Conference Session

Ethical Design

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Scott A. Civjan, University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Nicholas Tooker, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

Code of Ethics and discussion ofcase studies [3]. However, ethics in the engineering curriculum has been reported to have mixedeffectiveness, especially when delivered as an isolated topic within courses such as a capstone orpurely through case studies. Instead, an effective supplemental framework for integrating ethicsthrough the curriculum is needed in order for practicing engineers to make decisions with theintegrity appropriate to the profession. Toward this goal, an initial implementation was made in asenior level design class where ethics questions were interspersed throughout the semester onday to day ethical issues that related directly to the course material. Twelve students took thiscourse alone, while twenty-two were concurrently

Conference Session

Assessing Ethics Learning

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

David S. Greenburg, The Citadel; Robert J. Rabb P.E., The Citadel

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Diversity

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Engineering Ethics

populations. Therefore we were not able to prove our test hypothesis that the upper-classengineering students would score higher on the NSPE ethics practice exam than the freshmanstudents.In an attempt to gain greater insight into the results we compared specific questions with a highcorrect score percentage (≥ 80%) and those with a low correct score percentage (≤ 20%) for eachof the survey groups. The results, shown in Table 3, are virtually the same and further supportthe overall findings that the [Institution’s] curriculum of integrated ethical leadership courseswere not effective in enhancing participants’ performance on the NSPE ethics examination. Table 3. Questions With High or Low Correct Scores ( ≥ 80% or ≤ 20%). Upper Classmen

Conference Session

Innovating Ethics Curriculum and Instruction

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Andrew Katz, Virginia Tech; Umair Shakir, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

engineering ethics in the engineering curriculum.Modes of Integrating Engineering Ethics in Undergraduate Curricula Researchers have proposed two primary approaches to integrating ethics into thecurriculum: standalone courses and embedded units in technical courses. Engineeringdepartments offering a standalone course on engineering ethics may offer it as either an electiveor required course [14]. Alternatively, a department may require a standalone course, but it maybe offered in the philosophy/religion department or engineering school [15]. The requirement ofstandalone course focused on engineering ethics in four-year curriculum has been challenged byCruz & Frey [10] and Tang et. al. [16] claimed that the engineering curriculum is already

Conference Session

Innovating Ethics Curriculum and Instruction

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Elizabeth A. Debartolo, Rochester Institute of Technology; Wade L. Robison, Rochester Institute of Technology; Sarah Aileen Brownell, Rochester Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

Technology Wade L. Robison is the Ezra A. Hale Professor of Applied Ethics at the Rochester Institute of Technology. He received his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with a minor in law. He was President of the Hume Society for sixteen years and was the first President and co-founder of the Society for Ethics Across the Curriculum. He has published extensively in philosophy of law, David Hume, and practical and professional ethics. His book Decisions in Doubt: The Environment and Public Policy (University Press of New England, 1994) won the Nelson A. Rockefeller Prize in Social Science and Public Policy. His latest book is Ethics Within Engineering: An Introduction (Bloomsbury Academic

Conference Session

Innovating Ethics Curriculum and Instruction

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Rob Sleezer, Minnesota State University, Mankato; Rebecca A. Bates, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

Paper ID #29812Ethical Development Through the Use of Fiction in a Project BasedEngineering ProgramDr. Rob Sleezer, Minnesota State University, Mankato Rob Sleezer earned his Ph.D. in Microelectronics-Photonics from the University of Arkansas. He attended Oklahoma State University where he graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science and an M.S. and B.S. in Electrical Engineering. He is currently a faculty member at Twin Cities Engineering which is in the department of Integrated Engineering at Minnesota State University, Mankato.Dr. Rebecca A Bates, Minnesota State University, Mankato Rebecca A. Bates received the Ph.D. degree

