Conference Session

Engineering Ethics V

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Ochs, Lehigh University; Lisa Getzler-Linn, Lehigh University; Margaret Huyck, Illinois Institute of Technology; Scott Schaffer, Purdue University; Mary Raber, Michigan Technology University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

, 3) Models do exist for how students learn in solving unstructured problems, Page 14.250.3 4) The “Steps for Better Thinking” by Wolcott and Lynch11,12 and “reflective judgment model’ by King and Kitchener9,10 and advanced by others seem appropriate instruments for assessing experiential learning.Based on the research done to date, our collective and individual assessment of learning bystudents engaged in multidisciplinary team based projects at all four institutions will involve thefollowing: 1) The development of explicit criteria for success 2) On going, in-process assessment at gradable moments during

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics V

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tammy VanDeGrift, University of Portland; Donald Chinn, University of Washington, Tacoma

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

analysis of students’ work.Our results show that students met the learning objectives of crafting arguments, reflecting uponcomputing skills, and discussing issues related to professionalism and diversity.1. IntroductionOne of several educational objectives for computer science programs is preparing students for asuccessful career in the software industry. Both ABET and CC2001 emphasize that computer sciencegraduates should engage topics related to ethics and professionalism1,10. For example, CC2001 identifiesthe social context of computing (SP2) and professional and ethical responsibilities (SP4) as core subjectareas. It also describes in detail the scope of these areas (Chapter 10, pages 55-61). ABET programoutcome letter (e) (an understanding

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics, Academic Integrity

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Angela Bielefeldt, University of Colorado, Boulder

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

student honor code. Discussing specific surveyquestions with the students after they completed the survey did seem to change their impressionof some activities; data to quantitatively test this assertion have not yet been collected.Qualitative data from the ethics homework and final reflective essay written by the studentsindicates that linking cheating behaviors to professional ethics may be an effective way to impactstudents’ views on these matters.BackgroundEducating students on ethical issues is an important aspect of all engineering curricula. It isrequired by ABET accreditation standards3 and emphasized as an important part of the Body ofknowledge for Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering4,5. At the University ofColorado at

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics: Using Case Studies

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Loendorf, Eastern Washington University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

and reflection in order to reach anethical decision. All of the potential scenarios encountered by practicing engineers could neverbe covered in one code of ethics. They are principles and standards to follow and not a cookbooksolution outlining steps to resolve every ethical situation.MethodologyA junior level course was developed a number of years ago titled Technology in WorldCivilization (Loendorf17, 2004) that was designed to broaden the students' perspective of pasttechnologies and how they were discovered and used. The main objectives of the course were to:(a) promote awareness of technological development, and (b) provide a rudimentaryunderstanding of their social, political, economic, and cultural impact. Three years ago, alearning

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics - Courses and Curricula

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Donald McEachron, Drexel University; Sheila Vaidya, Drexel University; Stacey Ake, Drexel University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

morality as the determination of right and wrong behavior while ethics is the processby which morals are synthesized into a coherent system. Furthermore, we adopt three primarypropositions: 1. Morality is intimately involved with everyday experiences; 2. Morality and Ethics can, and should be taught; 3. Moral reflection is an important daily occurrence – Socrates The first proposition is in responses to students (and faculty, administrators, staff, etc.)who consider their daily activities to be outside the range of activities to which moral judgmentsshould be applied. This is what allows students to excuse plagiarism – it is a common activity towhich such esoteric philosophical musings as considerations of

Conference Session

Topics in Engineering Ethics IV

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

George Catalano, State University of New York, Binghamton; Caroline Baillie, Queens University, Kingston

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

AC 2009-1236: ENGINEERING BASED ON LOVEGeorge Catalano, State University of New York, BinghamtonCaroline Baillie, Queens University, Kingston Page 14.543.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 An Engineering Based on LoveAbstractA recent death of a beloved member of one of our immediate families has served as acatalyst for our reflection on not only the nature of our work but also upon our approachto the issue of reforms in engineering and engineering education which are desperatelyneeded. In engineering we often speak of development and now of sustainability. Far toooften it seems that the model used in engineering in general and in

