The following is excerpted from the official University Core Curriculum's "Guidelines for Technology Intensive Courses." For the full document, go to: http://wpunj.edu/dotAsset/156714.pdf . Defining technological literacy or even finding a common definition of technology is a challenge. Since technology is a “moving wall” and always changing, technological competency should not be tied to a specific technology. Instead it should be tied to the skill of knowing how and when to effectively use technology to accomplish a task. 21st century students should have a disposition to use technology, be prepared to learn new technologies and to understand and critically evaluate the implications of various technologies on society. In addition to the ever changing nature of technology, each discipline will define “technology intensive” differently. Ideally each department would develop its own definition using standards appropriate to the discipline. Information and communication technology skills (ICT) have been defined as a “diverse set of technological tools and resources used to communicate, and to create, disseminate, store, and manage information.”1 While one focus of technology intensive courses at the UCC level will be digital and information and/or communication related, it should be recognized that technological competency within a specific discipline may incorporate a range of other technologies such as biotechnology, computing, energy, informatics, industrial, medical, and many others. Departments should be responsible for the development of discipline-related technological competencies. A technology intensive course must address all of the outcomes listed below. Technology Intensive Outcomes 1. DeMonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems and operations 2. Use a variety of technologies to access, evaluate, collect, and manage data, information and datasets. 3. Understand the impact of technology on themselves, their culture, their environment and their society 4. Practice legal and ethical behaviors in the context of technology Guidelines for Technology Intensive Courses For a course to be identified as “technology intensive”, the GE Council will use the following common sense guidelines. A technology intensive course engages students in the use of technologies while at the same time developing an understanding the impact these technologies have on society. A technology-intensive course will incorporate each of the outcomes in a substantive and demonstrable way. (Would a reasonable person consider this course to be technology-intensive?) A technology-intensive course will assess the use of technology in terms of its contribution to the learning outcomes for the course. (Does the use of technology contribute to the student learning outcomes for the course?) A technology-intensive course specifically addresses the impact of technology on society or the discipline. For example, the course proposal describes how the role of technology and its impact will be incorporated in class activities and assignments throughout the course.
