Appendix A: Learning Outcomes
Appendix A contains the following sections:
Module 1: The Nature and Interaction of Science, Technology, and Society (core)
It is expected that students will:
- describe what science is and how it evolved
- identify the methods and principles of science
- apply the methods and principles of science to specific questions
- describe what technology is and how it evolved
- identify problem-solving strategies used in the development of a technology
- apply problem-solving strategies to a specific technological activity
- distinguish between fact and opinion
- demonstrate an appreciation that issues are influenced by people's values
- identify and analyse the interrelationships among science, technology, and society
- apply a decision-making model to science, technology, and society issues
- demonstrate an awareness that today's science and technology decisions will influence the future of society
- describe the major factors influencing society with respect to science and technology and describe their relative importance
Module 2: Computers and Information Technology (core)
It is expected that students will:
- outline the scientific and technological developments of the computer and telecommunications networks
- describe the interaction of science and technology in the development of information technology
- describe and apply the process of obtaining information (identifying the information needed and where it can be obtained, searching and retrieving the information, assessing it, integrating it, presenting it)
- identify the basic components and operating principles of the computer
- access and use various information sources via a lan or wan
- describe how the computer has altered work in various work environments
- describe the impact of information technology on various daily activities and suggest possible future trends
- list products and opportunities made possible by the development of the computer and suggest possible future trends
- describe the impact of networks on global issues and changes in worldwide communication
- analyse the impact of information technology on personal lifestyles and societal values
Module 3: Space
It is expected that students will:
- relate space technologies to the concepts and principles of science
- describe new areas of scientific and technological activity that have been generated by space research and exploration
- outline the influence of historical, political, and economic factors on space technologies and science
- discriminate between science and science fiction in terms of space technologies
- identify key events in the development of space exploration
- describe the physical basis of space flight
- demonstrate an understanding of the costs and benefits of space exploration
- describe Canadian involvement in the space program
- assess the sociological impact of the images of planet Earth that are returned from space
- identify possible future directions for the space program
Module 4: Transportation
It is expected that students will:
- describe the impact of transportation technologies on individual lifestyles
- describe the contribution of transportation technologies to the evolution of world travel and communication
- describe the interrelationships between society, technology, and transportation systems
- outline the scientific and technological changes that have taken place in transportation over time
Module 5: Resource Management and Environmental Planning
It is expected that students will:
- identify resources used in B.C. and the costs and benefits of their use
- describe the technological advances in the use and management of resources over the past 100 years
- describe the changes in the skills required by the workforce involved in resource use and management (e.g., global positioning system, geographical information system)
- demonstrate an awareness of the challenges faced by resource management and predict how technology might address these concerns
- describe the role of current scientific research in improving resource use and management
- analyse the effects of economics and politics, and the environmental impact on resource use and management
- relate energy use to resource use and management
- apply decision-making models to the management and use of resources
- identify the variety of energy uses in relationship to resources and the environment
- describe how supply and demand create stress on particular resources
- analyse the economic significance of our resources in the context of political and ecological concerns
- identify, compare, or analyse techniques used to extract resources from their natural location
Module 6: Pollution
It is expected that students will:
- define pollution
- describe the types of pollutants that influence air, land, and water
- describe the effects and possible solutions to various sources of pollution
- develop and implement a 3-R (reduce, reuse, and recycle) waste management system at home or school
- outline the detrimental effects of pollutants on society
- identify undesirable and unexpected byproducts and relate them to specific technologies
- describe the interactions of technology and society in the historical development of a specific waste management technology
- relate individual and community responsibilities to societal waste problems
Module 7: Energy and Environmental Trade-offs
It is expected that students will:
- relate energy systems to corresponding natural resources in B.C. and the rest of Canada
- identify the environmental impacts and societal benefits of a specific source of energy
- describe the interactions among society, technology, use of energy sources, and the design of energy systems
- identify technologies created as a result of society's concern for dwindling non-renewable energy resources (e.g., solar power, electric cars)
