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Lim JH, Hunt BD, Findlater N, Tkacik PT, Dahlberg JL. "In Our Own Little World": Invisibility of the Social and Ethical Dimension of Engineering Among Undergraduate Students. SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ETHICS 2021; 27:74. [PMID: 34882277 PMCID: PMC8660727 DOI: 10.1007/s11948-021-00355-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
This paper explores how undergraduate students understood the social relevance of their engineering course content knowledge and drew (or failed to draw) broader social and ethical implications from that knowledge. Based on a three-year qualitative study in a junior-level engineering class, we found that students had difficulty in acknowledging the social and ethical aspects of engineering as relevant topics in their coursework. Many students considered the immediate technical usability or improved efficiency of technical innovations as the noteworthy social and ethical implications of engineering. Findings suggest that highly-structured engineering programs leave little room for undergraduate students to explore the ethical dimension of engineering content knowledge and interact with other students/programs on campus to expand their "technically-minded" perspective. We discussed the issues of the "culture of disengagement" (Cech, Sci Technol Human Values 39(1):42-72, 2014) fueled by disciplinary elitism, spatial distance, and insulated curriculum prevalent in the current structure of engineering programs. We called for more conscious effort by engineering educators to offer meaningful interdisciplinary engagement opportunities and in-class conversations on ethics that support engineering students' holistic intellectual growth and well-rounded professional ethics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jae Hoon Lim
- Cato College of Education, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd, , Charlotte, NC USA
| | - Brittany D. Hunt
- Cato College of Education, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd, , Charlotte, NC USA
| | - Nickcoy Findlater
- Lee College of Engineering, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd, , Charlotte, NC USA
| | - Peter T. Tkacik
- Lee College of Engineering, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd, , Charlotte, NC USA
| | - Jerry L. Dahlberg
- Lee College of Engineering, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd, , Charlotte, NC USA
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Martin DA, Conlon E, Bowe B. A Multi-level Review of Engineering Ethics Education: Towards a Socio-technical Orientation of Engineering Education for Ethics. SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ETHICS 2021; 27:60. [PMID: 34427811 PMCID: PMC8384818 DOI: 10.1007/s11948-021-00333-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
This paper aims to review the empirical and theoretical research on engineering ethics education, by focusing on the challenges reported in the literature. The analysis is conducted at four levels of the engineering education system. First, the individual level is dedicated to findings about teaching practices reported by instructors. Second, the institutional level brings together findings about the implementation and presence of ethics within engineering programmes. Third, the level of policy situates findings about engineering ethics education in the context of accreditation. Finally, there is the level of the culture of engineering education. The multi-level analysis allows us to address some of the limitations of higher education research which tends to focus on individual actors such as instructors or remains focused on the levels of policy and practice without examining the deeper levels of paradigm and purpose guiding them. Our approach links some of the challenges of engineering ethics education with wider debates about its guiding paradigms. The main contribution of the paper is to situate the analysis of the theoretical and empirical findings reported in the literature on engineering ethics education in the context of broader discussions about the purpose of engineering education and the aims of reform programmes. We conclude by putting forward a series of recommendations for a socio-technical oriented reform of engineering education for ethics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Adela Martin
- Philosophy and Ethics, Department IE&IS, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
- College of Engineering and Built Environment, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
| | - Eddie Conlon
- College of Engineering and Built Environment, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Brian Bowe
- Academic Affairs - City Campus, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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Ruiz A, Warchal J, You D. Teaching Ethics to Undergraduate Psychology Students: Review of the Evidence and Recommendations. PSYCHOLOGY LEARNING AND TEACHING-PLAT 2020. [DOI: 10.1177/1475725720923434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Teaching ethics to undergraduate psychology students has been the focus of professional organizations for several years. However, the evidence that psychology programs are teaching ethics and its effectiveness is scarce. In this review, we present recent evidence on teaching ethics based on three themes: delivery of ethics in the curriculum, instructional strategies, and faculty issues related to teaching ethics to undergraduates. We describe a model for incorporating ethics in the culture of the institution. Further, we provide recommendations for both teaching and researching ethics education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Ruiz
- Alvernia University, USA
- Alvernia University, USA
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Sunderland ME. Using Student Engagement to Relocate Ethics to the Core of the Engineering Curriculum. SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ETHICS 2019; 25:1771-1788. [PMID: 23595501 DOI: 10.1007/s11948-013-9444-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2012] [Accepted: 04/03/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
One of the core problems with engineering ethics education is perceptual. Although ethics is meant to be a central component of today's engineering curriculum, it is often perceived as a marginal requirement that must be fulfilled. In addition, there is a mismatch between faculty and student perceptions of ethics. While faculty aim to communicate the nuances and complexity of engineering ethics, students perceive ethics as laws, rules, and codes that must be memorized. This paper provides some historical context to better understand these perceptual differences, and suggests that curriculum constraints are important contributing factors. Drawing on the growing scholarship of student engagement approaches to pedagogy, the paper explores how students can be empowered to effect change in the broader engineering curriculum through engineering ethics. The paper describes a student engagement approach to pedagogy that includes students as active participants in curriculum design-a role that enables them to critically reflect about why ethics is a requirement. Including students in the process of curriculum design leads students to reframe ethics as an integrative tool with the capacity to bring together different engineering departments and build bridges to non-engineering fields. This paper argues that students can and should play an active and important role in relocating ethics from the periphery to the core of the engineering curriculum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary E Sunderland
- Center for Science, Technology, Medicine, and Society, Office for History of Science and Technology, University of California, 543 Stephens Hall #2350, Berkeley, CA, 94720-2350, USA.
