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

of technology. A smallnumber of engineering faculty around the country have developed courses intended tointroduce non-engineering students to fundamental ideas in technology and engineering 13.Children and adults can acquire technologically literate through a variety of informallearning opportunities, such as visits to science centers and museums. In the last severalyears, for example, the Boston Museum of Science has taken an active role in promotingtechnological literacy. The museum is developing curricula and teacher educationprojects consistent with state learning standards that include a technology/engineeringstrand 14. Other museums, such as the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose and theOregon Museum of Science and Industry, have

Conference Session

Engineering for Nonengineers: Ideas & Results

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Deborah Mechtel, U.S. Naval Academy; Andrew McCue, U.S. Naval Academy; Keith Kintzley, U.S. Naval Academy; Robert Voigt, U.S. Naval Academy

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

course sequence is used for ABET accredited majors.This paper presents the approach used by the Electrical and Computer EngineeringDepartment at the Naval Academy to improve the technological literacy of non-engineering students. Electrical engineering fundamentals and applications areemphasized with the relevant mathematics introduced as needed. Applications of thefundamentals evolve to stress the relevance of a particular topic area. Key technicalconcepts are reinforced with practical laboratory exercises. The final practical exercisetakes place aboard a Naval Academy patrol craft. The students explore the electricalsystems on the ship and relate them to the fundamentals studied during the semester.Course outcomes show that students across a

Conference Session

Engineering for Nonengineers: Ideas & Results

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mani Mina, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

manufacturing that is totallydependant on manual labor will be moving countries with lower labor cost. Consequently, themain part of the non-engineering US workforce (especially those who will not have engineeringor technological trainings) will have to have fundamental understanding of technology, the usageof technology and issues related to technology.In addition fundamental understanding of technology is becoming necessary for many managers,directors, CEOs, as well as policy makers. However, most such key decision makers do not haveengineering degrees. At the same time such individuals are defining policies, companydirections, and future planning for technologically related or technologically affected disciplines

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

USNA, studentsare introduced to the fundamental methods and tools for ongoing evaluation of new, potentiallydisruptive technologies. Students use the tools of socio-technological analysis to carry outprojection (determining what is possible, based on currently understood science), prediction(analyzing what is likely to be achievable under the limitations of current understanding, existingcapabilities, and the economic, political and social realities of the day) and valuation(determining what is valuable, based on risk and reward, ethics, etc.).The described course has as its main outcome a skill set that supports life-long learning andfosters an understanding of the factors that affect and effect technological change. Students whotake the

Conference Session

Technological Literacy and the Educated Person

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

R. William Graff, LeTourneau University; Paul Leiffer, LeTouneau University; Martin Batts, Le Tourneau University; Maria J. Leiffer, LeTouneau University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

these concepts.1. Everyday Concepts – FeedbackOur society is continually becoming more technically oriented in all aspects of life.Technology may seem mysterious to fuzzies. There is, however, a certain set of basic, Page 15.1367.2easily understood information that “techies” can help fuzzies understand.Some basic concepts, fundamental to those of an engineering discipline, can be appliedto everyday life. For example, a person concerned about his or her weight can use theconcept that “measurement precedes control.” This concept comes from the engineeringprinciple of a feedback loop. If the output of a system is used to control the input, thewhole system

Conference Session

Technology Literacy for Engineering Students

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Byron Newberry, Baylor University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

ambivalence about technological literacy comesfrom Raghu Garud, who writes, “It is a source of consternation to my wife that, despite myengineering education, I am all thumbs when it comes to fixing anything.”6 Like Bucciarelli,Garud goes on do discuss the different ways in which we can “know” something abouttechnology, and how those ways of knowing do not necessarily coexist in a given individual. Hiscomments resonated with me given that I am someone who can explain in much theoreticaldetail how most of the systems of an automobile work, yet I find myself placing blind faith in the Page 12.660.3competence and veracity of the mechanic when anything

Conference Session

Teaching Technological Literacy - College Courses and Minors

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Doyle, Penn State University; Richard Devon, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

: Why All Americans Need to Know More about Technology, describes the importance of being literate about technology in the 21st century2. In their 2006 report, Tech Tally3, the NAE defined technological literacy as “an understanding of technology at a level that enables effective functioning in a modern technological society.”5The report on an NSF sponsored workshop at the National Academy of Engineering in 2005includes the statement that technological literacy is important because, “We live in a technological world. Living in the twenty-first century requires much more from every individual than a basic ability to read, write, and perform simple mathematics. Technology affects virtually every aspect of

Conference Session

Defining Technological Literacy

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kathryn Neeley, University of Virginia

