Efficacy of Macroethics Education in Engineering

Abstract

There is a need for engineering education to prepare students to address macroethical issues. Macroethics refers to the broader ethical obligations of the profession such as those embodied by social responsibility and sustainability. The extent to which students graduate with an understanding of macroethical issues is unclear and in need of organization. The goal of this new research project is to evaluate the various ways in which macroethics is taught in engineering, examining variations in pedagogy and topics, as well as examining differences between disciplines and institution types. This paper describes the first phase of the research, to develop surveys that will reveal a national picture of engineering macroethics instruction. Survey development began based on a review of the literature. One survey was targeted to deans and department chairs, aimed at identifying the names of faculty at their institutions who are involved in ethics instruction. A second survey was aimed at faculty who teach macroethical topics in courses for engineering students. A third survey was aimed at faculty who mentor cocurricular activities where students may learn about or engage with macroethical issues. Pilot versions of the three surveys were distributed to selected faculty at three institutions: a large public research-intensive university, a private research-intensive university, and a Christianaffiliated, private Baccalaureate university. Approximately 30 responses indicated a breadth of courses where faculty infused a wide variety of macroethical topics. It also revealed the challenges associated with encouraging faculty to respond to surveys. A handful of faculty participated in follow-up interviews, giving feedback to help improve the surveys. The surveys were revised, with national dissemination in spring 2016.

Incorporation of Ethics and Societal Impact Issues into First-Year Engineering Course:: Results of a National Survey

“…More details on the survey development and distribution has been published. [24][25][26] Individuals who taught first-year courses were not directly targeted to participate in the study. In both surveys the questions on course-based instruction were identical.…”

Contributions of Learning through Service to the Ethics Education of Engineering Students

“…Both surveys included questions about both courses and co-curricular settings, but the questions were presented to respondents in a different order. More details of the survey development process and questions can be found in Bielefeldt et al 24 All research was conducted in accordance with methods approved by the University of Colorado Boulder Institution Review Board for research with human subjects. From the co-curricular survey, engineering service groups was selected as a category of LTS activities of interest.…”

Incorporation of Ethics and Societal Impact Issues into Senior Capstone Design Courses: Results of a National Survey

“…A survey was developed to solicit information from faculty about how they teach and asses ethics in both courses and co-curricular settings. [38][39][40] Briefly, three pilot surveys were developed based on a thorough literature review. These surveys were tested with faculty at three institutions, followed by a series of interviews on the surveys.…”

“…Respondents could choose to skip any questions. [38][39][40] Responses through May 22, 2016, were included in the analysis. Incomplete responses were closed and included with the data.…”