Conference Session

The Philosophy of Engineering and Technological Literacy

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William R. Loendorf, Eastern Washington University; Jason K Durfee P.E. P.E., Eastern Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

General Motors, Cadnetix, and Motorola. His interests include engineering management, technological literacy, improving the competitiveness of American companies, and real-time embedded systems.Prof. Jason K Durfee P.E. P.E., Eastern Washington University Jason Durfee is a Professor of Engineering & Design at Eastern Washington University. He received his BS and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Brigham Young University. He holds a Profes- sional Engineer certification. Prior to teaching at Eastern Washington University, he was a military pilot, an engineering instructor at West Point and an airline pilot. His interests include aerospace, aviation, computational fluid dynamics, professional ethics, and

Conference Session

The Philosophy of Engineering and Technological Literacy

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mani Mina, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

 theoretical  and  less  practical  elements  of  engineering  education .      Until  recently,  most  engineering  programs  were  happy  to  have  packed  and  information-­‐pleasing  curricula  based  on  physics,  mathematical  foundations,  and  problem-­‐solving  exercises  based  on  theoretical  aspects.    The  more  such  classes  were  added  to  the  curricula,  the  less  space  was  allowed  to  open  design  and  design  iteration  activities.    Students  tended  to  spend  more  time  and  focus  on  instructional  laboratories  and  procedures,  and  less  on  building  and  designing  challenges.      This  model  worked  very  well  for  technician  training.  So,  it  seemed  to  be  useful  for  engineering  training.    The

Conference Session

Promoting Technological Literacy

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sean P. Brophy, Purdue University, West Lafayette; Thalia Anagnos, San Jose State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

modules. A team of EOT specialists is developing a curriculum that uses educational shake tables for teaching fundamentals of earthquake engineering design19. Three of the testing sites have developed curricular modules to allow students to engage in remote laboratory experiences using research-grade equipment. The first involves remote real-time video monitoring, tele-control, and execution of experiments using the geotechnical centrifuge facility20, 21. The second involves remote control of a shaker on a research structure located in the California desert and the collection and analysis of time history data22. NEES research projects have developed educational modules and made them available on NEESacademy to fulfill their

Conference Session

Promoting Technological Literacy

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Heywood, Trinity College-Dublin

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

could be realised in practice by following the three stage philosophy of learning described byWhitehead. This model was based on experimental work in the teaching of engineering and technology that hadbeen completed in the post-primary system of education (high school) in Ireland. While the content and methodapplicable to each of the three stages of the Whitehead cycle was illustrated there was no in-depth discussion of thecomponents of each of these stages.The purpose of this paper is to consider in detail problems in the design of the first stage of the cycle called –“Romance”. The paper begins with a short introduction to Whitehead’s philosophy of rhythm in education.As conceived here the stage of romance for a program in engineering and

Conference Session

The Philosophy of Engineering and Technological Literacy

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Heywood, Trinity College Dublin

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

. Toname but several: engineering design, economics, industrial psychology and sociology,manufacturing, and philosophy. The knowledge available to all these segments is large andlearning can be at various levels of depth which is determined to some extent by a person’sability and previous knowledge. When these knowledge dimensions are combined it is easyto imagine a substantive degree program in engineering/technological literacy. Equally it iseasy to perceive that the kind of teaching and learning necessary to bring about the outcomesof engineering/technological literacy would have to be very different to that undertaken in thesame courses when treated as separate entities within a traditional program. Both level andapproach would be different

Conference Session

The Philosophy of Engineering and Technological Literacy

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alan Cheville, Bucknell University

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

“The Engineer of 2020” in 2004. The focus is onunderstanding how engineering definitions change over time in the dialog of policy since policymakers play a large role in setting directions for engineering education. It is found that thedocuments contain both explicit and implicit definitions which provide insights into how andwhy engineering education is this way and not that. The definitions are also illuminate tensions,or misalignments, in how we currently teach engineering, the most glaring of these is a technical-social duality that increases in importance in over the 84 year span examined.Rationale & FrameworkThe broad engineering education question addressed in this paper is the interplay of engineeringeducation with the larger