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

relatively low skill level, asin the basic abilities to read and write. Perhaps even more damaging to the cause, “illiterate”suggests not only the lack of basic skills that are fundamental to citizenship and personhood, butalso a lack of culture. When it is used in relation to college students or adult citizens, “literacy”suggests remediation. The message conveyed by these connotations is certainly not the oneintended by any advocates of technological literacy with whom I have had contact. It is also truethat the use of the terminology within the engineering community has somewhat rehabilitated themeaning in the direction of the broad definitions promoted by the NRC/NAE. But these facts donot eliminate the negative potential of “literacy

Conference Session

Technology Literacy for Non-Engineers

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Barbara Oakley, Oakland University; Lorenzo Smith, Oakland University; Yin-ping (Daniel) Chang, Oakland University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

accessible to all SMU students.Fulfills a requirement for Laboratory Science.Prerequisite: None. Annual Enroll: 45PHYS 3333 The Scientific Method – Critical andCreative Thinking (Debunking Pseudo Science)This course will provide you with anunderstanding of the scientific method sufficientto detect pseudoscience in its many guises:paranormal phenomena; free-energy devices;alternative medicine; intelligent-designcreationism; and many others. You will learn tothink critically and to question outlandish claims,hype, and outright BS. Expect to do a lot ofreading, writing, and, most of all, thinking.Annual Enroll: 55PHYS 1313 Fundamentals of PhysicsOn-line course description was not found. Basedupon verbal communication with the instructor,the course is

Conference Session

Teaching Technological Literacy - College Courses and Minors

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Austin Talley, University of Texas, Austin; Christina White, Columbia University; Kristin Wood, University of Texas, Austin; Richard Crawford, University of Texas at Austin

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

the sense-making worlds in which each lives. Indeed, Dewey claimedthat all literacies involve the action of problem solving21. In our course, we consider andinclude acts of multiple and different literacies for reading, speaking, and writing aboutsalient engineering resources such as: Pugh charts, patents, S-curves, customer needscharts, mission statements, product designs, poetry, images, biographies, and computeraided drawings to name a few22.Social ConstructivismOur curriculum is designed within a social constructivist framework in an effort to createengineering education experiences that (1) foster learners’ capabilities and dispositionsfor engaging in collaborative project-based inquiry and critical thinking skills; (2)facilitate

Conference Session

Defining Technological Literacy

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

W. Bernard Carlson, University of Virginia

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

2006-1182: TECHNOLOGICAL LITERACY AND EMPOWERMENT:EXEMPLARS FROM THE HISTORY OF TECHNOLOGYW. Bernard Carlson, University of Virginia W. Bernard Carlson is Professor of Science, Technology, and Society at the University of Virginia, with joint appointments in the School of Engineering and the History Department. His primary fields are the history of technology and business and his research focuses on how inventors, engineers, and managers used technology to create big business between 1870 and 1920. His most recent book is Technology in World History, 7 vols. (Oxford University Press, 2005). With support from the Sloan Foundation, he is currently writing a biography of the inventor Nikola

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

thetraditional disciplines can intersect in some way with technology11. Why is it important? It is important to the future of our students and our society. Abbottand Masterman put it best: "Students who do not understand how the new and convergingtechnologies work, how they construct meaning, how they can be used, and how the evidencethey present can be weighed and evaluated are, in contemporary cultures, considerablydisadvantaged and disempowered.”12 The increasing pace of technological change places moreurgency on the problem. The Dalai Lama comments that “Seeing the tremendous importance ofscience [he also addresses technology] and recognizing its inevitable dominance in the modernworld fundamentally changed my attitude to it from curiosity to

Conference Session

Engineering and Technology for Everyone

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mani Mina, Iowa State University; Ryan M. Gerdes, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

AC 2009-2456: IMPACT OF ENGINEERING: DESIGNING A CLASS FORTECHNOLOGICAL LITERACY DISCIPLINESMani Mina, Iowa State University Mani Mina is with the department of Electrical and Computer engineering and is the also the director of Minor in Engineering studies (A technological literacy minor) at Iowa State University. He is an active member of IEEE and ASEE. His research interest include applied EM, RF systems, Optical devices, and engineering education at all levels.Ryan M. Gerdes, Iowa State University Ryan M. Gerdes received a B.S. in computer engineering in 2004, and in 2006 both a B.S. and M.S. in electrical engineering, all from Iowa State University. He is currently working towards his

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

2006-701: ASSESSING TECHNOLOGICAL LITERACY IN THE UNITED STATESJohn Krupczak, Hope College John Krupczak, Associate Professor of Engineering, Hope College. Prof. Krupczak’s course in technogical literacy began in 1995 and has educated over 1,000 students in multiple disciplines including pre-service teaching since 1995. Prof..Krupczak is the inaugural chair of the new Technological Literacy Constituent Committee of the ASEE.Greg Pearson, National Academy of Engineering Greg Pearson is a program officer at the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), where he directs the academy’s efforts related to technological literacy and public understanding of engineering. Mr. Pearson most recently served

