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Engineering Ethics Education and Engineering Practice: A Study from a Small Island with an Impressively Large Number of Engineering Programs

Abstract

This paper describes engineering ethics education in universities of Cyprus (both North and South) and the impact of engineering ethics education on engineering practice.

In the first phase of this study, we conducted a detailed review and analysis of curricula, elective courses and their course descriptions. Data was also collected from the national higher education accreditation bodies, the deans of faculty in the schools of engineering, and the program chairs of the respective universities targeted in this study.

In the second phase, we surveyed graduates of these engineering programs on engineering ethics education, code of ethics, awareness and knowledge of how to address ethical issues. We compared the responses of those who had received an engineering ethics course or seminar during their undergraduate engineering education to those who had not. The results were consistent with the assertion made by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) that engineering curricula should include courses in engineering ethics.

As a result of this study, an action has been suggested which targets provision of short courses or periodic seminars to increase awareness and to teach the skills on how to prevent and how to deal with ethical issues, especially for those who haven’t previously received any training in engineering ethics. Another outcome of the study reflected that the difference in cultural norms and laws in Cyprus might be yet another reason necessitating professional ethics education.

Introduction

The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) requires that all engineering programs they accredit or give substantial equivalency to must demonstrate that their graduates have an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility 1. This can be achieved by offering an engineering ethics course or by incorporating ethics throughout the curriculum 2,3. Cyprus, a beautiful Mediterranean country, has in recent years been referred to as “the island of universities” due to its impressively large number of universities despite its small size and population. Table 1 shows the universities with engineering programs in both the North and South side of Cyprus 4,5.

Aim

The aim of this study was to compare the ethical knowledge of practicing engineers who had graduated from the various engineering programs in Cyprus having received an ethics course during their training with those who had not.

Methods

The first part of the study involved collecting and analyzing engineering program curricula of universities in Cyprus. University web sites were reviewed in order to identify those with

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Atasoylu, E. (2007, June), Engineering Ethics Education And Engineering Practice: A Study From A Small Island With An Impressively High Number Of Engineering Programs Paper presented at 2007 Annual Conference & Exposition, Honolulu, Hawaii. 10.18260/1-2--2457