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics: Using Case Studies

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Didier Valdes, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez; Erika Jaramillo Giraldo, University of Puerto Rico; Jorge Ferrer, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez; William Frey, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

axis of truth. Ethical treatment of humans and animals whoare subjects of research projects as well as concern for the impact of research on the naturalenvironmental reflect issues that pertain to the axis of social responsibility. This double axisframework responds to the ethical objective of stimulating moral awareness by helping studentsto classify and identify ethical issues in research.The “Aberdeen Three” case [4] provides another example of how ethical issues arise duringresearch in engineering. Three engineers, with important R&D positions in a chemical weaponsplant, ignored inspections on the handling and disposal of toxic wastes. One of the tanks in theplant containing sulfuric acid leaked onto the soil and percolated into a

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics, Academic Integrity

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Adam Melvin, North Carolina State University; Lisa Bullard, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

homework. Page 14.1045.2The authors speculate that this observation could reflect a risk/reward system that changes overtime. Cheating on homework has a much lower risk of detection than cheating on an exam;however, the reward for getting a higher exam score is much greater than for a higher homeworkscore. Additionally, the authors found that frequent high school cheating correlates with greaterinstances of cheating at the university level. As for how to best prevent instances of cheatingbehavior, they found that a student’s moral compass most strongly guides cheating or anti-cheating behavior. Students who believe that any form of cheating is

Conference Session

Topics in Engineering Ethics IV

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paul Leiffer, LeTourneau University; R. William Graff; B.Kyun Lee, Le Tourneau University; Martin Batts, Le Tourneau University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

as a member of thedesign team, but most engineering decisions do not occur at this level.The engineering design process would also be modified by basing it upon the environment. Inaddition to the steps of investigation, reflection, and creation, a new step of transformation wouldbe added: “The fourth and final step asks the following questions of the engineer: Has thesuffering in the world been reduced? Have the social injustices that pervade our global villagebeen even slightly ameliorated? Has the notion of a community of interests been expanded? Isthe world a kinder, gentler place borrowing from the Greek poet Aeschylus?” 21This transformational consideration is a positive idea; however, it is not always possible toexamine. (For example

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics: Using Case Studies

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Marilyn Dyrud, Oregon Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

especially suited to this approach. As Kenneth Winston, faculty member at Harvard’sKennedy School of Government, suggests, “. . . students are forced to reflect as much on theenvironment of decision making as is the logic of the environment.”2 By doing so, they candevelop critical thinking and ethical decision-making skills. Because small cases are so limited,instructors can spend more time focusing on these skill sets.Cases also provide media for ethical problem identification and concrete instances for moraldeliberation. As Harris, Pritchard, and Rabins explain, “Through cases, we learn to recognizethe presence of ethical problems and to develop analytical skills necessary to resolving them.”3Finally, small cases may be more relevant to our

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics - Courses and Curricula

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Brock Barry, United States Military Academy; Matthew Ohland, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

incorporation methods is not a recentphenomenon. A 1955 Journal of Engineering Education article evaluated various aspects of astand-alone ethics course within the engineering curriculum versus a quasi-across-the-curriculummethod.40Assessment of EC 2000 Criterion 3The technical and professional skills encompassed within ABET’s EC 2000 Criterion 3 arepresented in a manner that allows for flexibility in implementation. Besterfield-Sacre et al.41 notethat by design, the Outcomes are vaguely constructed to “encourage each engineering program’sfaculty to add its own, hopefully unique specificity” (p. 100) and further, that the flexibility“reflects a sensitivity on ABET’s part to the importance of differing institutional missions andprograms” (p. 100). The

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics, Academic Integrity

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Isaac Wait, Marshall University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

, administered tostudents during regularly scheduled class time. No personally-identifiable information aboutstudents was gathered. The survey was administered in English, and the survey questions areincluded in the Appendix.Since the results and conclusion of this study are based on self-reported data, it is important tonote that actual student behavior may differ from that which was reported in the survey.Considering the negative implications associated with cheating, it is thought that any differencebetween self-reported behavior and actual behavior would be reflected in actual rates of studentdishonesty being greater than reported.Analyses of variance (ANOVA), including post-hoc pairwise comparisons and two-way cross-tabulation (Chi squared analysis