Conference Session

Hands-on Activities for Technological Literacy

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

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

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

build an electrodynamic loudspeaker from simple components thatcan produce clear and loud sound. Other classroom-tested mechanical dissection andsimple construction projects will be explained and demonstrated. Workshop participantswill learn strategies and techniques for successful implementation of hands-on howthings work activities.Cost $40Limited to 20 participants Page 11.676.2

Conference Session

Installing & Assessing Technology Literacy Courses

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Susan Voss, Smith College; Borjana Mikic, Smith College

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

auditory system. Page 11.567.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2006 Engineering for Everyone: Charging Students with the Task of Designing Creative Solutions to the Problem of Technology LiteracyIntroductionThe first year Introduction to Engineering course at Smith College, “EGR100: Engineering forEveryone,” is designed to be accessible to all students, regardless of background, yet it alsoserves as the foundation for students who choose to major in Engineering Science. In this course,students are introduced to the engineering design process via “mini-projects” that

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

2006-655: A SOLAR-POWERED DECORATIVE WATER FOUNTAIN HANDS-ONBUILD TO EXPOSE ENGINEERING CONCEPTS TO NON-MAJORSCamille George, University of St. Thomas Camille George is an assistant professor in mechanical engineering at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. She teaches thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, and a fuel cell technology class. She is interested in technology literacy, engineering ethics and the internationalization of the engineering program. She has been instrumental in adding a humanitarian service-oriented engineering project option to the senior design curriculum and also in exploring ways of adding engineering content into classes for non-science and

Conference Session

Installing & Assessing Technology Literacy Courses

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Matthew Ohland, Clemson University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

graduate students to K-12 curriculum development, hosting K-12 science andengineering competitions.19Each year at the University of Missouri Rolla, 300-400 first-year engineering students engage ina team design-build activity as a part of Engineering Design with Computer Applications, arequired Basic Engineering course. Five-person teams receive some funding support incompleting projects like a human-powered water pump, a portable bridge, a disc launcher, abubble machine, and a hands-free pencil sharpener. In spring 2003, the course objectives wereextended to develop educational materials for the K-4 classroom including designing andbuilding a device and an accompanying educational game or activity. The extension of the BasicEngineering course was

Conference Session

Installing & Assessing Technology Literacy Courses

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Krupczak, Hope College; Greg Pearson, National Academy of Engineering; David Ollis, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

as the responsible staff officer for the Committee on Assessing Technological Literacy, a joint project of the NAE and the National Research Council. He also oversaw an earlier project that resulted in publication of the report, Technically Speaking: Why All Americans Need to Know More About Technology.David Ollis, North Carolina State University David Ollis is Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering, North Carolina State University. He has created a device dissection laboratory with NSF support, and used it to instruct new engineering students, collaborate with other departments in design, technology education, and foreign language instruction, and develop a course in

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

2006-695: WHAT IS TECHNOLOGICAL LITERACY AND WHY DOES ITMATTER?David Ollis, North Carolina State UniversityGreg Pearson, National Academy of Engineering Greg Pearson is a Program Officer with the National Academy of Engineering in Washington, D.C. In that role, he develops and manages new areas of activity within the NAE Program Office related to technological literacy, public understanding of engineering, and engineering ethics. He currently serves as the responsible staff officer for the NSF-funded study, Assessing Technological Literacy in the United States, and the State Educators’ Symposium on Technological Literacy project, funded by the U.S. Department of Education. He previously

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

have beensuccessful across a wide range of undergraduate institutions types. “Designing People,” James Baish, Bucknell University4. In this foundation seminar, students explore the design process. They study theelements of past designs and engage in design themselves. They work as individualdesigners and as part of a design team. They ill undertake a design project to address animportant human need in today’s society. A major segment of the course focuses uponthe evolution of the automobile as an example of human design. Questions about the realversus created needs are asked. The interaction of design with economics, socialstructure, politics and engineering capabilities is studied. The elements of style andaesthetics are assessed

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

the student’s education include the breadth to be able to communicate acrossSnow’s academic cultures.III. A mandate for technological literacy in higher education The first thing most people think of on the subject of technology literacy is bringingstudents in non-technical fields up to some minimum level of technical understanding. In 1994,the International Technology Education Association (ITEA) launched its Technology for AllAmericans Project (TfAAP9) as an organization to seek ways to advance student attainment oftechnological literacy. They began by defining technological literacy broadly as follows. Technological literacy is the ability to use, manage, assess, and understand technology. It involves knowledge

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

courses, andthe remaining recommendations are simply guidelines appropriate to teaching to a non-technical audience. Thus, with only a slight stretch, we may claim that TechnologicalLiteracy is merely “Engineering Design Literacy” for the general university audience !Table IV Successful Strategies for Technological Literacy Courses ( Re-ordered )23,25________________________________________________________________________ Page 11.1228.7 Synonymous with Design: 1. Teach design and the engineering design process. Have students designand construct projects themselves, hands-on” 2. Build on your strengths as an engineer and

Conference Session

Defining Technological Literacy

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kathryn Neeley, University of Virginia

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

Approach to the Relationship of STS and “Technological Literacy” Its [sic] not so important to pick the right name, as to not pick the wrong name. --Rajaneesh Narula, “A Short Guide to Baby Names,” The Astounding Importance of Triviality Accessed September 30, 2005 I have a reputation as a pain in the ass when starting a project. . . .I think naming projects is critical to their continued success. --Andy Lester, “On the Importance of Names

Conference Session

Defining Technological Literacy

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

W. Bernard Carlson, University of Virginia

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

machines in the Soviet Union.These examples are drawn from a larger project, Technology in World History [TWH], aseven-volume reference work which I edited for Oxford University Press.1But isn't technological change only about economic change? In the course of teaching the history of technology for twenty years, I have noticedthat students generally associate technological change with economic change—newproducts and processes are expected to enrich individuals, give companies a competitiveadvantage, and allow nations to prosper. Students are also aware that nations pursuetechnological innovation in order to gain a military advantage. But for the most part,students do not give much thought to how people use technology to achieve political