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Hitt SJ, Lennerfors TT. Fictional Film in Engineering Ethics Education: With Miyazaki's The Wind Rises as Exemplar. SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ETHICS 2022; 28:44. [PMID: 36098844 PMCID: PMC9470632 DOI: 10.1007/s11948-022-00399-w] [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: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
This paper aims to call attention to the potential of using film in engineering ethics education, which has not been thoroughly discussed as a pedagogical method in this field. A review of current approaches to teaching engineering ethics reveals that there are both learning outcomes that need more attention as well as additional pedagogical methods that could be adopted. Scholarship on teaching with film indicates that film can produce ethical experiences that go beyond those produced by both conventional methods of teaching engineering ethics and more arts-based methods such as fiction, as well as connect ethics learning outcomes and issues to the lifeworld of a person. The paper further illustrates the potential of using Miyazaki Hayao's film The Wind Rises for highlighting a range of ethical issues pertaining to engineering. It also discusses the important role educators play in how film can be used effectively in the classroom. Synthesizing a range of sources from film theory to the use of film in business and medical education, the paper makes the case for using film in engineering ethics education and calls for more research on the use of this method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Jayne Hitt
- SFHEA, New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering, Blackfriars Street, Hereford, HR4 9HS UK
| | - Thomas Taro Lennerfors
- Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering, Division of Industrial Engineering and Management, Uppsala University, Box 169, 751 04 Uppsala, Sweden
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Wilhelm D, Hartwig R, McLennan S, Arnold S, Mildner P, Feußner H, Neumuth T, Bieck R. [Ethical, legal and social implications in the use of artificial intelligence-based technologies in surgery : Principles, implementation and importance for the user]. Chirurg 2022; 93:223-233. [PMID: 35147728 DOI: 10.1007/s00104-022-01574-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Ethical, legal and social aspects are gaining increasingly more attention in the development and during the initial clinical application of medical devices. The introduction of elements of artificial intelligence (AI) and systems which are using AI makes this already complex topic even more challenging. The introduction of so-called dynamic AI or dynamic machine learning (ML) algorithms in this respect represents a turning point. Unlike conventional medical devices, the development of systems using dynamic AI is not yet complete at the beginning of the clinical application. The aim of a dynamic AI system is to continuously improve through practical use and by the processing of usage data. This continuous evolution, along with the lack of transparency regarding internal work processes, could make it difficult to understand the underlying rationale for the assessments made by the algorithms. This aspect affects the acceptance of the technology both by clinicians and patients and furthermore questions the autonomy of patients and clinicians in the course of the treatment process. A way out of this ethical and regulatory dilemma must urgently be found and will require extreme efforts from all stakeholders. At present, no consensual solution is apparent. What is quite certain, however, is that users, i.e. in concrete terms surgeons, must play a much more active role than they have done in the past when dealing with AI-based medical devices and should prepare themselves to actively accompany the software life cycle of AI technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dirk Wilhelm
- Fakultät für Medizin, Klinik und Poliklinik für Chirurgie, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Ismaningerstr. 22, 81675, München, Deutschland. .,Klinik und Poliklinik für Chirurgie, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Forschungsgruppe MITI, München, Deutschland.
| | - Regine Hartwig
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Chirurgie, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Forschungsgruppe MITI, München, Deutschland
| | - Stuart McLennan
- Fakultät für Medizin, Institut für Geschichte und Ethik in der Medizin, Technische Universität München, München, Deutschland
| | | | | | - Hubertus Feußner
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Chirurgie, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Forschungsgruppe MITI, München, Deutschland
| | - Thomas Neumuth
- Fakultät für Medizin, Innovation Center Computer Assisted Surgery (ICCAS), Universität Leipzig, Leipzig, Deutschland
| | - Richard Bieck
- Fakultät für Medizin, Innovation Center Computer Assisted Surgery (ICCAS), Universität Leipzig, Leipzig, Deutschland
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Smith NM, Zhu Q, Smith JM, Mitcham C. Enhancing Engineering Ethics: Role Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility. SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ETHICS 2021; 27:28. [PMID: 33864147 DOI: 10.1007/s11948-021-00289-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Engineering ethics calls the attention of engineers to professional codes of ethical responsibility and personal values, but the practice of ethics in corporate settings can be more complex than either of these. Corporations too have cultures that often include corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices and policies, but few discussions of engineering ethics make any explicit reference to CSR. This article proposes critical attention to CSR and role ethics as an opportunity to help prepare engineers to think through the ethics of their professional practice. After a brief overview of the evolution of social responsibility within engineering ethics in the United States, this article shares empirical research with practicing engineers in the mining and energy industries to explore how their formal ethics training did and did not prepare them to grapple with the ethical dimensions of their professional practice. It then illustrates the ways in which these dilemmas and the strategies employed for navigating them are framed within CSR policies and practices and resonate more strongly with role ethics rather than ethical theory as currently taught in most US engineering programs. The article concludes that engineering ethics teaching and learning would benefit from explicitly incorporating critical discussions of role ethics and CSR.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Qin Zhu
- Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, USA
| | | | - Carl Mitcham
- Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, USA
- Renmin University of China, 1500 Illinois Street, Golden, CO, 80401, USA
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Clancy RF. The Ethical Education and Perspectives of Chinese Engineering Students: A Preliminary Investigation and Recommendations. SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ETHICS 2020; 26:1935-1965. [PMID: 31115775 DOI: 10.1007/s11948-019-00108-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2018] [Accepted: 05/09/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
To develop more effective ethics education for cross-cultural and international engineering, a study was conducted to determine what Chinese engineering students have learned and think about ethics. Recent research shows traditional approaches to ethics education are potentially ineffective, but also points towards ways of improving ethical behaviors. China is the world's most populous country, graduating and employing the highest number of STEM majors, although little empirical research exists about the ethical knowledge and perspectives of Chinese engineering students. When compared to engineering students in the US, Chinese engineering students (1) received less ethics education; (2) the form of the education they did receive stressed virtue ethics or the development of moral character; (3) conceive of ethics in contradistinction to the law, where ethics deals with matters of right and wrong not covered by legality. Based on these findings and research in moral psychology and behavioral ethics, recommendations are made for improving engineering ethics education both in China and abroad.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rockwell F Clancy
- University of Michigan-Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Room 411C, Long Bin Building, 800 Dongchuan Road - Minhang District, Shanghai, 200240, China.