Conference Session

Ethical Design

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Donald Winiecki, Boise State University; Lynn Catlin P.E., Boise State University; Harold Ackler, Boise State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

and computer science. Similarly, one wouldhave to be willful to miss an equally steady drumbeat of calls for improved ethics in engineeringand computer science education.However, one can make the argument that simply offering new or more content related to ethicsin engineering education is not enough. With an eye on engineering a response to these issues,we propose that systemic changes are warranted including who presents and guides ethicscontent, how students are brought face-to-face with ethics and how ethics content is threadedinto a curriculum, and how the real and existential outcomes of engineering decisions areassessed both in design stages and in professional applications.This case study report describes efforts to introduce ethics

Conference Session

New Media for Ethics Education

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Valerie H. Summet, Rollins College; Rebecca A. Bates, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

reasoningoutcomes, we turn to ways in which instructors can incorporate ethics into individual courses.Teaching students to analyze situations by applying normative ethical frameworks has long been avaluable strategy in ethics instruction and one which allows students to analyze a variety ofsituations they may find themselves in over the course of their professional careers. In response tothe need to integrate ethics education into a packed technical curriculum as well as facultytrepidation when teaching ethics, we present a series of readings designed to provide studentswith an engaging fictional scenario to serve as a basis for discussing ethical dilemmas in a contentdriven course.Science fiction has long served as a venue for writers to experiment with

Conference Session

Research on Engineering Ethics Education and Practice

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Madeline Polmear, University of Florida; Angela R. Bielefeldt, University of Colorado Boulder; Nathan E. Canney, CYS Structural Engineers Inc.; Chris Swan, Tufts University; Daniel Knight, University of Colorado Boulder

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

implementation of the intervention has been published [27], [28]. Theintervention was taught on the same day in all three classes (in October 2017 approximately sixweeks into the semester). The intervention was not students’ only exposure to ESI; it was oneelement in a growing initiative towards ethics across the curriculum. The chemical andengineering department integrated ESI in multiple core courses including first-year introduction,junior design, and senior capstone design.The intervention was an in-class activity that explored hydraulic fracturing from differentperspectives. The intervention followed the same format in all three courses. Each 75-minuteclass period began with an introduction of the activity and series of pre-activity questions for

Conference Session

Ethical Design

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Amy Schroeder, University of Southern California

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

thatinterdisciplinary study grants students an increased ability to recognize preconceived biases andconsider alternative viewpoints—an extremely powerful tool when working with ethics [14].Research also demonstrates that interdisciplinarity enhances comfort with ambiguity andimproves critical thinking.[12, 13] Because interdisciplinarity emphasizes integration, it aids in the development ofcreativity: rather than focusing on fixed phenomena within a discipline, interdisciplinarityencourages students to make connections between distinct disciplines. With a focus onconnection-building, as opposed to knowledge acquisition of specific disciplinary skills andpractices, students are pushed to think creatively. Interdisciplinarity encourages interrogation

Conference Session

Reimagining Engineering Ethics

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Grant A. Fore, Indiana University Purdue University, Indianapolis; Justin L. Hess, Purdue University; Andrew Katz, Virginia Tech

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

problem, for which studentsmust share responsibility for the actualization of a creative resolution. This speaks directly toproject-based and problem-based learning. But it just as much speaks to the value of engagementbeyond the walls of the university. Without some external engagement in the curriculum,projects and problems remain reason-based and/or hypothetical. For example, an imagined end-user does not speak back; however, someone with direct experience of an engineered technologymay have something to say about where problems within a given device lie. Ethics educationarguably has the same problem if the extent of ethical training remains in the student’simagination and if ethics is not something consciously lived out within the context of

Conference Session

New Media for Ethics Education

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Joshua Gargac, University of Mount Union

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

content.Unlike the majority of the engineering curriculum, professional ethics is neither calculation- nordesign-intensive. Covering this content through traditional lecturing and text-based readingassignments often fails to fully motivate this generation of tech-savvy students to learn to theirfull potential. Improvements to course design and content delivery can improve studentengagement [5-9]. These strategies include developing interactive course activities [6],incorporating multimedia resources [7-9], and integrating practical experiences into the deliveryof the course content [9]. Specifically, recent papers have suggested incorporating a multi-modalapproach to teach ethics using popular media [10].Bearing this in mind, a short ethics module was

