Adding an Ethical Twist to Engineering Designs
Example of a design challenge that incorporated high contrast and Braille signage to accommodate end users with vision impairment.Copyright Original photo by Forrest Medcalf.
Students are introduced to ethics and engineering ethics through a short, engaging case study that prompts discussion about how engineers should respond to difficult choices. They explore ethical questions and learn about professional codes of ethics. After researching the code of ethics for an engineering discipline of their choice, students analyze case studies based on real engineering experiences. They identify normative claims and evaluate possible actions using ethical frameworks such as virtue ethics, duty ethics, and utilitarianism. Finally, students complete a case study analysis, applying ethical reasoning to situations from the provided cases or from their own independent research.
Few high school students are aware of the responsibility that engineers must safeguard public welfare and safety. The benefit of applying this research will be to expose students to these concepts and educate them regarding their future responsibility. If they are taught about it sooner than at the university level, then the odds are greater that the attitudes, skills, and analysis techniques will be assimilated.
After this activity students should be able to:
- Define and understand ethics in general and in engineering.
- Practice ethical reasoning through discussion.
- Learn the purpose and structure of professional codes of ethics.
- Apply ethical frameworks to analyze real-world engineering cases.