- Institute of Social Cognition and Decision-making, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
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Snieder R, Zhu Q. Connecting to the Heart: Teaching Value-Based Professional Ethics. SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ETHICS 2020; 26:2235-2254. [PMID: 32300944 PMCID: PMC7417392 DOI: 10.1007/s11948-020-00216-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Engineering programs in the United States have been experimenting with diverse pedagogical approaches to educate future professional engineers. However, a crucial dimension of ethics education that focuses on the values, personal commitments, and meaning of engineers has been missing in many of these pedagogical approaches. We argue that a value-based approach to professional ethics education is critically needed in engineering education, because such an approach is indispensable for cultivating self-reflective and socially engaged engineers. This paper starts by briefly comparing two prevalent approaches to ethics education in science and engineering: professional (teaching professional ethical standards, including codes of ethics) and philosophical (teaching ethical theories and their applications in professional settings). While we acknowledge that both approaches help meet certain ethics education objectives, we also argue that neither of these is sufficient to personally engage students in authentic moral learning. We make the case that it is important to connect ethics education to the heart, which is extensively driven by values, and present a value-based approach to professional ethics education. We provide some classroom practices that cultivate a safe, diverse, and engaging learning environment. Finally, we discuss the implications of a value-based approach to professional ethics education for curriculum design and pedagogical practice, including opportunities and challenges for engineering faculty eager to incorporate value-based inquiry into their classrooms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roel Snieder
- Office of Academic Affairs, Colorado School of Mines, Hill Hall 206A, Golden, CO 80401 USA
| | - Qin Zhu
- Division of Humanities, Arts, and Social Science, Colorado School of Mines, Stratton Hall 306, 1005 14th Street, Golden, CO 80401 USA
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Strenge B, Schack T. AWOSE - A Process Model for Incorporating Ethical Analyses in Agile Systems Engineering. SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ETHICS 2020; 26:851-870. [PMID: 31588964 PMCID: PMC7089881 DOI: 10.1007/s11948-019-00133-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2018] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Ethical, legal and social implications are widely regarded as important considerations with respect to technological developments. Agile Worth-Oriented Systems Engineering (AWOSE) is an innovative approach to incorporating ethically relevant criteria during agile development processes through a flexibly applicable methodology. First, a predefined model for the ethical evaluation of socio-technical systems is used to assess ethical issues according to different dimensions. The second part of AWOSE ensures that ethical issues are not only identified, but also systematically considered during the design of systems based on information and communication technology. For this purpose, the findings from the first step are integrated with approaches from worth-centered development into a process model that, unlike previous approaches to ethical system development, is thoroughly compatible with agile methodologies like Scrum or Extreme Programming. Artifacts of worth-centered development called Worth Maps have been improved to guide the prioritization of development tasks as well as choices among design alternatives with respect to ethical implications. Furthermore, the improved Worth Maps facilitate the identification of suitable criteria for system evaluations in association to ethical concerns and desired positive outcomes of system usage. The potential of the AWOSE methodology has been demonstrated in the context of a technical system (smart glasses for cognitive assistance) that supports elderly and people with particular handicaps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Strenge
- Cluster of Excellence ‘Cognitive Interaction Technology’ (CITEC), Neurocognition and Action Research Group, Faculty of Psychology and Sports Science, Bielefeld University, Inspiration 1, 33619 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Thomas Schack
- Cluster of Excellence ‘Cognitive Interaction Technology’ (CITEC), Neurocognition and Action Research Group, Faculty of Psychology and Sports Science, Bielefeld University, Inspiration 1, 33619 Bielefeld, Germany
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Hartmann DJ, McLaughlin O. Heuristic Patterns of Ethical Decision Making. J Empir Res Hum Res Ethics 2018; 13:561-572. [PMID: 30232925 DOI: 10.1177/1556264618800208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
This article describes the context of ethical decision making in research and suggests that direct attention to the ways in which decisions are actually made in such environments is needed. A decision-making model based on the literature on heuristic processing is proposed and is followed by a review of the method, data, and results of the authors' research on this model. The implications of the research are developed, and a research agenda is outlined. Key findings were that competent actors do indeed process ethics problems heuristically and in ways that interweave intuitive, affective, and more rational phases. This processing does not typically follow a simple progressive pattern but evidences a sort of trial-and-error processing that is consistent with the logic of heuristic processing more generally. Finally, while diverse, participant-level processing attempts appear to follow patterns which are associated with the experience and training of the actors.
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