Conference Session

New Areas of Ethical Inquiry

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Karen C. Davis, Miami University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

Electronics Engineers, “IEEE Code of Ethics.” [online] available: https://www.ieee.org/about/corporate/governance/p7-8.html, [accessed 6/29/19].[20] E. Burton, J. Goldsmith, and N. Mattei, “How to Teach Computer Ethics through Science Fiction,” Communications of the ACM, vol. 61, no. 8, pp. 54-64, 2018.[21] R. Tractenberg, K. FitzGerald, and J. Collmann, “Evidence of Sustainable Learning from the Mastery Rubric for Ethical Reasoning,” Education Sciences, vol. 7, no. 1, 2016.[22] R. Tractenberg, R, “Institutionalizing Ethical Reasoning: Integrating the ASA's Ethical Guidelines for Professional Practice into Course, Program, and Curriculum,” Collmann, J., Matei, S.A. (eds.) Ethical Reasoning in Big Data: An

Conference Session

Reimagining Engineering Ethics

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Luan Minh Nguyen, Iowa State University ; Cristina Poleacovschi, Iowa State University; Kasey M. Faust, University of Texas at Austin; Kate Padgett Walsh, Iowa State University; Scott Grant Feinstein; Cassandra Rutherford, Iowa State University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

the sensitivity and judgment of microethics andmacroethics, sensitivity to diversity, and interest in promoting organizational ethical culture—atthe end of their engineering studies than they were at the beginning. As such, many studies havefocused on developing and improving the curriculum surrounding ethics through, for instance,exposing students to ethics case studies. However, such ethics courses often present a narrow andsimplified view of ethics that students may struggle to integrate with their broader experience asengineers. Thus, there is a critical need to unpack the complexity of ethical behavior amongstengineering students in order to determine how to better foster ethical judgment and behavior.Promoting ethical behavior among

Conference Session

Reimagining Engineering Ethics

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Yousef Jalali, Virginia Tech ; Scott A. Civjan, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Tagged Topics

Diversity

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Engineering Ethics

(Riley and Lambrinidou, 2015) in engineering ethics literature, it is still not surprising tosee persistent reliance on presupposed “correct” responses for a given case; an overemphasis onheroic actions and unusual mistakes without contextual considerations; and the overlooking ofthe importance of society and peer culture in the teaching of ethics. In this paper, we argue thataddressing imaginal capacity as a core component in ethics curriculum helps educators movebeyond isolated and product-oriented pictures of engineering ethics instruction and we illustrateways to bridge complexities embedded in how we think and how we relate to one another insociety.Stimulating moral imagination has been recognized as one of the major goals of

Conference Session

Ethical Reasoning and Decision Making

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Rockwell Franklin Clancy III, University of Michigan-Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute

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Diversity

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Engineering Ethics

, two-credit hour course in engineering ethics, since this course curriculum focusedon engineering ethics specifically. No prediction was made about the effects of ethics educationon MFQ scores, although this was an area of interest.5. Hypothesize that higher mean scores on the individuating foundations and lower mean scoreson the binding foundations would be associated with higher P and N2 scores on the ESIT, basedon prior work involving MFT and the DIT2.[20], [21]MethodParticipants. Participants were undergraduate engineering students at the University ofMichigan-Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute (UM-SJTU JI). The UM-SJTU JI wasfounded in 2006 and is a US-Chinese joint educational venture based in Shanghai Jiao TongUniversity

Conference Session

Ethical Reasoning and Decision Making

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Natalie C.T. Van Tyne P.E., Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

little doubt that one lesson and one homework assignment are not sufficient to develop acommitment to both understand and practice professional ethics, but the assignment provides anintroduction to this field, to be continued elsewhere in an engineering curriculum. In addition, atthe end of the course, there is no available evidence as to whether students had changed theirown ethical decision making process, or what their disposition was with respect to thestakeholders’ perspectives in the in-class exercise.Ethical ConsiderationsThe data from consenting participants will have been de-identified prior to analysis, inaccordance with IRB regulations [13]. We will also assume that the data accurately reflectparticipants’ responses to the assignment

