and operation, butcircumstances and forces which drive

Conference Session

Engineering for Nonengineers: Ideas & Results

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gregory Zieren, Austin Peay State University; John Blake, Austin Peay State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

discussed. While the primary delivery mode is likely to be the lectureformat, some class time spent doing something other than lecture is likely to make the coursemore attractive to students.This course was taken primarily by people who were not majoring in the engineering area. Bothauthors would note that the study of the material covered in the course would be useful toengineering students. This holds whether the course is taught in its original lecture format or if itis modified to better support the goal of developing technological literacy through additions suchas demonstrations and laboratory exercises.Lessons from the CourseIn this initial offering, the authors each took on different topics. An alternative that appeals tothe engineering