Defining engineering and technological literacy

Abstract

Many Americans lack even a rudimentary understanding of the principles underlying the technology essential for daily life. Engineering concepts are pervasive in decision making within industry, government, education, and health care, yet most people complete formal education with little exposure to the central ideas and principles underlying our technological society. The terms engineering literacy and technological literacy have been used to describe aspects of this understanding of human-developed process and products. This work addresses some of the differences and similarities between the concepts of engineering literacy and technological literacy. A clear well-defined understanding of each of these areas is an essential first step in developing a means to promote these understandings in the undergraduate general education program. Engineering literacy is viewed as having a focus directed more toward the process of creating or designing technological artifacts or systems. It is argued that technological literacy includes a broader view of the products or results of the engineering process as well as the relation between technology and society. Each literacy is seen as having a time-independent and a constantly evolving or changing component. The engineering processes can be viewed as independent of the specific nature of technology which changes over time as technology evolves. The specific artifacts, processes, and systems that define any technological era are transient. The hardware aspects of technological literacy will be an ever-changing subject. The interactions and relationships of society to technology are viewed as constant and little-changed as different artifacts and systems move into and out of importance to daily life. This work will use the process of a comparison of engineering and technological literacy to help define and describe each area of knowledge. © 2012 American Society for Engineering Education.