Technological Literacy as an Element in the Structure, Assessment, and Evaluation of Engineering and Engineering Technology Degree Programs

The goal of teaching technological literacy is to foster greater technological literacy in society. Efforts in this area have been focused largely on developing technological literacy in students who are not majoring in engineering or engineering technology. Our majors need to be technologically literate as well. While meeting the specific educational goals of the major area, the program curriculum in engineering and engineering technology degree programs also needs to help students develop general technological literacy. These concepts and dimensions should be considered and included in the design of individual courses and the curriculum. Concepts of technological literacy are implicit in ABET accreditation criteria for programs in engineering and engineering technology. Each course is expected to contribute to meeting accreditation criteria, and most, if not all, courses are expected to contribute in different areas, including areas that are linked to technological literacy. Criteria for both types of program can be matched to dimensions of technological literacy, and these dimensions can be a useful framework for assessment and evaluation. These dimensions should be considered when revising courses and the curriculum to address issues raised in this process. This paper will explore the use of the concept and dimensions of technological literacy as a guide for revising and improving individual courses and the curriculum as a whole. This will include discussion of efforts to apply this framework to existing courses ranging from first year to senior year courses in a four year degree program in engineering technology and to identifying places where elements of technological literacy could be added to enhance instruction. This work on specific courses will then be linked to the curriculum as a whole. Finally, assessment of the progress made by students in developing technological literacy will be discussed. Introduction A technologically literate person has a basic understanding of technology – what it is, how it affects their life and the lives of others, and how people collectively make decisions about technology and manage change. This has been mapped in terms of three dimensions – “knowledge, ways of thinking and acting, and capabilities.” 1 A person who has developed technological literacy is prepared to understand and make informed decisions about technology. Over the past ten years or so, teaching technological literacy has been recognized as an important topic. 1-3 Faculty members at universities and community colleges have developed courses 4 and minors 5,6 to help college students develop technological literacy. A review of papers submitted for Technological Literacy sessions at ASEE meetings [4-26] shows a range of approaches, P ge 25266.2 including approaches based on examples from the history of technology 7 , laboratory exercises in dissection and construction of various devices 8-10 , study and reproduction of old forms of technology 11 , study of emerging technologies 12,13 , and the use of news articles 14 and movies. 15 Courses teaching technological literacy are often similar to introductory courses in engineering and engineering technology. 24,25 Technological literacy is an important element in STEM programs at the K-12 level. 16-21 Activities at the college level should help to prepare teachers to teach in these programs. In college courses and programs, the primary emphasis has been on helping people who are not majoring in engineering or engineering technology develop technological literacy. 4,6 Majors need to be technologically literate as well. 22 Many dimensions of technological literacy can be linked to topics listed in both EAC ABET and TAC ABET criteria. 16,23 Thinking from the perspective of teaching technological literacy can be helpful in efforts to satisfy and to document that programs satisfy these criteria. Concepts of technological literacy are often included in first year 24,25 and design 26 courses and could be given greater emphasis. Considering technological literacy when approaching these and other subjects should be beneficial to students. Technological Literacy and What We Want Our Majors to Know The National Academy of Engineering publication, Technically Speaking, lists the following characteristics of a technologically literate citizen: 27 Characteristics of a Technologically Literate Citizen Knowledge • Recognizes the pervasiveness of technology in everyday life. • Understands basic engineering concepts and terms, such as systems, constraints, and tradeoffs. • Is familiar with the nature and limitations of the engineering design process. • Knows some of the ways technology shapes human history and people shape technology. • Knows that all technologies entail risk, some that can be anticipated and some that cannot. • Appreciates that the development and use of technology involve trade-offs and a balance of costs and benefits. • Understands that technology reflects the values and culture of society. Ways of Thinking and Acting • Asks pertinent questions, of self and others, regarding the benefits and risks of technologies. • Seeks information about new technologies. • Participates, when appropriate, in decisions about the development and use of technology. Capabilities • Has a range of hands-on skills, such as using a computer for word processing and surfing the Internet and operating a variety of home and office appliances. • Can identify and fix simple mechanical or technological problems at home or work. • Can apply basic mathematical concepts related to probability, scale, and estimation to make informed judgments about technological risks and benefits. P ge 25266.3 In the area of capabilities, majors are expected to reach a much higher level. Majors are expected to be able to be useful members of project teams which will design, build, and manage complex technological systems. The curriculum and the related program learning objectives in an engineering or engineering technology degree program can be linked to a specific list of capabilities. With experience, our graduates are expected to be able to lead project teams and manage large, complex engineering projects. To do this, they need the capabilities associated with their major. They also need attributes listed here in the areas of knowledge and ways of thinking and acting. Expectations for majors will be different, at least for some items listed. One difference here is that we should expect majors to be able to bring and share a greater understanding with people who will be part of the decision-making process who do not have an engineering background. Again, aspects of a program’s curriculum and program learning objectives can be linked to items that would fit in these categories. While it may not be recognized as such, engineering and engineering technology degree majors need to be helped to develop technological literacy, and elements of this are included in the curriculum. In efforts to meet EAC and TAC ABET criteria, it should be useful to formally consider technological literacy in the process of development, evaluation, and assessment of the curriculum, and to include the holistic development of technological literacy as an element of the student’s education. 23 Technological Literacy and Major Courses Often, non-majors are likely to encounter technological literacy directly in one course (if at all). Majors in engineering and engineering technology can be intentionally exposed to aspects of technological literacy in many courses. Some courses, such as introductory, 24,25 problemsolving, design, 26 and capstone courses, take a broad view of engineering and technology. While the unifying theme may not be encountered as such, these courses cover many elements of technological literacy. Many major courses are focused on capabilities in specific subject areas – thermodynamics, digital electronics, transport processes, etc. – and on application of this knowledge in practice. Elements of the first two dimensions of technological literacy may be incorporated in these courses as well. An analogy may be found in the dispersion of design content throughout the curriculum. Since the 1980s, textbooks for courses like thermodynamics have been revised to emphasize design content (for example, see subsequent editions of Moran and Shapiro, Fundamentals of Engineering Thermodynamics 28 ). In the same manner, content related to other aspects of technological literacy and the associated ABET criteria can be added to materials for these courses. These additions can be useful to help students relate coursespecific knowledge to broader engineering problems, as well as helping them develop technological literacy. Following are some examples of courses (courses taught at one time by the author) of opportunities to add content that is both relevant to the course and will be included specifically to help students develop technological literacy. This is demonstrated here using the “Characteristics of a Technologically Literate Citizen” 27 quoted from “Technically Speaking” P ge 25266.4 and showing specific aspects that can be explored using examples related to the course material. Knowledge of the specific course content will be taken as a given here; this discussion will be limited to other aspects of technological literacy. Course: Introduction to Engineering and/or Engineering Technology As noted previously, these courses have much in common with courses for non-majors, and many elements of the course content can be linked to the characteristics of technological literacy. 24,25 One textbook developed for first year engineering courses uses examples from the history of technology to teach engineering; this book and a companion volume are well suited to courses in the history of technology and technological literacy. 29,30 Case studies 31 and hands-on learning activities used to meet the goals of first year classes can be used