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Michael J. Dyrenfurth PhDProfessor
Campus: West Lafayette Biography:Dr. Dyrenfurth is professor in the Department of Industrial Technology. He is also Co-PI of two international exchange programs funded by FIPSE (Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education) and the European Union. Previously he served a four year term as the College of Technology’s Assistant Dean during which he was responsible for the graduate program, securing approval for the College's Ph.D. program and international initiatives. Before that, at Iowa State University, he served as a graduate Professor of Industrial Education and Technology and Graduate Program Coordinator. Prior to this he was a senior professor and co-director of the Research Institute for Technical Education & Workforce Development in the Department of Practical Arts and Vocational-Technical Education at the University of Missouri. His work involved program leadership, research and curriculum development projects, teaching of graduate and in-service courses in occupational analysis, curriculum development, instructional methods, evaluation and philosophy of vocational-technical education. He has served as department chairman, program coordinator, and project director in various academic settings. Active in his profession, Dr. Dyrenfurth currently is chairman of the World Council of Associations for Technology Education, and he has served as president of the National Association of Industrial Technical Teacher Educators, and as a member of the AVA's board of directors. He is/was involved with a significant set of professional associations including: ASEE, CTTE, EPT, ITEA, AERA, ATEA, NCOE, and ASTD. Research Interests
PublicationsArticles
Most recently, he co-authored, with Grimson, W., & Murphy, M. (2009). Liberal Studies in Engineering & Technology. Chapter 8 in S.H. Christensen, B. Delahousse, & M. Meganck, (Eds.) (2009). Engineering in Context. Aarhus, Denmark: Academica. Previously, he co-edited, together with Prof. Dr. Theuerkauf (Germany) International perspectives on technological education: Outcomes & futures, a proceedings book from the International Working Seminar for Scholars in Technology Education. In addition, he authored a University Council for Vocational Education, book chapter entitled HRD's Futures: Four Possibilities and in 1997 his work "Research in Technology Education, What do we really know?" was published in Blandow & Theuerkauf's (Eds.), Strategien und Paradigmenwechsel zur Technischen Bildung, Hildesheim, Germany. In 1994 he edited with Prof. Dr. Dietrich Blandow of Germany, Technology Education in School and Industry: Emerging Didactics for Human Resource Development, a NATO ASI Series Book; in 1992 he published, with Dr. Dietrich Blandow and pursuant to support from the Technical Foundation of America, Technological Literacy, Competence and Innovation in Human Resource Development; and in 1991, his (co-edited) yearbook entitled Technological Literacy, was published by the International Technology Education Association. He has authored American, Canadian, and international journal articles and a variety of curricula including Energy & Power Technology, Materials & Processing Technology, Process Instrumentation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration), the Missouri Industrial Technology Education Guide, an invited monograph, Literacy for a Technological World, delineating the concept and implications of technological literacy; a book chapter dealing with technology resource utilization, and, together with Daniel Householder, the Review and Synthesis of Research in Industrial Arts, 1968-1979. Dr. Dyrenfurth served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Technology Studies (EPT) the International Journal for Technology and Design Education and M/S/T. He has presented 180+ sessions at international, national, and local conferences on technology, vocational education, methodology, research, simulation, technology, technology education, & technological literacy. Dr. Dyrenfurth's specialties include technology education and teacher education, technological literacy, program and curriculum evaluation, international vocational technical education and leadership development. Research and consulting also form an important part of his work, a sample of which has involved international technical/vocational education, safety, developing business-industry-labor linkages, competency-based training, needs assessment, third party and other evaluations, curriculum development, human relations and workshop training. Links |
