Understanding Engineers’ Responsibilities: A Prerequisite to Designing Engineering Education

Abstract

The development of the curriculum for engineering education (course requirements as well as extra-curricular activities like study abroad and internships) should be based on a comprehensive understanding of engineers' responsibilities. The responsibilities that are constitutive of being an engineer include striving to fulfill the standards of excellence set by technical codes; to improve the idealized models that engineers use to predict, for example, the behavior of alternative designs; and to achieve the internal goods such as safety and sustainability as they are reflected in the design codes. Globalization has implications for these responsibilities and, in turn, for engineering education, by, for example, modifying the collection of possible solutions recognized for existing problems. In addition, international internships can play an important role in fostering the requisite moral imagination of engineering students.

Ethics of Climate Change Adaptation—The Case of Torrential Rains in Norway

“…These codes are typically general in nature. In addition, studies of higher levels of education have shown that little if any ethics are included in the curriculum of engineers e.g., [21][22][23].…”

The Importance of Ethics in Modern Universities of Technology

“…An integral part of this program is a reflection on the dynamic relationship between technology and society by creating space before and during the internship, and upon the return of the students, to discuss and collectively reflect upon their lived experience. Colleen Murphy and Paolo Gardoni, in their commentary 'Understanding Engineers' Responsibilities: A Prerequisite to Designing Engineering Education', emphasize that all activities in engineering education, including study time abroad as well as internships, must be based on a comprehensive understanding of engineers' responsibilities (Murphy and Gardoni 2017). Globalization has implications for these responsibilities and international internships can play an important role in fostering the requisite moral imagination of engineering.…”

Application of ROC Curve Analysis for Predicting Students’ Passing Grade in a Course Based on Prerequisite Grades

“…Curriculum design is a significant component of a successful educational program at any level. Curriculum developers face many challenges in developing research-informed curriculum such as feasibility of the educational program [1], establishing new qualifications for the future [2], promoting interdisciplinary curricula [3], closing the gap between intended and attained curriculum [4], ensuring the 'fitness to practice' [5], and ensuring the prerequisites are met before taking the next level courses [6,7]. Curriculum design "requires legal frameworks and professional regulatory requirements" [8] (p. 1).…”