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Simpson Z, Bester J, Swanepoel D, Westman C. Ethical Demand and First-Year Civil Engineering Study: Applying Virtue Ethics. JOURNAL OF PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION AND PRACTICE 2018. [DOI: 10.1061/(asce)ei.1943-5541.0000372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Z. Simpson
- Senior Lecturer, Engineering Education, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, Univ. of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2006, South Africa (corresponding author)
| | - J. Bester
- Technical Lecturer, Dept. of Civil Engineering Science, Univ. of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2006, South Africa
| | - D. Swanepoel
- Ph.D. Candidate, Dept. of Philosophy, Univ. of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2006, South Africa
| | - C. Westman
- Ph.D. Candidate, Dept. of Philosophy, Stellenbosch Univ., Stellenbosch 7602, South Africa
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VanDeGrift T, Dillon H, Camp L. Changing the Engineering Student Culture with Respect to Academic Integrity and Ethics. SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ETHICS 2017; 23:1159-1182. [PMID: 27830482 DOI: 10.1007/s11948-016-9823-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2016] [Accepted: 09/06/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Engineers create airplanes, buildings, medical devices, and software, amongst many other things. Engineers abide by a professional code of ethics to uphold people's safety and the reputation of the profession. Likewise, students abide by a code of academic integrity while learning the knowledge and necessary skills to prepare them for the engineering and computing professions. This paper reports on studies designed to improve the engineering student culture with respect to academic integrity and ethics. To understand the existing culture at a university in the USA, a survey based on a national survey about cheating was administered to students. The incidences of self-reported cheating and incidences of not reporting others who cheat show the culture is similar to other institutions. Two interventions were designed and tested in an introduction to an engineering course: two case studies that students discussed in teams and the whole class, and a letter of recommendation assignment in which students wrote about themselves (character, strengths, examples of ethical decisions) three years into the future. Students were surveyed after the two interventions. Results show that first-year engineering students appreciate having a code of academic integrity and they want to earn their degree without cheating, yet less than half of the students would report on another cheating student. The letter of recommendation assignment had some impact on getting students to think about ethics, their character, and their actions. Future work in changing the student culture will continue in both a top-down (course interventions) and bottom-up (student-driven interventions) manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tammy VanDeGrift
- Donald P. Shiley School of Engineering, University of Portland, 5000 N Willamette Blvd., Portland, OR, 97203, USA.