- identify the organizations (and their roles) and the processes involved in making energy decisions in B.C. and globally
- describe nuclear fission and "chain reaction" as related to nuclear energy
- identify the byproducts of nuclear fission and the short- and long-term effects they have on the environment
- identify alternative energy sources in B.C. and the potential impact of their use
Module 8: Medicine, Health, and Technology
It is expected that students will:
- describe the interactions of science and technology in the development of modern medical technologies
- describe basic human anatomy and physiology
- suggest or create a possible technological solution to a health problem
- relate societal values to the use and emphases of health technologies and technological development
- define the relationship of medicine to science, technology, and society
- identify symptoms of illness, treatment, and common cures
- identify simple diseases caused by food
- identify alternative remedies for various health problems
- describe medical technologies associated with the diagnosis and treatment of specific medical problems
- identify and discuss issues involving ethics related to medicine
Module 9: Shelter
It is expected that students will:
- describe the interactions of technology and society in the development of alternative forms of shelter
- describe the interactions of science and technology in shelter design
- identify or describe technological advances in the service systems (e.g., heat, electricity, water, sewage) of a modern house
- relate safety and building codes to the specific service systems and identify the technological changes in service systems from the past to the present
- explain the concept of shelter and describe basic structural principles
- describe the relationships among shelter design, population, and community planning
Module 10: Food Production and Distribution
It is expected that students will:
- describe the relationships among world food production, shortages, and distribution
- describe and analyse the ways in which society directs the development of food production, food processing, and food distribution technologies
- identify examples of food production technologies used in B.C.
- relate the effects of changing technology in food production and processing to the changes in the skills required by the workforce in this industry
- describe the interactions between science and technology that contribute to food production and preservation (of both plants and animals)
Module 11: Technology for the Home
It is expected that students will:
- identify the influence of technologies on family life and the home
- trace or outline the development of specific home appliances
- discuss the changes in lifestyle created by so-called labour-saving appliances in the home
- describe the interaction of science and technology in the development of a specific appliance or home technology
- identify the impact of the computer or microprocessor on the home and on home technologies and suggest possible future implications
Module 12: Consumerism and Population
It is expected that students will:
- describe world population growth and the factors contributing to it
- outline scientific and technological solutions to the problems associated with population growth
- compare the consumption of resources in developed countries with that in developing countries
- analyse their individual consumption of resources (e.g., water, paper, food, electricity)
- describe the use of technology in the advertising industry and the influence of advertising on consumption patterns
- differentiate between human needs and human wants
Module 13: Military and Defence Technology
It is expected that students will:
- identify and describe the sociological, political, and economic impacts of military and defence technologies
- relate the history of military conflict to the accelerated development of specific technologies
- analyse decisions involved in the development, implementation, or use of military and defence technologies
- describe the impact of technology on war strategy
- suggest reasons why military or defence spending supports a majority of the Earth's scientific research and technological development
Module 14: Leisure and Recreational Technology
It is expected that students will:
- outline ways in which technology has reduced working time and increased leisure time for society
- identify and describe the effect of technology on the development of specific recreations (e.g., computerization on the music industry, new materials incorporated into ski equipment)
- relate the development of leisure and recreational technology to developments in science and technology over time
- provide evidence that the use of recreational technologies involves personal and societal values
- identify and describe the use of technology in the fine arts, other cultural activities, and the media
Module 15: The Future
It is the expected that students will:
- outline the use of technologies developed to forecast or predict the future
- analyse the effects of technologies on society and predict future effects, locally and globally
- demonstrate an awareness that decisions made today will influence the future of society
- evaluate the impact of information and other technologies on the workplace
- assess the extent to which science and technology are involved in a vocation of particular interest
- assess the impact of technological change on personal relationships and education
Table of Contents
Curriculum Branch
Ministry of Education
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Maintained by: Science and Technology Coordinator
Revised: January 27, 1999
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