EXPANDING THE USE OF EMERSON CIRCLES TO MODEL PERSONAL GROWTH IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

摘要

In March 2004, the then Federal Reserve Chairman, Allan Greenspan speaking to the Boston College Finance Conference, said the key to preserving US jobs was not protectionism but education and training to ensure Americans thrive in a global economy. "As history clearly shows, our economy is best served by full and vigorous engagement in the global economy," Greenspan said. "Consequently, we need to increase our efforts to ensure that as many of our citizens as possible have the opportunity to capture the benefits that flow from that engagement". While there are many drivers for teaching diversity competencies ranging from social equity and justice to global competition, there seems to be a broad agreement on the importance of this objective. The authors have had an abiding interest and concern in teaching diversity and developing and assessing diversity skills. Even those who understand the great benefits of diversity and passionately promote it will accede to the difficulty of moving forward with diversity issues. Traditionally, students majoring in technical areas learn about human diversity from courses in the humanities and the social sciences. While perspectives gained in these courses are valuable, it is mostly presented without a technologically relevant perspective. Technology educators themselves need to address why the knowledge of contemporary societal and global issues are relevant to the professional development and future success of technology students. K-State at Salina faculty has begun to demonstrate their commitment to diversity by sponsoring and/or participating in events such as multicultural movies, panel discussions and external speakers. There is a need to go beyond simply raising awareness. It is time to begin to help students develop a sense of identity as "technologist" or "scientist" that encompasses the principles of diversity and multiculturalism. Sherra Kearns, a former ASEE president, has referred to the technology professional who has gained such a sense of identity as a "socially effective whole brained global engineer". Industry demands a diversity competent employee. ABET requires students be culturally competent and be prepared to deal with globalization.