Conference Session

Technological Literacy for Undergraduate Students

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Randy Libros, Community College of Philadelphia

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

democratic society charged with making long-term decisions on these emerging technologies. The course, Science, Technology and Public Policy (ASET 101) is a 3 credit, non-lab sciencecourse. It is a required course in the Applied Science and Engineering Technology curriculum,but also fulfills the science general education requirement at the institution, and so appeals to abroader audience than those specifically in the curriculum. In addition, the course is open tohigher level developmental students as well as high school students through a dual enrollmentprogram, thus providing an opportunity for students to explore science, technology and relatedsocietal issues early in their academic career. Students who are still deciding on academic and

Conference Session

Technological Literacy for Undergraduate Students

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Krupczak, Hope College; Kate A. Disney, Mission College

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

literacy and reconciles the overlap between theNAE and ITEA approaches.Engineering and Technology Courses for Non-Engineers.The engineering education community has begun developing a broader scope and is becomingactive beyond its traditional boundaries. Engineers have embraced the need to increase theawareness and understanding of engineering as a career by initiating a number of programsaimed at the K-12 audience. A recent example is the American Society for EngineeringEducation’s (ASEE) publication, Engineering Go For It,9 and a website10 aimed at a K-12students and teachers. Most major engineering societies now have outreach activities forK-1211-14; meanwhile, ITEA is working to develop program and assessment standards, andcurriculum materials

Conference Session

Technological Literacy

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William R. Loendorf, Eastern Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

result, educators must place additional emphasis on two complementary goals.First, all students must be prepared to be proficient in science, technology, engineering, andmathematics (STEM) subjects. Second, students must be inspired and motivated to learn STEMsubjects and pursue STEM Careers (Prepare to Inspire10, 2010). The bottom line is in order to beadequately prepared for the future; the past (tools, technologies, processes, and events) must beclearly understood.MethodThe method used to develop these lectures was based on tracing the historical impact of atechnology from its humble roots all the way through to its modern day counterpart. It becomes ajourney that the particular technology made over time, perhaps hundreds of years. During

Conference Session

Technological Literacy for Undergraduate Students

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert M. Brooks, Temple University; Jyothsna K. S., St.Joseph's College, Bangalore, Department of English; Amithraj Amavasai

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

forengineering educators across the nation. Several universities and institutions have been workingtowards this objective 1-8.An engineering major typically has a curriculum 9 with a heavy load of prerequisite coursesmaking it relatively difficult (when compared with other majors) to combine with another major.On top of this the learning structure of a typical academic institution makes it hard for non-engineering majors to gain a meaningful understanding of engineering and technology 10-12. Non-engineering majors are faced with numerous forces that pull them in different directions—towardsocialization, career, and technological literacy. They are not well equipped to lead the nation,through its diversified and challenging problems by making informed

Conference Session

Technological Literacy for Undergraduate Students

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Krupczak, Hope College; Lauren Aprill

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

engineering should provide these students withknowledge relevant to their general education. Some of the material in introduction toengineering courses should prove beneficial even to those students who do not elect to continuein engineering.Importance of Two-Year CollegesConsideration of any issue that impacts undergraduate education should not overlook theimportant role that two-year or community colleges in higher education. Increasingly two yearschools represent an affordable higher education option for many students. Efforts to attractstudents to an engineering career must acknowledge that two-year institutions or communitycolleges represent the fastest growing segment of higher education17. Recent data shows that40% of individuals earning

Conference Session

Objectives, Assessment, and Methods for Teaching Technological Literacy

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Steve Macho, Buffalo State College; Su Wang, China National Institute for Educational Research

Tagged Divisions

Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering

.” Perhaps themost outrageous comment was “If only the national environment could be changed, it is difficultto apply it extensively. Maybe we are not imaginative and not creative.” Chart 10. What resources do you need to use design as a method of instruction in your school? Pre PostConclusions In demographics, the range of teacher experience was extreme; from newly credentialedteachers to those with exceptionally long and rich careers. As evidenced in Table 1, thereseemed to be an unfortunately common gender bias towards males in science and technology. There was