Conference Session

Engineering for Nonengineers: Ideas & Results

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Vince Bertsch, Santa Rosa Junior College

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

. Page 13.1185.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2008 Technological Literacy as a Science GE Course in California’s UC, CSU and CCC SystemsAbstractThe need for increase technological literacy (TL) in the general population has been discussedand emphasized in many forums. These discussions frequently emphasized the opportunities andresponsibilities engineering educators have to developing this area of the educational curriculum.Engr 12, How Stuff Works – The Science Behind Things, at Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC)is a new proposed course offering to address this TL need. The course attempts to deliver anunderstanding of both science and engineering to a non-technical audience within the

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

Page 11.1228.9distinguish us from our science colleagues. This approach applies not only to our ownengineering students, but also to our non-engineering students, i. e, those whom we (areabout to) instruct in technological literacy. Such an educational approach could alsoprovide a professional and social representation of the engineer to the rest of society. Representation is a word with great resonance within the community of designprofessionals and instructors. For example, in Engineering Design: A Synthesis of Views,C. Dym 26 writes “The principal thesis of this book is that the key element of design isrepresentation. If we were to consult a standard dictionary, we would find representationdefined as ‘the likeness, or image, or

Conference Session

Installing & Assessing Technology Literacy Courses

Collection

2006 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Matthew Ohland, Clemson University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

2006-1282: FIRST-YEAR ENGINEERING PROGRAMS AND TECHNOLOGICALLITERACYMatthew Ohland, Clemson University Matthew W. Ohland is an Associate Professor in Clemson University’s General Engineering program and is the President of Tau Beta Pi, the national engineering honor society. He received his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering with a minor in Education from the University of Florida in 1996. Previously, he served as Assistant Director of the NSF-sponsored SUCCEED Engineering Education Coalition. His research is primarily in freshman programs and educational assessment. Page 11.644.1© American Society for

Conference Session

Technological Literacy and K-12 Engineering

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nataliia Perova, Tufts University; Chris Rogers, Tufts University; David Henry Feldman, Tufts University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

AC 2009-2037: INVESTIGATION OF THE SUCCESSFUL EFFORT TO CHANGEEDUCATIONAL CURRICULUM FRAMEWORKS IN MASSACHUSETTS TOINCLUDE ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGYNataliia Perova, Tufts University Nataliia got her M.S. in Mathematics, Science, Technology and Engineering education from Tufts University in 2008 and M.S. in Electrical Engineering in 2005 from Tufts University and B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Suffolk University. Nataliia is currently a research assistant at Harvard Graduate School of Education where she is involved in the research project on mathematics education. She is also doing research on using engineering approaches to teach science to college students.Chris Rogers, Tufts

Conference Session

Technology Literacy for Non-Engineers

Collection

2007 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jan DeWaters, Clarkson University; Susan Powers, Clarkson University; Mary Graham, Clarkson University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

to society and from era to era; so there is no absolute definition of literacy.12, quoting E.D. Hirsh, Jr., 1988Hirsh’s fluid definition of cultural literacy contends that, even in its barest sense, literacy cannotbe sufficiently defined by the possession of a limited set of factual knowledge. Given thelimitations of knowledge, per se, literacy becomes not only a way of knowing, but also a way ofbeing – curious, objective, and capable of assessing and applying information and skills to makesound decisions and actions. Literacy implies not only the understanding of a particular, relevantbody of knowledge and set of relationships, but moreover, the ability and willingness to use thatknowledge in a functional manner – to read and write

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

the entrepreneurial spirit of earlier pioneers in flight, and use their knowledge of aerospace engineering to design the first “space resort.”2) Scratch Game Development, Middle School: Through the creation of Scratch games, students will learn important mathematical and computational skills, while also gaining a deeper understanding of the process of computer programming and game design. This project includes computer programming, computer animation, multimedia technologies and technical writing. Students will use Scratch to create interactive stories, animations and games that focus on STEM content and concepts and will share those creations on the Internet.3) Bio-acoustics, Middle School: Students will explore how sound is

Conference Session

Teaching Technological Literacy - College Courses and Minors

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kelli Huser, Iowa State University; Thomas Kelly, Iowa State University; Mani Mina, Iowa State University; Seth Ballou, Iowa State University; Joseph Crispin, Iowa State University

Tagged Divisions

Technological Literacy Constituent Committee

through relevant research. Each of these approaches has its benefits. Focusing on the historical design and evolutionof certain kinds of technology allows students to develop an understanding and appreciation ofthe origins of technology and fundamentally asks how technology works and why it developed in Page 15.1350.2the way it did. Technological philosophy courses encourage students to question technology, itsmoral and ethical purposes, and how technology fits within society. Both approaches haveproven valuable in the field of technological literacy.Course OverviewThis course is innovative in both the content and the curriculum design