A Multidisciplinary Approach to Improving Understanding of Science and Technology for Non-Engineering Students

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Two new first year courses for non-science, non-engineering students will be developed. The courses will examine, in a clear and practical way, important technologies which affect everyday life. The technologies studied will illustrate the application of science and mathematics to real world problems and will show how the engineering method is applied to develop and continually improve each example of technology. This partially quantitative study of different technologies will be interesting to non-engineering students and will greatly increase their technological literacy and insight to a level which cannot come from the most rigorous mathematics or science courses. Subject matter in the courses will change over time and will deal with topics of current national or local interest such as Energy and Society, Electricity Supply, Modern Communications, and Family Housing. Engineering, Arts, Humanities, and Social Science faculty will participate together in the courses. Much of the teaching will be done by Engineers, but each topic will be set in a social and historical context. Field trips and laboratory projects will be incorporated as much as possible. Achievement of the project objective will be measured by a comparison of the attitudes, activities, and achievements of students who have or have not taken the courses. The project is intended to provide a model for other institutions interested in improving the scientific and technological literacy of their non-science and non-engineering students.