CU Boulder Professor Angela Bielefeldt alongside Ph.D. student Madeline Polmear, Research Professor Daniel Knight, Nathan Canney of CYS Structural Engineers, and Associate Professor Christopher Swan of Tufts University researched the variations in ethics and societal impact topics taught in courses for engineering students. Their study was recently published in the Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice. The research was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation.
The research of Professor Bielefeldt and her associates focused on the disciplinary differences in the ethics and societal impact (ESI) topics taught to engineering and computing students. Based on the codes of ethics of professional societies and educational guidelines, differences were predicted. Among 917 online survey responses from engineering/computing educators across 13 disciplines, differences in seventeen ESI topics taught in courses were identified. They found that the disciplines themselves, rather than individuals or institutions, were statistically significant for eleven ESI topics, but only appeared particularly meaningful for four topics: safety, decisions under uncertainty, sustainability, and environmental protection issues. These four topics are widely applicable to all engineering disciplines, therefore, faculty were encouraged to explore where these issues can be integrated into their teaching practices. The authors believe that all engineering educators should work to educate students to have capabilities that extend beyond solely technical competencies, such that engineers are better trained to address complex and challenging issues that encompass social, environmental, and economic factors.
“While sometimes engineering education is viewed as a monolith, we continue to find substantial differences among disciplines. Given the interdisciplinary nature of today’s challenges, it is important that engineering education prepare students to face a diverse array of macroethical and microethical issues. We hope that this research will continue to raise awareness of the importance of ethics education in engineering.” Bielefeldt said.