Educating Engineers to Work Ethically with Global Marginalized Communities

Abstract

Ethical reasoning is an important ability for engineers working with marginalized communities in global contexts. However, the ethical awareness and development that are critical for this work may not be included in traditional engineering education. This article presents faculty perspectives on the ethical and societal issues (ESI) that should be taught and the pedagogies that are used to prepare students for development engineering. Among 60 survey respondents who taught courses focused on global and/or development (GD) issues, the ESI topics that were particularly congruent included poverty, sustainability, social justice, and engineering decisions under uncertainty. Faculty interviews highlighted that GD should foreground the human side of engineering, respectful partnerships with communities grounded in an asset perspective, and considerations of historical elements. Discussions, case studies, design, and reflection are impactful pedagogies that can complement learning through service to achieve ESI educational goals.

Traversing the Evolution of Research on Engineering Education for Sustainability: A Bibliometric Review (1991–2022)

“…Scholars in this school have also investigated ethical and social issues taught in engineering education programs [40][41][42][43]. This research highlights a need for engineering programs to promote attitudes and practices that prioritize the safety, health, and welfare of the public [42].…”

“…The fourth school (yellow cluster) includes 14 authors associated with Sustainable Technologies in Engineering Education (STEE). At the forefront of this cluster is Q. Zhang (80 co-citations), followed by Y. Wang (69), Y. Chen (64), Y. Zhang (55), J. Lee (53), J. Li (52), X. Wang (49), L. Zhang (47), L. Wang (44), and Y. Liu (41). The STEE cluster is located at a greater distance and shows fewer author co-citation links to the other three clusters.…”

Global Environmental Engineering for and with Historically Marginalized Communities

“…Bielefeldt et al ( 2021 ) presented the perspectives of engineering faculty as to the ethical and societal issues that should be taught and the pedagogies that are used to prepare students for global/humanitarian engineering. The ESI topics that were found to be particularly congruent include poverty, sustainability, social justice, and engineering decisions under uncertainty.…”

Engineering ethics and the public: Impacts of a graduate-level course on students' ethical perceptions and conduct in research and professional settings (2010-20)

“…Through their work, engineers and scientists can impact the public in a positive and negative manner. The obligations of engineers and scientists in society are continually evolving and debated, including their work involving the public and marginalized communities [1]- [6]. These topics are addressed from an aspirational applied ethics perspective in a graduate-level course at Virginia Tech: CEE 5804 "Engineering Ethics and the Public" [7], [8].…”