Virtue in Engineering Ethics Education

Kenneth McDonald

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Conference: 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Start Date: June 26, 2022
End Date: June 29, 2022
Conference Session: Engineering Ethics Division: Approaches to Ethics Education (Part 1)
Page Count: 11
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--40532
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/40532
Download Count: 417

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Paper Authors

biography

Kenneth McDonald United States Military Academy

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Dr. Kenneth McDonald is a Professor of Engineering Management, Department of Systems Engineering, West Point. His academic focus is on capacity development, planning, and consequence management. He also studies engineering ethics and how it applies in today’s complex world. Dr. McDonald has authored and co-authored over 50 technical publications to include book chapters and refereed publications on infrastructure, capacity development, geotechnical engineering, engineering management, value modeling and ethics. He is also co-author of the recently published book “Pursuing the Honorable – Reawakening Honor in the Modern Military”. During his 28 years as an Engineer officer in the US Army he deployed throughout the world numerous times with his last deployment to Afghanistan in 2010. As an academic, Dr. McDonald has served as Engineering Management Program Director, the Director of the Center for Nation Reconstruction and Capacity Development, and Deputy Department Head in the Department of Systems Engineering, United States Military Academy. He graduated from West Point in 1985 with a BS in Civil Engineering. He earned Masters in Geography; City and Regional Planning; Environmental Engineering; Information Systems Management; and Ethics. He also has a PhD in Geological Engineering. He is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE), a Project Management Professional (PMP), a Certified Professional in Engineering Management (CPEM), and a Certified Planner (AICP). He is a Fulbright Scholar and has worked projects for the Ministry of Education, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kosovo.

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Abstract

One of the most overlooked subjects of an engineering education is engineering ethics; however, it is likely the most important component of the engineering profession. Arguably engineering has a greater impact on more people every day than any other profession so the importance of an engineering ethics education cannot be understated. Current pedagogical approaches to ethics education are lacking in several respects. Likewise, engineering codes of conduct do not provide a process to internalize ethical conduct. This paper addresses engineering ethics education through character education focused on virtue and looks to the engineering profession to change traditional engineering ethics education. This paper proposes a pedagogical construct in character education where virtue lays the foundation for good character which then guides the engineer when facing ethical challenges. This pedagogical approach provides engineering students a baseline of virtue education, which, if sought, enables the engineer to navigate difficult engineering ethical conflicts. Internalizing the virtuous life, enables the engineer to become a more ethical engineer who is better equipped to perceive ethical challenges and then act according to a virtue-based understanding of the right action to a given circumstance. There is a lack of evidence to support the effectiveness of this approach; however, ancillary evidence suggests character education results in more civic and moral centric students.

Citation
Format

McDonald, K. (2022, August), Virtue in Engineering Ethics Education Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--40532