Design and Evaluation of an Introductory Engineering Ethics Module

Abstract

We report on the design, delivery and evaluation of a short but dialogue-rich first-year Introduction to Engineering Ethics module at UNSW Canberra at the Australian Defence Force Academy. The trigger for the design of this new module was an accreditation review by Engineers Australia that recommended we teach more engineering ethics, rather than rely on our students’ military ethics training. The goals of the module were to stimulate intellectual and emotional engagement with engineering ethics, and encourage the development of ethical imagination. The learning outcomes included knowledge of the Engineers Australia Code of Ethics and application of ethical reasoning.  This module was designed using a social constructivist approach consistent with the goals of the module, by a fourth-year engineering student as his honours project, as part of a students-as-partners approach to educational development. The student-staff partnership provided valuable outcomes for all parties – the student researcher, the academic staff, and the cohort of students taking the module. The module used frequent group discussion of hypothetical ethical conundrums, including some with a military context, and direct instruction on the Engineers Australia Code of Ethics. Apart from this contextualisation, the module was separate and distinct from the students’ military ethics training. Evaluation of the module using classroom observation, pre- and post-module surveys and students’ assessment results showed that the module was intellectually and emotionally engaging for the students and the learning outcomes were met. However, we also found that students tended to revert to deontological “follow orders” reasoning consistent with their military training. So while engineering ethics does need to be taught in addition to military ethics, it cannot be taught in a way that ignores the existing ethical frameworks held by students. While the military context is novel, any student entering an engineering degree will already hold an existing, although possibly implicit, ethical framework which may complement or compete with the engineering ethics we are teaching. These existing ethical frameworks should not be ignored