Engineering New Curricula For Technology Education

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and the University of Maryland, Baltimore, in cooperation with Technology Education teachers from area high schools and industrial consultants, are addressing the need to increase the awareness of and interest in career opportunities in engineering and technology by developing modular Technology Education curricula that use authentic real-world engineering applications and hands-on experiences to build students’ problem-solving skills and technological literacy. The project is aligned with the International Technology Education Association (ITEA) Standards for Technological Literacy as well as the National Science Standards. Specifically, we are developing five case studies to be presented in both web-based and CD format that use real-world examples and practicing engineers to introduce students to engineering design, analysis and decision-making processes. Inquiry-based learning with handson experiences will be used to maximize student interest and understanding. Data will be collected to evaluate how interactive, authentic, problem-solving simulations impact and facilitate student learning. In-service training with the curriculum for Technology Education teachers will be provided prior to classroom use. In addition, a specific objective of the project is to increase the involvement of women and other underrepresented groups in engineering and technology by providing female and minority role models in the classroom and developing case studies that encourage interest and participation by all groups. Therefore, interest in and awareness of engineering and technology-based careers will also be assessed prior to and after exposure to the new curricula. The first module, “Engineering and Health Care”, is near completion and to will be tested by high school technology education students in spring 2005. A case study of hemodialysis is the focus of the module, which is comprised of a number of parts. First, students are introduced to a dialysis patient and his doctor (via a professionally produced video segment), who explain his disease and experience with the procedure. The students then go through a series of hands-on activities, demonstrations, and computer simulations where they learn about the factors that Page 10553.1 Proceedings of the 2005 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2005, American Society for Engineering Education influence dialysis. Assessment tools are built into the module and provide electronic feedback to students as they proceed through the module. After successful completion of the content portion of the module, the patient issues an “engineering challenge” to student teams to design and build a hemodialysis system that meets specific performance criteria. The students then use the computer module to run a mathematical model of a hemodialysis system in which parameters are varied and performance evaluated. Based on results with the simulator, students choose how to build their system. The systems are then built, tested and evaluated, providing students with a true design experience. The final segment of the module provides short video segments with the doctor, a dialysis technician and an engineer each discussing his/her role in the implementation/design of dialysis procedures. Career information is also provided.