Conference Session

Awareness, Expectations, and Recognition of Ethics

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rockwell Franklin Clancy III, University of Michigan, Shanghai Jiao Tong Joint Institute; Joanna Ruth Sessford, The Sino-British College, USST; Longfei An, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China; Yan Ge, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

“ethicalframe,” recognizing the ethical dimensions of situations and decisions. Maintaining an ethicalframe should, thereby, improve ethical awareness and mitigate against “ethical fading” – avariant of “bounded rationality” in which the ethical dimensions of situations and decisions takeon less or no importance. An ethical frame should increase the likelihood of moral awarenessand, therefore, moral judgments, intentions, and actions.2 Rather than the nature of ethicaljudgments and decisions as such, however, this paper argues for the primary importance ofethical actions and behaviors.Significant correlations were discovered between expectations of ethical issues/conflicts and 1.the perceived usefulness of engineering ethics education and 2. the extent

Conference Session

Awareness, Expectations, and Recognition of Ethics

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Daniel D. Burkey, University of Connecticut; Michael F. Young, University of Connecticut

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Diversity

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Engineering Ethics

in formal ways into engineering education. Many widely publicized failuresof complex engineering systems can be traced back to lapses in judgment on either ethical orsocietal impact axes, including the Volkswagen Diesel Engine scandal,​1​ the BP Gulf Oil Spill,​2the ​Challenger3​​ and ​Columbia4​​ ​space shuttle disasters, and more recently, the Flint, MichiganWater Crisis.​5In this work, the authors seek to explore the application of game-based and game-inspiredlearning to engineering ethics education. Giving students the opportunity during their educationto recognize the wider social and ethical impacts of the profession - through multimediasimulation, role-playing games, case-based learning, and review of other, fictionalized cases -can

Conference Session

Awareness, Expectations, and Recognition of Ethics

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Geoff Pfeifer, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Kristen Billiar, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

facultymember was better able to discuss the ethical theories. Further, 80% of students said that theyhad learned something new from the lecture led by the philosophy faculty member (Jackson,Jasensky, Liang, Moore, Rogers, Pfeifer & Billiar, 2015). This finding is consistent with thosereported in other studies which also found, as mentioned at the outset of this paper, that manyengineering faculty feel that ethics is better taught by those with expertise in such matters (Haws,2001). But this work also pushes beyond such divisions in disciplines in that it seeks to pairexperts in engineering with experts in philosophy and ethics in order to 1) better teach both thetheoretical aspects of ethical thinking in the context of the course and engineering

Conference Session

Interactive Approaches to Ethics

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alison J. Kerr, University of Tulsa; Bradley J. Brummel, University of Tulsa; Jeremy S. Daily P.E., University of Tulsa

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

question was followed by an open-ended response opportunity. As the purpose was to identify how the program could be improved,responses to the first questions that were either “no” or “somewhat” were particularly noted. Asample of the responses are provided in Table 1.To further examine the fidelity of the simulation in providing a more generalizable ethicaldilemma and not just a legal focused simulation, students were also asked to rate the degree towhich they felt the role play was representative of a real ethical dilemma by responding on a 4-point agreement scale to the question: “The interview allowed me to experience an ethicaldilemma as it might actually occur.” Agreement showed a mean rating of 3.57 (SD = .61)indicating that students at

Conference Session

Integrity and the Problem of Cheating

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Irene B. Mena, University of Pittsburgh; David V.P. Sanchez, University of Pittsburgh

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

understanding of students’ perceptions and habits with regard toacademic integrity.The purpose of this study is to learn about engineering students’ perceptions of and experienceswith academic integrity at the start of their undergraduate experience (post K-12). It answers thefollowing research questions: (1) How do students define academic dishonesty? (2) What is thefrequency with which they witness and participate in academically dishonest behaviors?, and (3)What are the motivations for engaging in these behaviors?A survey was administered to all first-year engineering students enrolled in the University’srequired first-year engineering course (ENGR 0011) in the Fall 2016 semester. The survey wasadministered at the beginning of the semester to

