"Impact of technology on individuals and society": a critical thinking and lifelong learning class for engineering students

This paper presents a rationale, course objectives, and sample exercises for a newly developed general education class that is encouraged especially for engineering and technology students. The class was developed in response to a need to engage students with social and ethical issues related to their disciplines, as well as to empower them as critical thinkers who will be actively involved in democratic decision-making about technical issues. The class has two primary objectives: First, students are provided the opportunity to reflect critically on the merits and drawbacks of technology in their lives and across broad social contexts. Second, to promote life-long learning commitment and skills, the class also focuses on self-assessment of personal learning styles and understanding how new technology information and skills are acquired