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Finding a “place” for reading and discussion courses: Design and assessment of “Social and Ethical Impacts of Technology” Abstract

This paper discusses the development and assessment of a reading and discussion course entitled “Social and Ethical Impacts of Technology.” Taught in the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Department of Engineering Professional Development by members of the department’s technical communication faculty, the course combined assigned readings, an in-class and an online discussion, and an end-of-semester writing assignment to help students achieve the following learning outcomes:

• Outcome 1: Articulate connections among engineering, ethics, community, history, social change, and politics by actively listening and participating in a small discussion setting • Outcome 2: Recognize and work with the role of uncertainty in engineering and its relationship to social and ethical dimensions • Outcome 3: Analyze and assess the social and ethical impact of technology on society by critically thinking about the readings and discussion topics • Outcome 4: Communicate effectively by writing and speaking • Outcome 5: Identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems related to professional and ethical responsibilities, including interdisciplinary approaches to said problems

Our three-pronged assessment scheme measured success of the learning outcomes through (1) interviews with a student focus group and with individual instructors; (2) written student surveys, including a short mid-semester evaluation and Elaine Seymour’s Student Assessment of Learning Gains (SALG) protocol at the end of the semester; and (3) review of the online discussion forum transcripts and the final research projects. Results suggest that students satisfactorily achieved Outcomes 1–3 but that adjustments should be made to the course to help students better succeed with Outcomes 4–5. The authors discuss future plans for the course as well as exportable lessons for those interested in trying to find a place for similar courses at their own institutions. Throughout the paper, the authors also argue that flexible, interdisciplinary, student-centered discussion courses like this one have the potential to teach some of the ABET professional skills in way that students and faculty alike will find refreshing, exciting, and effective.

Introduction

In his “Ethics Instruction in Engineering Education: A (Mini) Meta-Analysis”1 David Haws examines 42 papers on the subject of engineering ethics instruction, all of them from the ASEE annual conference proceedings, 1996-1999. His paper identifies six common pedagogical foci for courses in engineering ethics: “the Professional Engineer’s Code of Ethics, humanist readings, grounding in theoretical ethics, ethical problem solving heuristics, case studies, and service learning.” He goes on to evaluate the effectiveness of each approach in light of three objectives that will help students deal with ethical problems: “we need to enhance the efficacy of our students’ divergent thinking, help them see engineering outcomes through the eyes of non- engineers, and give them access to the common vocabulary of ethical articulation.”

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Oliver, K., & Nathans-Kelly, T., & Courter, S., & Grossenbacher, L. (2007, June), Finding A "Place" For Reading And Discussion Courses: Design And Assessment Of "Social And Ethical Impacts Of Technology" Paper presented at 2007 Annual Conference & Exposition, Honolulu, Hawaii. 10.18260/1-2--1963