Conference Session

Novel Methods in Engineering Ethics

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Craig Titus, Purdue University; Carla Zoltowski, Purdue University; William Oakes, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

decision-making process that studentscan adapt and implementin their own projects. We have also created methods of assessment to determine how muchprogress students make in their moral decision-making abilities and in their ability to identify,characterize, and reflect on the specific ethical issues they encounter in their project work. Tothis end we have created reflection questions, lectures, workshops, and an assessment instrument. Page 15.763.3As with all curriculum development, these tools are continually updated as we learn more aboutthem, but our data so far suggest these tools have enabled us to be effective in our task ofteaching

Conference Session

Novel Methods in Engineering Ethics

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jill May, Illinois Institute of Technology; Daniel Gandara, Illinois Institute of Technology; Margaret Huyck, Illinois Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

ethics component has the Page 15.1216.2following specific goals: 1) development and validation of instruments to measure ethicalproficiency of undergraduate students on multidisciplinary teams; and 2) identifying anddeveloping best practices for creating ethical awareness of the student. In two of our programs, students have been asked to reflect on their experience,specifically to “Identify the ethical issues relevant to your project group. Explain each of theseissues, and how you dealt with them.” Many students said there were no ethical issues orprovided overly simplistic descriptions of team functioning, for example

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics Outside the Classroom

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Traci Nathans-Kelly, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Sandra Courter, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Kevin Anderson, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Christine Nicometo, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Thomas McGlamery, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

study’s purpose was to teaseout the values and ethical positioning that engineers apply moment to moment during their work.Engineering, like all professional work, reflects an intricate interplay of social forces, economicforces, legal constraints, technological demands, and organizational cultures1. Any discussionabout ethics on the job is complex, unwieldy, and may resist even the best attempts atcategorization or standardization.As part of our mixed-method, multi-year study of practicing engineers, we collected evidenceregarding how ethics were enacted, enforced, or observed on the job. We asked engineers aboutthe importance of engineering ethics, if ethical issues were encountered on the job, and wherethey learned about engineering ethics

Conference Session

Integrating Engineering Ethics into the Curriculum

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Edward Glynn, Villanova University; Frank Falcone, Villanova University; Mark Doorley, Villanova University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

accomplished, or the province of philosophyor theology, but part and parcel of the identity of a professional engineer. The witness ofengineering faculty, who explore with students in the midst of technical classes, the ethicaldimensions of reporting data, working in groups, signing their name to a report, as well as amyriad of other possibilities, will begin to shift the student culture so that it reflects acommitment to ethical professionalism in the practice of engineering.Alumni SurveyIn order to get a clear sense of what engineers think are the relevant issues in professionalengineering practice, the workshop organizers surveyed the CoE alumni and alumnae via anemail in January, 2009. The survey consisted of two questions designed to identify the

Conference Session

Contemporary Issues in Engineering Ethics

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

George Catalano, State University of New York, Binghamton; Caroline Baillie, Western Australia

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

that looks at a site's natural land, water, and energy resources as integral aspects of the development." 5 ≠ "Sustainability integrates natural systems with human patterns and celebrates continuity, uniqueness and placemaking." 6In review of the totality of these definitions, it seems that the site or the environmentalcontext is an important variable to most working definitions of sustainability.Let us consider the approaches that a variety of engineering organizations and societieshave adopted in dealing with the ethics of sustainability. Recent changes in professionalsociety policies and codes of ethics reflect changing attitudes in engineering. Several

Conference Session

Novel Methods in Engineering Ethics

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Marilyn Dyrud, Oregon Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

employees across LakeMichigan to a resort area in Michigan City, Indiana.15The excursion trade was big business around the turn of the nineteenth century. For a modestfee—75 cents on the Eastland—lower middle class workers could spend a few hours living thehigh life to which they aspired. Shipping companies ran relatively light ships that sat high in thewater, to make the crossing quickly.The Eastland, built in 1903, soon developed a reputation as a “cranky” ship; she was unstable,especially during loading and unloading, and passengers often complained of seasickness.15 Thestability issues were reflected in the fluctuation of passenger load, as indicated in Table 1. Table 1. Eastland passenger loads15, 16 Year

Conference Session

Integrating Engineering Ethics into the Curriculum

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kelley Walczak, University of Michigan; Cynthia Finelli, University of Michigan; Matthew Holsapple, University of Michigan; Janel Sutkus, Carnegie Mellon University; Trevor Harding, California Polytechnic State University; Donald Carpenter, Lawrence Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

activity they are alreadyparticipating in (i.e., community service) with their coursework in order to promote ethicaldevelopment, particularly the ethical behavior component. Service learning also offersexperiential learning during which a student may encounter an ethical issue. These real-worldexamples can also be brought to the class through discussions or reflection papers, similar toguest speakers.These co-curricular experiences also address the components of ethical development in ourmodel (Figure 1). Professional codes teach students their professional engineeringresponsibilities (knowledge of ethics), and case studies allow students to explore possibilities,options, and alternatives in order to determine a course of action (ethical

Conference Session

Integrating Engineering Ethics into the Curriculum

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Steven Culver, Virginia Tech; Vinod Lohani, Virginia Tech; Ishwar Puri, Virginia Tech

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

about what exactly “ethics” is. While students are comfortable talking about anethical situation that is presented as an ethical scenario in a textbook, they are less able todiscuss elements of ethical frameworks such as “absolutism,” “moral responsibility,” or“cultural differences” related to ethics. These findings suggest that the use of suchtypical instruments as the Defining Issues Test (DIT), developed by James Rest [22], orthe Socio-moral Reflection Measure (SRM), based on Kohlberg’s work [23], may lead toresults that provide only a surface view of students’ ethical knowledge and decision-making.These findings also suggest that assessment of student knowledge and abilities is a taskfilled with complexities, but the process is even more

Conference Session

Contemporary Issues in Engineering Ethics

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ahmed Khan, DeVry University; Abdul Qadeer, Urdu Science University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

the fabrication of: - New catalysts - Heat reflection layers - Aerogels for transparent damping layers in solar architectures - Super thermal insulators - Transparent layers showing resistance against wear and abrasion or anti-damping propertiesEnergy Nanodevices will allow cleaner

Conference Session

Engineering Ethics Outside the Classroom

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Dominic Halsmer, Oral Roberts University; Elliott Butay, Oral Roberts University; Ben Hase, Oral Roberts University; Sean McDonough, Oral Roberts University; Taylor Tryon, Oral Roberts University; Joshua Weed, Oral Roberts University

Tagged Divisions

Engineering Ethics

typically enriches the students’ perspectives bymotivating them to search for answers to challenging questions, or even causing them to Page 15.563.7reconsider currently-held views.The following article summaries admittedly deal with the narrow focus of “origins”,which seemed like a good place to start. There are many other areas to investigate inexploring the connections between engineering and spirituality, and we plan to continueand expand this work. In addition, this research was conducted at a faith-basedinstitution, and therefore reflects a faith-based perspective. Never-the-less, it is hoped thatthis material will be helpful for all those who are