Conference Session

New Areas of Ethical Inquiry

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Kenneth Stafford Sands II, Florida Gulf Coast University; Annie R. Pearce, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Denise Rutledge Simmons P.E., University of Florida; Min Jae Suh, Sam Houston State University; Christine Marie Fiori, Drexel University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

client resources, and ethical theorySinha et al. [12] Discusses topics of construction law and Suggests situating ethics in a required course Discusses evaluation of student contracts, legal systems and maxims of law, on engineering ethics, required course with portfolios that contain samples of societal values and morality, professional engineering ethics integrated, across the student essays analyzing ethical practice, and employer obligations curriculum, or via an integrated humanities issues demonstrating student ability and social

Conference Session

Reimagining Engineering Ethics

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Jessica Koehler, Wake Forest University; Olga Pierrakos, Wake Forest University ; Michael Lamb, Wake Forest University; Alana Demaske, Wake Forest University; Carlos Santos, Wake Forest University; Michael D. Gross, Wake Forest University; Dylan Franklin Brown, Wake Forest University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

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Engineering Ethics

Character Education? A Literature Review of Four Prominent Virtues in Engineering EducationAbstractThe complexity of problems that engineers address requires knowledge, skills, and abilities thatextend beyond technical engineering expertise, including teamwork and collaboration, problem-solving, curiosity and lifelong learning, cultural awareness, and ethical decision-making. How dowe prepare engineering students to develop these essential capacities? One promising approachis to integrate character education into the undergraduate curriculum. Using an established andcommonly used taxonomy advanced by the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues at theUniversity of Birmingham, this paper explores the extent to which virtues are

Conference Session

Assessing Ethics Learning

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Jagadish Torlapati, Rowan University; Sarah K. Bauer, Rowan University; Cheng Zhu, Rowan University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

reliable ethicalpractices. Engineering ethics is defined as: “(1) the study of moral issues and decisionsconfronting individuals and organizations involved in engineering and (2) the study of relatedquestions about moral conduct, character, policies, and relations of people and corporationsinvolved in technological activity” [1]. Engineering ethics has been increasingly emphasized inengineering curricula. The Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) hasspecific student outcomes related to ethical considerations. Despite the need for ethical decision-making among the undergraduate civil engineers, incorporating ethics into the curriculum hasnot been an easy task.In some academic institutions, ethics courses could be offered by a non

Conference Session

Assessing Ethics Learning

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Peter Wesley Odom, Purdue University, West Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

theoretical schema for each item. Following Table 1 is a summary of results from eachof the 17 items of note. Discussion of results is included in tandem with results to ease withkeeping track of which results were being discussed.Table 1. Summary of PCFA flagged items for each scenario Scenario 1 — “Housing Quality” 2 Items Flagged A Student team is tasked with evaluating the integrity of housing Scenario structures in an impoverished community. Results may identify unsafe Summary dwellings, but could also have a negative impact on the financial well being of those living there despite their existing

Conference Session

Research on Engineering Ethics Education and Practice

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Greg Rulifson P.E., U.S. Agency for International Development; Angela R. Bielefeldt, University of Colorado Boulder

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

grade just because the engineering schools tend to be smaller and classes are only offered one semester especially if your higher up in the department. So if I would’ve taken a semester off it would mean taking a year off school… the sports medicine said I was getting better and that he thought that taking a leave of absence would be a premature decision….Miranda’s discussion brings in the structural aspects of engineering curriculum and courses thatmade her hesitant to withdraw from the semester after her injury. She goes on to discuss somelevel of continuing challenges in the following term: …moving into the spring semester, I was still a little nervous and I was getting headaches still very frequently. I had an appointment with