Infusing Ethics Into The Development Of Engineers

Ethical practice in engineering is critical for ensuring public trust in the field and in its practitioners, especially as engineers increasingly tackle international and socially complex problems that combine technical and ethical challenges. This report aims to raise awareness of the variety of exceptional programs and strategies for improving engineers' understanding of ethical and social issues and provides a resource for those who seek to improve ethical development of engineers at their own institutions. This publication presents 25 activities and programs that are exemplary in their approach to infusing ethics into the development of engineering students. It is intended to serve as a resource for institutions of higher education seeking to enhance their efforts in this area.

On January 11â€"12, 2017, the National Academy of Engineering's Center for Engineering Ethics and Society (CEES) held a workshop designed to help the engineering community identify institutional and cultural challenges to instilling ethics in engineering programs and to develop approaches, programs, strategies, and collaborations to overcome those challenges. The workshop was a follow-on activity to the 2016 CEES report Infusing Ethics into the Development of Engineers: Exemplary Education Activities and Programs. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

Ethical practice in engineering is critical for ensuring public trust in the field and in its practitioners, especially as engineers increasingly tackle international and socially complex problems that combine technical and ethical challenges. This report aims to raise awareness of the variety of exceptional programs and strategies for improving engineers' understanding of ethical and social issues and provides a resource for those who seek to improve ethical development of engineers at their own institutions. This publication presents 25 activities and programs that are exemplary in their approach to infusing ethics into the development of engineering students. It is intended to serve as a resource for institutions of higher education seeking to enhance their efforts in this area.

An exploration of the ethics of practical engineering through analyses of eighteen rich case studies The Ethical Engineer explores ethical issues that arise in engineering practice, from technology transfer to privacy protection to whistle-blowing. Presenting key ethics concepts and real-life examples of engineering work, Robert McGinn illuminates the ethical dimension of engineering practice and helps students and professionals determine engineers’ context-specific ethical responsibilities. McGinn highlights the “ethics gap” in contemporary engineering—the disconnect between the meager exposure to ethical issues in engineering education and the ethical challenges frequently faced by engineers. He elaborates four “fundamental ethical responsibilities of engineers” (FEREs) and uses them to shed light on the ethical dimensions of diverse case studies, including ones from emerging engineering fields. The cases range from the Union Carbide pesticide plant disaster in India to the Google Street View project. After examining the extent to which the actions of engineers in the cases align with the FEREs, McGinn recapitulates key ideas used in analyzing the cases and spells out the main lessons they suggest. He identifies technical, social, and personal factors that induce or press engineers to engage in misconduct and discusses organizational, legal, and individual resources available to those interested in ethically responsible engineering practice. Combining probing analysis and nuanced ethical evaluation of engineering conduct in its social and technical contexts, The Ethical Engineer will be invaluable to engineering students and professionals. Meets the need for engineering-related ethics study Elaborates four fundamental ethical responsibilities of engineers Discusses diverse, global cases of ethical issues in established and emerging engineering fields Identifies resources and options for ethically responsible engineering practice Provides discussion questions for each case

This book is a key introduction to ethics in engineering, providing professionals at all stages of their career with guidance on navigating the increasingly complex world of practising engineering ethically on an international scale. Engineering professionals face a duty to uphold reliable and trustworthy behaviour when working across all disciplines and industries. Accuracy and rigour are essential parts of the modern workplace, and are increasingly of concern to practising engineers. Using case studies to highlight examples of issues within the workplace and how these can be appropriately handled, this book is an accessible tool through which engineers can gain confidence in dealing with ethical dilemmas in the workplace. Touching upon safety, risk, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and intellectual property, alongside sustainability and environmental matters, the book focuses on hot topics which are fast becoming day-to-day issues dealt with by engineers. The book will be suitable for engineers of all disciplines, alongside students looking to become professional chartered engineers.

Exploring key ethical concerns in the engineering industry, this 2nd edition of Ethics Within Engineering is fully revised and updated to educate a new generation of engineers in ethical decision-making. By focusing on critical issues concerning tracking harm, contract work, and collective action, Wade L. Robison provides educational tools and solutions that match the complexity of the engineering landscape today. Two new chapters on the responsibility of the engineer and the ethical issues that arise when teams work together to solve design problems, together with new material on tracking harms in the design process, provide a fuller comprehension of risk and harm in engineering. Robison further enhances this new edition with contemporary examples that highlight the enduring necessity of ethics to engineering. These range from the Boeing 737-MAX to General Motors' controversial 20-gallon fuel tanks. Using real life examples that bring the theory to life, this student-led textbook encourages students to present, challenge, and work through different engineering problems and solutions with confidence and a strong evidence-based approach. Consistent with the 1st edition's emphasis on the original design problem which drives ethical questions in engineering, this new edition positions the nascent engineer as its focus for driving positive change in practice, design, and delivery.

Explore the moral and ethical issues which arise at the intersection of novel technology and engineering In Ethics, Technology, and Engineering: An Introduction, a team of distinguished researchers delivers an insightful and thought-provoking exploration of some of the toughest ethical questions found at the crossroads of engineering and technology. The book demonstrates the skills necessary to effectively grapple with ethical issues that arise from the practice of engineering. The authors introduce the “ethical cycle,” a unique and systematic approach to dealing with ethical problems. They utilize numerous real-life case studies from the United States, Europe, and elsewhere to shed important light on the ethical issues that arise in the daily work of practicing engineers. They also provide a comprehensive overview of various ethical frameworks used in engineering, including utilitarianism, deontological ethics, virtue ethics, Ubuntu, and Confucianism. Readers will also find: A thorough introduction to a practice-oriented approach to ethical decision-making in engineering Comprehensive explorations of the “ethical cycle,” an approach that encourages students to consider a diversity of ethical viewpoints and come to reasoned and justified judgments Practical discussions of ethical issues in engineering design, technological risks, and moral responsibility Treatments of sustainability and how it affects professionals working in engineering, as well as responsible innovation Perfect for engineers, technologists, and entrepreneurs, Ethics, Technology, and Engineering: An Introduction will also benefit businesspeople and founders interested in the ethical implications of a variety of fascinating new technologies.

The rapid pace of technological change constantly gives rise to new ethical dilemmas, and engineers must be as well versed in societal values and ethics as they are in the technical concepts of their disciplines. Ethics and Professionalism in Engineering provides a practical introduction for engineering students that emphasizes ethical decision-making. McCuen and Gilroy situate engineering ethics in the wider context of business and environmental ethics and guide students through case studies emphasizing value conflicts often encountered in engineering.