Approved by the Engineering Technology Faculty April 4, 2000
The Engineering Technology Department provides educational opportunities for students in a comprehensive range of engineering technology, computer science technology, and related technical disciplines. The Engineering Technology faculty are committed to delivering quality undergraduate education to students in programs offered in the department. The department provides instruction, technical assistance, and applied research expertise in these disciplines to the local, state, regional, and international communities.
The department's instructional mission is to teach students to apply not only the fundamentals of science, mathematics, and communications, but also advanced technical concepts in specific technology fields. The effectiveness of these academic programs is measured by the periodic review and revision of each curriculum to ensure the incorporation of the emerging technologies needed by business and industry. This revision process has proven very successful because of input from advisory committees, accreditation review teams, and committed faculty. The department strives to recruit students with high academic credentials for our undergraduate programs and encourages them to obtain the most from the educational opportunities offered by the department.
The department provides service courses to other departments on campus. Students majoring in Aviation or in Technology Management utilize courses in our department to fulfill degree requirements. Non-majors enrolled in Computer Science Technology courses, for example, generate several hundred student-credit hours each semester.
The Engineering Technology Department strives to maintain faculty expertise through scholarship activities. All faculty enhance their technical and teaching skills by attending regional and national professional society conferences and workshops. They have presented numerous papers relating to innovative teaching methods, applied research projects, and academic program design and development. Several faculty actively seek extra-mural support via applied research projects with industry, government-sponsored grants, or summer fellowships. Faculty also serve as consultants to help companies apply current technology in the design and development of new products. Students receive direct benefit from these activities in the form of more relevant instruction, internship opportunities, and class projects involving industry.
Faculty involve themselves in the scholarship of teaching by pioneering new methods of instruction and assessment. Many members of the faculty are developing innovative instructional methods to support existing courses, as well as future courses to be offered via distance delivery method. Curriculum design and development is an ongoing activity of all faculty in the department.
The Engineering Technology faculty actively serves the University through its involvement in Faculty Senate, the Academic Affairs Committee, the University Strategic Planning Committee, the International Affairs Committee, the Faculty Senate Committee on University Planning, and the University General Education Task Force. Faculty are also involved as members of search committees for University-level positions.
Faculty in the department have enhanced the international presence of the University through faculty exchange programs with China and Russia. These programs have rewarded our department with an exchange of technical expertise, and also a better awareness of our position in a global society.
The faculty contribute to the profession though service on national accreditation review teams, including the Technology Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Most faculty are involved in professional societies and several serve as elected officers at the local and regional levels. Faculty publish articles in technical journals, have served as reviewers for journals and textbook publishers, and some have authored textbooks and other scholarly works.
Engineering Technology faculty are involved in numerous community service projects. Individual faculty members have made technical presentations about science and technology careers to local elementary and high schools. The department has supported the regional Science Olympiad competition for many years, and has hosted the regional competition of the National Engineering Design Challenge for high school students. Several faculty members provide leadership to youth programs such as 4-H and scouting, in which young people develop an awareness and appreciation of technology and its application.
The Engineering Technology Mission must continue to evolve in parallel with the mission of Kansas State University. This dynamic process must respond to the needs of our society, and it must encompass new developments and methods in all areas of instruction, scholarship, and service.