| | - Heather Dillon
- Donald P. Shiley School of Engineering, University of Portland, 5000 N Willamette Blvd., Portland, OR, 97203, USA
| | - Loreal Camp
- Donald P. Shiley School of Engineering, University of Portland, 5000 N Willamette Blvd., Portland, OR, 97203, USA
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Sunderland ME. Taking emotion seriously: meeting students where they are. SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ETHICS 2014; 20:183-195. [PMID: 23307623 DOI: 10.1007/s11948-012-9427-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2012] [Accepted: 12/27/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Emotions are often portrayed as subjective judgments that pose a threat to rationality and morality, but there is a growing literature across many disciplines that emphasizes the centrality of emotion to moral reasoning. For engineers, however, being rational usually means sequestering emotions that might bias analyses-good reasoning is tied to quantitative data, math, and science. This paper brings a new pedagogical perspective that strengthens the case for incorporating emotions into engineering ethics. Building on the widely established success of active and collaborative learning environments, in particular the problem-based learning (PBL) philosophy and methodology, the paper articulates new strategies for incorporating emotion into engineering ethics education. An ethics education pilot study is analyzed to explore how PBL can engage students' emotions. Evidence suggests that PBL empowers students to cultivate value for engineering ethics and social responsibility, and in doing so, redefine the societal role of the engineer. Taking students' emotions seriously in engineering ethics offers an effective strategy to meaningfully engage students in ethical learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary E Sunderland
- Center for Science, Technology, Medicine, and Society, Office for History of Science and Technology, University of California, 543 Stephens Hall #2350, Berkeley, CA, 94720-2350, USA,
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Zandvoort H, Børsen T, Deneke M, Bird SJ. Editors' overview perspectives on teaching social responsibility to students in science and engineering. SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ETHICS 2013; 19:1413-1438. [PMID: 24277690 DOI: 10.1007/s11948-013-9495-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2013] [Accepted: 10/30/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Global society is facing formidable current and future problems that threaten the prospects for justice and peace, sustainability, and the well-being of humanity both now and in the future. Many of these problems are related to science and technology and to how they function in the world. If the social responsibility of scientists and engineers implies a duty to safeguard or promote a peaceful, just and sustainable world society, then science and engineering education should empower students to fulfil this responsibility. The contributions to this special issue present European examples of teaching social responsibility to students in science and engineering, and provide examples and discussion of how this teaching can be promoted, and of obstacles that are encountered. Speaking generally, education aimed at preparing future scientists and engineers for social responsibility is presently very limited and seemingly insufficient in view of the enormous ethical and social problems that are associated with current science and technology. Although many social, political and professional organisations have expressed the need for the provision of teaching for social responsibility, important and persistent barriers stand in the way of its sustained development. What is needed are both bottom-up teaching initiatives from individuals or groups of academic teachers, and top-down support to secure appropriate embedding in the university. Often the latter is lacking or inadequate. Educational policies at the national or international level, such as the Bologna agreements in Europe, can be an opportunity for introducing teaching for social responsibility. However, frequently no or only limited positive effect of such policies can be discerned. Existing accreditation and evaluation mechanisms do not guarantee appropriate attention to teaching for social responsibility, because, in their current form, they provide no guarantee that the curricula pay sufficient attention to teaching goals that are desirable for society as a whole.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henk Zandvoort
- Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management, Delft University of Technology, P.O. Box 5015, 2600 GA, Delft, The Netherlands,
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Baier A. Student-driven courses on the social and ecological responsibilities of engineers : commentary on "student-inspired activities for the teaching and learning of engineering ethics". SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ETHICS 2013; 19:1469-1472. [PMID: 24178627 DOI: 10.1007/s11948-013-9490-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2012] [Accepted: 10/15/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
A group of engineering students at the Technical University of Berlin, Germany, designed a course on engineering ethics. The core element of the developed Blue Engineering course are self-contained teaching-units, "building blocks". These building blocks typically cover one complex topic and make use of various teaching methods using moderators who lead discussions, rather than experts who lecture. Consequently, the students themselves started to offer the credited course to their fellow students who take an active role in further developing the course themselves.
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Affiliation(s)
- André Baier
- Department of Engineering Design, Chair of Machinery System Design, Technical University of Berlin, Straße des 17, Juni 144 W1, 10623, Berlin, Germany,
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McGowan AH. Teaching science and ethics to undergraduates: a multidisciplinary approach. SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ETHICS 2013; 19:535-543. [PMID: 22212355 DOI: 10.1007/s11948-011-9338-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2011] [Accepted: 11/24/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
The teaching of the ethical implications of scientific advances in science courses for undergraduates has significant advantages for both science and non-science majors. The article describes three courses taught by the author as examples of the concept, and examines the disadvantages as well as the advantages. A significant advantage of this approach is that many students take the courses primarily because of the ethical component who would not otherwise take science. A disadvantage is less time in the course for the science; arguably, this is outweighed by the greater retention of the science when it is put into context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan H McGowan
- Interdisciplinary Science, Eugene Lang College, The New School for Liberal Arts, 65 West 11th Street, New York, NY 10011, USA.
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