Conference Session

Engineering Social and Human Ethical Impacts

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

L. Eric James, University of Southern Maine; Alexander Curry Smith, University of Southern Maine

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Engineering Ethics

the Cost Benefit Analysis Using the Triple Bottom Line Multiplier Smith, Alexander & James, Eric Accepted for publication in the conference proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education 124th Annual Conference, June 25-28, 2017Identifying ethical situations and having an understanding of ethical decision making are keygoals of the engineering education. There are two common traps prevalent in the teaching ofethics to engineering students. The first is the mis-identification of a situation as an ethical issue.The example of this is the use of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse [1]. In that case, therewas not an

Conference Session

Technology and Design in Engaging and Analyzing Ethics

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Roman Taraban, Texas Tech University; Mark Stephen LaCour Jr., Texas Tech University; William M. Marcy P.E., Texas Tech University; Richard A. Burgess II, Texas Tech University

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Engineering Ethics

engineeringethics course, we have found that ethical issues and questions like these deeply engage students.It would be beneficial to students and consistent with the mission of engineering education todevelop this enthusiasm into rigorous and informed ethical reflection. In this project we explorehow an intelligent machine, specifically, IBM Watson Natural Language Classifier (Watson-NLC), can assist in this work.Ethics is a fundamental topic in engineering education [1] that is consistent with ABET goals forengineering students: 3f. An understanding of professional and ethical responsibility; 3h. Thebroad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global,economic, environmental, and societal context. Teaching ethics in

Conference Session

Engaging Ethics, Internationally

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Qin Zhu, Colorado School of Mines; Brent K Jesiek, Purdue University, West Lafayette (College of Engineering)

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Diversity

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Engineering Ethics

prevalent contemporary approaches to engineering ethics in global context.More specifically, this paper first argues that discrepancies in efforts to situate engineering ethicsin global context often derive from different understandings of what constitutes the global.Second, this paper argues that these different understandings have led to four partially distinctapproaches to engineering ethics in global context, namely: (1) global ethical codes, ordeveloping a code of ethics that is expected to be applied across cultures; (2) functionalist theory,which posits some fundamental, shared characteristics internal to the engineering profession thatapply globally and might prove foundational for creating ethical codes; (3) cultural studies,which

Conference Session

Engaging Ethics, Internationally

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Xiaofeng Tang, Pennsylvania State University, University Park; Wei Zhang, Zhejiang University; Shuxin Yang, Chinese society for engineer education(CSEE)

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

differencesbetween engineering ethics education in the US and China. We also summarize somelessons engineering educators in both nations might learn from each other.Historical Pathways for Engineering Ethics in the US and China The evolution of the concept engineering ethics in the US reflects the concerns,ambitions, and worries of the engineering profession as the latter grows and adjusts itselfto changing historical context in the past one and a half centuries. The earliest engineersin the U.S. were trained not in technical schools but in actual engineering projects. Forexample, the building of the Erie Canal in the early 1800s provided the “field school” fortraining the first batch of civil engineers in the US [1]. During the second half of the

Conference Session

Technology and Design in Engaging and Analyzing Ethics

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Marilyn A. Dyrud, Oregon Institute of Technology

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Engineering Ethics

clearly reflect values, and, as they areabsorbed into the culture, contribute to changing societal norms. Langdon Winner examined thisargument in his seminal 1986 The Whale and the Reactor. As Winner notes, the meaning oftechnology extends beyond simple usage; technologies play a role in reshaping that activity andhence changing its meaning.1 This echoes a sentiment expressed two decades earlier by MarshallMcLuhan, that our tools reshape who we are as humans. The relationship is reciprocal: we shapeour tools and they, in turn, shape us.2If technological artifacts are indeed value-laden and shape cultural mores, this has significantrepercussions for engineering educators. Our students cannot design in a vacuum; they mustconsider how that

Conference Session

Faculty Views of Ethics

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Andrew Katz, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; David B. Knight, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

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Diversity

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Engineering Ethics

curriculummore generally. It draws on quantitative data from a survey administered to engineering facultyat a nationally representative sample of 31 institutions (n = 1,389 usable faculty responses). Thisanalysis seeks to uncover variables that help explain the following: 1) how much facultyemphasize ethical issues in engineering practice in their most frequently taught undergraduateengineering course, 2) how much they emphasize the effect of beliefs and values on ethicaldecisions, and 3) the extent to which they believe the engineering curriculum should addressethical issues in multiple courses. Predictor variables included faculty departmental affiliation,rank, gender, years teaching at the college level, years working outside of academia

