Board 435: Work in Progress: Teaching Ethics Using Problem-Based Learning in a Freshman Introduction to Electrical and Computer Engineering

Todd Freeborn; Claire Major; Miriam E. Sweeney; Debra Moehle McCallum; Sarah T Dunlap

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Conference: 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Baltimore , Maryland
Publication Date: June 25, 2023
Start Date: June 25, 2023
End Date: June 28, 2023
Conference Session: NSF Grantees Poster Session
Tagged Topic: NSF Grantees Poster Session
Page Count: 11
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--42802
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/42802
Download Count: 129

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Paper Authors

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Todd Freeborn The University of Alabama

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Todd Freeborn, PhD, is an associate professor with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The University of Alabama. Through NSF funding, he has coordinated REU Sites for engineering students to explore renewable resources and speech pathology. He is also the coordinator for an NSF S-STEM program to prepare students for gateway courses across different disciplines of engineering to support and retain students in these disciplines. His research focuses on techniques to collect and analyze the electrical impedance of biological tissues and their potential applications.

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Debra McCallum is a Senior Research Social Scientist and Director of the Institute for Social Science Research. She received her B.S. in Psychology from Furman University and her M.S. and Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel

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Sarah T Dunlap The University of Alabama

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Abstract

Concern for teaching ethics in engineering has existed for some time, with research supporting that active learning strategies are useful instruction methods for teaching ethical reasoning in STEM fields. Active learning approaches, such as case studies or problem-based learning (PBL), are shown to increase student exam scores and decrease student failure rates when compared to instruction using lecture methods alone. However, there is not sufficient information to show that active PBL is effective for teaching ethical reasoning and decision making in college-level engineering courses. The guiding question for this project is: Is PBL an effective pedagogy to teach ethical reasoning in support of social responsibility to freshman electrical and computer engineering (ECE) students during their primary introduction to the discipline?

To answer this research question, the introductory course for electrical and computer engineering at XXX has been redesigned to center ethics as a core feature in electrical and computer engineering. This course has an accelerated delivery with 15, 1-hour classes delivered over a 5-week period. For the redesign, it was offered in two styles, a PBL style and the other a traditional lecture focus. To date, three sections (two PBL and one lecture style) were delivered in the Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 semesters. Across these three sections, 135 (PBL = 70, Lecture = 65) enrolled students participated. To evaluate students ethical reasoning and changes in ethical reasoning a pre-course survey, post-course survey and submissions for ethics focused assignments were collected. The pre/post course surveys used the Engineering and Science Issues Test (ESIT) to measure moral judgement and decision making in technical dilemmas and the Engineering Professional Responsibility Assessment (EPRA) to evaluate student attitudes towards different dimensions of engineering. Scoring of student work was done by 3 study personnel (with backgrounds in electrical engineering, education, and information science) using the Pittsburgh-Mines (PM) Engineering Ethics Assessment rubric which evaluates the recognition of dilemma, information, analysis, perspective, and resolution aspects of the assignment.

This work will provide an overview of the introductory course (course-structure, topics, assignments), differences in the PBL and lecture styles, comparison pre/post ESIT and EPRA scores between groups, comparison of PM scores between groups, and lessons learned during the first year of the program that informed revisions for the second iteration.

Citation
Format

Freeborn, T., & Major, C., & Sweeney, M. E., & McCallum, D. M., & Dunlap, S. T. (2023, June), Board 435: Work in Progress: Teaching Ethics Using Problem-Based Learning in a Freshman Introduction to Electrical and Computer Engineering Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--42802

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Concern for teaching ethics in engineering has existed for some time, with research supporting that active learning strategies are useful instruction methods for teaching ethical reasoning in STEM fields. Active learning approaches, such as case studies or problem-based learning (PBL), are shown to increase student exam scores and decrease student failure rates when compared to instruction using lecture methods alone. However, there is not sufficient information to show that active PBL is effective for teaching ethical reasoning and decision making in college-level engineering courses.  The guiding question for this project is: Is PBL an effective pedagogy to teach ethical reasoning in support of social responsibility to freshman electrical and computer engineering (ECE) students during their primary introduction to the discipline?  

To answer this research question, the introductory course for electrical and computer engineering at XXX has been redesigned to center ethics as a core feature in electrical and computer engineering.  This course has an accelerated delivery with 15, 1-hour classes delivered over a 5-week period. For the redesign, it was offered in two styles, a PBL style and the other a traditional lecture focus.  To date, three sections (two PBL and one lecture style) were delivered in the Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 semesters. Across these three sections, 135 (PBL = 70, Lecture = 65) enrolled students participated.  To evaluate students ethical reasoning and changes in ethical reasoning a pre-course survey, post-course survey and submissions for ethics focused assignments were collected.  The pre/post course surveys used the Engineering and Science Issues Test (ESIT) to measure moral judgement and decision making in technical dilemmas and the Engineering Professional Responsibility Assessment (EPRA) to evaluate student attitudes towards different dimensions of engineering.  Scoring of student work was done by 3 study personnel (with backgrounds in electrical engineering, education, and information science) using the Pittsburgh-Mines (PM) Engineering Ethics Assessment rubric which evaluates the recognition of dilemma, information, analysis, perspective, and resolution aspects of the assignment.

This work will provide an overview of the introductory course (course-structure, topics, assignments), differences in the PBL and lecture styles, comparison pre/post ESIT and EPRA scores between groups, comparison of PM scores between groups, and lessons learned during the first year of the program that informed revisions for the second iteration.
AU  - Todd Freeborn
AU  - Claire Major
AU  - Miriam E. Sweeney
AU  - Debra Moehle McCallum
AU  - Sarah T Dunlap
CY  - Baltimore , Maryland
DA  - 2023/06/25
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Board 435: Work in Progress: Teaching Ethics Using Problem-Based Learning in a Freshman Introduction to Electrical and Computer Engineering 
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/42802
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--42802
ER  -