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

将为非理工科学生开设两门新的第一年课程。这些课程将以一种清晰而实用的方式研究影响日常生活的重要技术。所研究的技术将说明科学和数学在现实世界问题中的应用，并将展示如何应用工程方法来开发和不断改进每个技术示例。这种对不同技术的部分定量研究对非工程专业的学生来说会很有趣，并且会大大提高他们的技术素养和洞察力，这是最严格的数学或科学课程所无法达到的水平。课程的主题将随着时间的推移而变化，并将涉及当前国家或地方感兴趣的主题，如能源与社会，电力供应，现代通信和家庭住房。工程、艺术、人文和社会科学教师将共同参加课程。大部分的教学将由工程师完成，但每个主题都将设置在社会和历史背景下。实地考察和实验室项目将尽可能多地纳入。项目目标的实现将通过比较参加或未参加课程的学生的态度、活动和成就来衡量。该项目旨在为其他有意提高其非理工科学生的科学和技术素养的机构提供一个模式。

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.