Conference Session

Technology and Design in Engaging and Analyzing Ethics

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kenneth W. Van Treuren, Baylor University; Cynthia C. Fry, Baylor University; William M. Jordan, Baylor University; John Edward Miller, Baylor University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

experience joy in their work. Students need to have apassion for their profession and in this paper we will discuss the reasons and preparations that canhelp students see this connection. It is the desire of the faculty to see their students findmeaningful employment, but more importantly, to find this passion for work as they begin theirprofessional journey.Preparation for the WorkplaceThe primary focus of any college or university degree program is on the requirements for theirdegree. For engineering and computer science, the standard used to evaluate programs is set bythe Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).1 ABET accreditsapproximately 3,700 programs at over 750 colleges and universities in 30 countries. TheirCriteria for

Conference Session

Interactive Approaches to Ethics

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Leslie Dodson, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; David DiBiasio, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Paula Quinn, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; John Bergendahl, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Kristin Boudreau, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Glenn Gaudette, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; John M. Sullivan Jr, Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Curtis Abel, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

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Diversity

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Engineering Ethics

traditional and non-traditional coursework andassignments designed to generate an understanding of what life was like in theindustrializing northeast around the turn of the nineteenth century. Students learned to“address complex social problems with creativity, cross-cultural communication skills,and an appreciation for diverse viewpoints” (Boudreau et al., 2016, p.9), while inhabitingthe roles of people from a range of socio-economic classes, professions, religions, ethnicgroups and neighborhoods. Below, in Table 1, we summarize five sets of assignmentsand activities that teach “engineering content in a complex social environment whereethical questions are part of engineering practice” (ibid.). Table 1. Summary of sample modules used in

Conference Session

Professional and Regulatory Issues in Ethics

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ramanitharan Kandiah P.E., Central State University; Krishna Kumar V Nedunuri, International Center for Water Resources; Ning Zhang, Central State University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

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Engineering Ethics

its adherence to the ABET-Student Outcomes f- An understanding ofprofessional and ethical responsibility and i- A recognition of the need for, and ability to engagein life-long learning defined by the Engineering Accreditation Commission. This curriculum hasalso to satisfy the expectations of environmental engineering professional societies such asASCE and American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (AAEES) withrespect to E&P.At the authors’ institution, the following performance indicators are identified to assess thestudent outcomes f and i (Table 1).Table 1: Performance indicators for ABET student outcomes f and iOutcome Performance Indicatorf f1 Knows code of ethics for the profession f2

Conference Session

Engineering Social and Human Ethical Impacts

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brent K. Jesiek, Purdue University, West Lafayette (College of Engineering); Carla B. Zoltowski, Purdue University, West Lafayette (College of Engineering); Debra S. Fuentes, Brigham Young University; Stephanie Claussen, Colorado School of Mines; Gregg Morris Warnick, Brigham Young University

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Engineering Ethics

) and types of interventions (e.g., formal ethics instruction, service learning programs, etc.) that have positive (or negative) impacts on foundational measures and understandings of social and ethical responsibility, and O3) Identify specific student characteristics that can be leveraged to grow programs oriented toward social and/or ethical responsibility, while increasing program alignment with – and impacts on – participating individuals.In order to accomplish these objectives, this study involves a longitudinal mixed-methods designcollecting and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data from undergraduate engineeringstudents at four universities over a four-year period as shown in Figure 1. The purpose of thisstudy is

Conference Session

Engaging Ethics in Teams and Communities

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Torres, Purdue University; Carla B. Zoltowski, Purdue University, West Lafayette (College of Engineering); Megan Kenny Feister, California State University, Channel Islands; Patrice Marie Buzzanell, Purdue University, West Lafayette (College of Engineering); Danielle Corple, Purdue University; Katharine E. Miller, Purdue University

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Diversity

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Engineering Ethics

a coherent grouping of similar ways of experiencing thephenomenon among (typically) more than one individual.For Zoltowski et al.’s study, analysis of the data yielded seven qualitatively different ways inwhich the students experienced human-centered design (categories) within the context of“designing for others”. An overview of the categories of description is given in Table 1. Table 1. Categories of Description of Students' Experience of Human-Centered Design10 Category of Description (Human-Centered Design Summary is...) Design is not human-centered, but technology-centered design. The focus of the design is on the technology and solving the technical

