Conference Session

Teaching Technological Literacy - College Courses and Minors

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Roy McGrann, State University of New York, Binghamton

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

Chemistry I. However, many of the courses require additionalmathematics courses, such as Ordinary Differential Equations, as prerequisites. (C) Integrated Engineering and Design ProjectsStudents must participate in two semesters of an integrated engineering and design project(capstone design courses). The capstone experience at Binghamton University is a two semestersequence that typically involves a design and build project. These projects are team projects andtypically involve students from several of the engineering and computer science departments ona team. Many of the projects have industrial sponsors. Other projects include professionalsociety competitions, such as the SAE Mini-Baha competition.Students in the program for the minor must

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

successfully with the high-school population. Kasarda [3,4] described servicelearning and outreach aspects associated with the pilot year of the new capstone design course.Now in its second year, the authors have recognized, and have enhanced, aspects of the capstone Page 13.1282.2design project that facilitate the self-efficacy of both the undergraduates and the high-schoolstudents in technological and STEM literacy.Of all of the ITEA Standards of Technological Literacy [3] Standard 8: Students will develop anunderstanding of the attributes of design; Standard 9: Students will develop an understanding ofengineering design; and Standard 10: Students

Conference Session

Engineering Courses for Non-engineers

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert J. Gustafson; Bruce Trott, Ohio State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

, transportation, andconstruction. This course is intended for non-engineering students who want to better understandhow technology impacts their lives.ISE 504 (3) Engineering Economic Analysis -- Economic analysis of engineering projects andmethods of operation; the analysis of public investments, and introduction to analysis ofengineering decisions. Prereq: 3rd yr standing or concur with 500 or written permission ofinstructor.ENG 581 (4, repeatable to 8) Engineering Capstone Collaboration -- This is a new course beingdeveloped. It is anticipated that students enrolled in this course will contract to collaborate withan existing capstone design team (within any program of the College expressing willingness tocollaborate). The students will be expected to

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

use in the capstone performance. Figure 2. Sub unit overview. The sub-units represent a series of science, mathematics, and technology themes (see Table 2),although in no sense do they encompass the complete range prescribed in state frameworks inthese areas. The “Demystifying Magic” Curriculum Guide also includes additional enrichmentideas, suggested research projects, and four optional extension activities.Table 2. Sub unit content and themes.  # # # extension scientific / mathematical engineering theme illusions activities activities principles connectionsProperties of Water 2 2 0 surface

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

. Page 14.1132.9The capstone activity for students in the course is to research and prepare a complete case study.The product is not, however, a written paper. The results of each 4-student team’s work arepresented across two full lecture days (100 minutes, total). Students are expected to bring theclass up to speed on the basics of the technology, to discuss its history and current state of theart, and to project and predict future improvements and applications using all of the toolsdeveloped during the semester.Students carrying out their semester presentations prepare and hand out notes and referencematerials just as an instructor would do. In a 20-24 students section (typical of this class), thesepresentations take up approximately three

Conference Session

Installing & Assessing Technology Literacy Courses

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

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

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

lead “device dissection” labs of one type or another. Easilythe most populous of these three categories is the cadre of design instructors, as“capstone design” is virtually universal among engineering schools, whereas first yearinstruction is highly variable in coverage and level of effort, and even device dissectionlabs are not present in the majority of engineering departments. The materials needed for instruction in technological literacy courses (TLCs) aresubstantial and varied. Materials available to address this need include an increasingnumber of books by engineering and science authors such as Billington 5, Bloomfield 6,Florman 7 , Lienhard 8 , and Petroski 9. Radio programs featuring engineers are written

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

results achieved in the Minor in EngineeringStudies Program at Iowa State. The project goal is to develop the concepts and resources tosupport model minors which can be adopted efficiently and widely within American highereducation. To facilitate adoption by other institutions, flexibility is a key objective of theintended guidelines. Since the appropriateness of using the name engineering in the context of aminor is subject to debate, the specific name of minor should be part of that flexibility. Thesedegrees do not focus on teaching specific engineering technical content but on teaching studentshow to think like an engineer. The minor aims to develop the broad understanding and practicaltechnological competence outlined by the National Academy

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

Society.20 Unlike the first two books, this was written for senior engineeringstudents in a capstone course. While including some of the same topics, such as energy andsustainability, the focus of this text is on engineering practice. This is beneficial for atechnological literacy course. The text is useful both for new engineers confronting issues in thepolitical and business arenas and for non-engineers needing to understand engineering.The author wanted material in the readings that would serve as case studies in engineering andtechnology, and used other books to supplement standard textbooks. Some books written forfirst year engineering students, such as Adams, Flying Buttresses, Entropy, and O-Rings: theWorld of an Engineer,21 and Billington

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

the MSTprogram are coordinated by the Department of Technological Studies. The Department ofTechnological Studies provides all of the T&E courses and has five full time professors and~6 adjunct professors. Educational requirements and advising for the MST students arecoordinated by the School of Education.Four works set important context for the Department of Technological Studies curriculumand the design of the MST program: (i) Benchmarks for Science Literacy (“Project 2061”),(ii) Technological Literacy Counts, (iii) Standards for Technological Literacy (STL) and (iv)Technically speaking- why all Americans need to know more about technology.2-5 Thesedocuments discuss the important role of teacher preparation in meeting educational goals

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

community about technology. Again, case studies can demonstrate howpeople have been effective in controlling or even stopping a technological project ordevelopment that seemed to the technological determinist to be unstoppable. Also, the coursecan give examples where societal concerns hindered development of a desirable technology.To adapt the course to focus on technological literacy, topics for in-depth discussion should beselected to focus on specific aspects of technological literacy. One option is for the overviewsection to be extended to reach the present, and then certain topics would be singled out for moreattention. The technology of pesticides, notably DDT, could be used as a case study of aninitially accepted technological development