Work in progress - ethics integrated into engineering courses

Abstract

The very nature of engineering implies a commitment to ethics. Ethics education can occur in a wide variety of engineering courses. Beginning with first-year courses and continuing through the curriculum, students are taught to sort through the facts and constraints of engineering projects and search for solutions that best serve the user. Many students experience a philosophical, historical, and professional approach to the general topic of engineering ethics and social responsibility by taking a formal course in engineering ethics. Professional ethics can be integrated into course or capstone projects. In graduate courses, students receive explicit instruction in research ethics. The graduate who has been through a variety of ethics education experiences is in a better position to leave the university and accept the very serious demands of the vocation.