Conference Session

Engaging Ethics in Teams and Communities

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Xiaofeng Tang, Pennsylvania State University, University Park; Eduardo Mendieta, Pennsylvania State University, University Park; Thomas A. Litzinger, Pennsylvania State University, University Park

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

students in research groups. This paper presents a user-oriented approach to building a community of ethicseducators in graduate engineering education. We begin the paper by reporting our “userstudy” of engineering faculty’s current approaches, challenges, and needs for teachingethics to graduate students at a large, public research university. Findings of the userstudy guided our design of a workshop on “Ethical Literacy and Ethical DataManagement” that helped engineering faculty members develop conceptualunderstanding and instructional skills for teaching ethical inquiry that are related toparticular areas of engineering research. Design of the workshop sought to meet three objectives: 1) helping participatingfaculty members develop basic

Conference Session

Engaging Ethics, Internationally

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Prakash G Bapat, Business Ethics Foundation; Aravind Joshi, Business Ethics Foundation; Pradeep Kashinath Waychal, Guruji Education Foundation; Nupur Kulkarni

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Diversity

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Engineering Ethics

and academics institutes. We sought their views as theywere at the helm of affairs and, perhaps, role models for today’s youth and impacting theirthought processes. We devised a questionnaire, sent them in advance and then conductedaudio-visual interviews. Since the CEO’s had decades of successful experience, we alsoincluded open-ended questions to provide them adequate space for genuine expression.The present level of ethics averaged to 2.87 and the 2020 prediction stood at optimistic 4.5,on the scale of 1 to 7 (7 being the best). We also asked CEOs, reasons for present poor rating,optimism for 2020, the causes behind present status and of course the remedial measures.The major reasons included pressure to achieve results, especially short

Conference Session

Faculty Views of Ethics

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Nathan E. Canney, Seattle University; Madeline Polmear; Angela R. Bielefeldt, University of Colorado, Boulder; Daniel Knight, University of Colorado, Boulder; Christopher Swan, Tufts University; Elizabeth Simon, Seattle University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

shown in Table 1.Table 1. Participant demographic distribution for total survey response group and free-response group Demographic Percentage of total Percentage of response response population population with write-in (N=1448) response (n=406) Gender Male 63 62 Female 32 36 Prefer not to say 3

Conference Session

Professional and Regulatory Issues in Ethics

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ryan D Watts, Purdue University West Lafayette; Andrew O. Brightman, Purdue University, West Lafayette (College of Engineering)

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

unnecessary delays, frustration,and potential harm due to lack of oversight. Comparison of the evaluations of the tool with PDPand the final DHFs for the same projects will be used to determine effectiveness of the fivequestions tool at early evaluation.Five Questions:1. Are any humans included in the testing plan?2. Is the data collected directly about the person(s) in any way? (e.g. physical, demographic, capabilities, etc. including personal identification information; name, picture, age, SES, etc.)3. Is the data collection from testing / evaluation resulting in any type of tables or graphs?4. Is there a plan to publish or present the results in any public format?5. Is there any risk of harm to any persons in any way? (If yes please

Conference Session

Integrity and the Problem of Cheating

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Teresa Ryan, East Carolina University; Bernd Steffensen, University of Applied Sciences Darmstadt; Colleen Janeiro, East Carolina University

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Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

of how they have to be guided.1 IntroductionExamination of literature in the English and the German speaking world about cheating byuniversity students reveals a remarkable difference. In the English language literature, there existsan extensive body of research looking back over many decades. A comprehensive national studyby Bowers in 1964 1 and, four decades later, a thorough overview by McCabe et al. 2 provide agood entry point to the many hundreds of individual studies. Citation indices from GoogleScholar, for example, indicate that more than a few of these pivotal works have been referenced300 3,4 , 500 5,6 or even 900 7 times at the time of this publication. Clearly, the topic has beenwidely discussed across the English-speaking

Conference Session

Engineering Social and Human Ethical Impacts

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mark L. Bourgeois, University of Notre Dame

