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

for achieving educational goals of these participants as well as thelearners they engage in various learning experiences. This paper describes the critical principlesgoverning the design of an effective education and outreach program by a multi-site,geographically-distributed research center. These lessons will provide a framework for othersinterested in designing education and outreach programs at future large-scale research centers.IntroductionEducation, outreach, and training (EOT) programs are important to fulfilling the broader impactaims of large-scale research centers. These programs have the potential of attracting the nextgeneration of researchers to the field, increasing interest of K-12 students in pursuing careers inscience

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

todayare not even being considered. Israel7 (1995) stated that “a student who has completed atechnology education program should be able to participate as an active citizen by expressingtheir positions on technological issues, making wise consumer choices such as selecting, using, Page 24.1337.9and disposing of technical artifacts, and making informed career choices.” Technologicalliteracy, according to Wiens28 (1995), “is essential to the political and economic empowermentof the citizen.”An important aspect of technological literacy is not only to understand its consequences to someextent, but to also visualize the technologies. That is where the

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

 mostly  developed  by  a  round-­‐and-­‐round  trip  of  concepts,  findings,  and  trial-­‐and-­‐error  activities.    Given  enough  time,  reflections,  and  carful  examinations,  a  special  spiral  of  thoughts  will  be  generated.    Engineering  educators  need  to  rethink  and  hesitate  from  teaching  too  many  facts  and  drills,  and  let  the  students  reflect,  discover  on  their  own,  and  discuss  their  ideas,  failures,  and  successes  with  peers,  and  faculty.    It  is  not  a  coincidence  that  many  of  our  students  claim  that  they  learned  something  that  was  covered  in  a  class  (with  lots  of  drills  and  practices)  later  in  their  careers  watching  a  video  on  the  Internet  when  they

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

sales, and thosewho has some qualifications but are not currently active. The definition was purposefullydesigned to be essential rather than prescriptive due to the committee’s charge to betterunderstand the engineering system. The panel also created essential definitions of members ofthe engineering community that were drawn loosely from the ECPD document but were moreinclusive. The ECPD definitions are shown below in figure 2 under the heading “Preparation”with the additions to the definitions made by the committee added in italics. The text above thearrow and listing of career goals comes from the ECPD report.The report also suggests a wide spectrum of pragmatic definitions for engineers and engineeringdue to the changing role of the

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

envisages adifferent curriculum structure that can bring together the two literacies [14]. At this time itlies outside the plausibility structure.An alternative curriculum structure.In the middle nineteen seventies the Minister for Education in Ireland approved a project thatwould allow a few schools to develop a transition year between the junior cycle of post-primary education when students take a public examination called the Junior Certificate (15+years) and the first year of the two year programme for the Leaving Certificate (17+ years).The idea was that students should be freed from their studies for examinations and that theyshould undertake studies that would help their personal and career development. They wouldcontinue with some