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Diversity

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Engineering Ethics

tends to focus almostexclusively on distinctive professional responsibilities – that is to say, ethical issues that arecommonly presented by the immediate practice of the work typical of each. For undergraduates,this is professional ethics in an industrial or consulting context.1 For graduate students, whosetraining is preparation for a career in research, this is typically research ethics, implicitly in anacademic context.2 Thus, both construe the responsibilities of the engineer relatively narrowly.In particular, the concerns of each taper dramatically as the borders of the immediate work siteare crossed. While some focus is of course necessary and appropriate, the present narrowness hasarguably become unhealthily myopic, particularly

Conference Session

Faculty Views of Ethics

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Teresa Ryan, East Carolina University; Colleen Janeiro, East Carolina University; William E. Howard, East Carolina University; Patrick F. O'Malley, Benedictine College

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

of college are compared toupperclassmen to investigate shifts of these perceptions as the students progress through theircollege careers. As a supplement to the items that gauge the perception of these academicintegrity behaviors, the study also polls student respondents to self-report the number of timesthey have cheated. The ongoing work intends to administer the same instrument annually andreport on changes over time as well as comparison between programs.IntroductionThis paper first presents a brief review of prior work related to the current aims in Section 1. Thestudy design, the survey instrument, and a brief description of the institutions participating in thestudy are included in Section 2. Results and observations are in Section 3

Conference Session

Professional and Regulatory Issues in Ethics

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Graeme W Troxell, Colorado State University; Wade O. Troxell, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523-1374

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

, and there are still more practicingengineers who do not belong to a professional society at all. This raises the question as to how engineers are bound to a code of ethics, even ifthey eschew membership in a professional society. A number of views have beenproposed, but one of the more popular views begins by defining a profession as a groupof people who seek to cooperate in the service of a shared ideal [1]. A code of ethics is,on this view, essential for any group of people organized towards some ideal of serviceand whose activities are interested in benefitting non-members. This is too broad adefinition of profession, since it captures groups and activities that few would want toconsider professions. Furthermore, it makes no mention

Conference Session

Interactive Approaches to Ethics

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Craig E. Beal, Bucknell University; James G. Orbison Ph.D., P.E., Bucknell University

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Diversity

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Engineering Ethics

the FAA. The case study includes a discussion of thenear-certainty that software of any significant complexity will contain bugs, and that they aretypically repaired through software patches in subsequent updates.The implementation requires students to read a narrative segment and sidebar information as seenin Figure 1. They then choose the best course of action from a list of possible decisions. Once thestudents select an answer and submit it, they are provided with feedback as to the immediateconsequences of their decision, both in the simulated story as well as for their score for theactivity, as seen in Figure 2. A subsequent narrative and sidebar, specific to their decision, is thendisplayed, along with another set of decisions.There are

Conference Session

Engaging Ethics in Teams and Communities

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Robert J. Barsanti Jr., The Citadel; Ronald J. Hayne, The Citadel; Kevin C. Bower P.E., The Citadel; Johnston W. Peeples, The Citadel

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Engineering Ethics

measurement using hardware components. The project furtherrequires that the electrical signals are visualized in both the time and frequency domain toenhance concept understanding. The paper outlines an introduction to the modulation theoryalong with an overview of the necessary circuits and concepts. Additionally, suggested studentactivities, project assignment alternatives, along with detailed mathematical solutions areprovided.Keywords: Engineering communications, Circuit Projects, PSpice software.BACKGROUNDCourse projects are one of the seven high impact practices discussed by Koh in [1]. Additionally,hands on activities are noted to improve learning motivation and retention. For example, it isnoted by Zhan in [2] that the use of real world

Conference Session

Awareness, Expectations, and Recognition of Ethics

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Isabel Hilliger, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; Andrés Strello, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; Francisca Castro, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; Mar Pérez-Sanagustín, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

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Engineering Ethics

accept personal responsibility and to be aware of ethical codes.  To compare results of these measurements among different students’ subgroups.Research site The research site consisted in a private and confessional institution of higher education inChile. Its engineering school is part of a multi-school campus. Despite the full academic andadministrative autonomy conferred by law in the 1930s, this institution claims a public role. Yet,it has a close relationship with the private sector and a strong commitment to entrepreneurshipand innovation. It attracts students with high scores according to the Chilean national admissionsystem for higher education, who in most cases were educated in private fee-paying schools (seeTable 1