Engineering Ethics Engineering Values Lyle D. Feisel, Dean Emeritus Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science State University of New York - Binghamton Taught and did research for twenty years, Was the founding dean of engineering at the State University of New York at Binghamton for 18 years, Active in both ASEE and IEEE

The Goal of Engineering Education To produce graduates who are able to: Successfully practice the profession of engineering Continue learning throughout their career How do we decide if, as engineering educators, we have been successful? If we have fulfilled the goals of Engineering Education? By producing successful graduates. It is the success of our students that determines how successful we have been Successful throughout their careers. That means they must not only do the job they are in but must prepare for the job of the future

To do this, engineering educators Determine what students need to learn Help them to learn it (Notice I didn’t use the word teach. All we can really do is help our students to learn) It is a two step process: Determine what students should learn and Then help them to learn it. To say that we teach puts too much emphasis on what we do. Better to say that the student learns, reducing our role to helping them to learn. Our big job is to MANAGE OUR STUDENTS’ LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Blooms Taxonomy The Domains of Learning Benjamin Bloom - 1956 Cognitive Domain Psychomotor Domain Affective Domain So how do we determine what our students should learn? A very helpful tool in doing this is a taxonomy developed by Benjamin Bloom, some sixty years ago. He divided learning into three domains, Cognitive, Psychomotor and Affective. Let me define those

The Cognitive Domain Evaluate Create Analyze Apply Understand Remember A lot of what we learn consists of cognitive tasks, i.e. we think about it. Bloom used these words to further classify learning in the cognitive domain. These are arranged in the order of decreasing intellectual complexity

The Cognitive Domain Evaluate Create Analyze Apply Understand Judge Remember Judge Solve Explain Compute Define Others have used different words in an effort to better describe cognitive activities as related to technical education. It’s pretty much a restructuring and renaming. But it helps in assessment The only way I can tell if you remember a fact is to have you Define (state) it The only way I can tell if you understand something is to have you Explain it As an aside, use active verbs when you write learning objectives

The Cognitive Domain Evaluate Create Analyze Apply Understand Judge Remember Judge Solve Explain Compute Define But all of these things are related to the brain, to reason, to logic, to thinking. You could call it the “Brain Domain”

The Psychomotor Domain Perform physical tasks Use sensory cues Create new movement patterns The psychomotor domain, in contrast, involves physical activity such as pounding a nail or building a model airplane. It involves a physical action. It may involve a physical stimulus such as a smell or feel or sight.

The Psychomotor Domain Perform physical tasks Use sensory cues Create new movement pattern All of these things are related to the body – our ability to sense stimuli and to take physical action. You could call it the “Hand Domain” although other parts of the body may be involved

Affective Domain Attitudes Motivations Values Ethics The affective domain involves less rational processes. It has less to do with what you reason or manipulate than with what you feel or what you value. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

Affective Domain Attitudes Motivations Values Ethics You might say that it has to do with the heart or call it the “Heart Domain” This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

So what do we do in engineering education? If we analyze what we specify as the learning objectives of our students, we realize we do something in all three domains

So what do we do in engineering education? Cognitive We do a LOT in the cognitive domain. Our students learn to use their brains in performing most of the things we want them to learn: terminology, theory, problem solving, design, communication.

So what do we do in engineering education? Cognitive Psychomotor And we do some in the psychomotor domain: laboratory exercises, wire up a circuit, apply a strain gage, set up a transit, etc. But compared to the cognitive domain, we don’t do much.

So what do we do in engineering education? Cognitive Psychomotor The affective domain? Not very much, and that pretty much by accident, maybe teaching a little teamwork or the like. But really, not much at all So our educational program generally involves a lot of brain, a little bit of hand , and just a wee bit of heart Affective

Why should we care? Engineering is a profession Governed by principles, not by rules Codes of ethics Engineers have a responsibility to the public Health, safety, and welfare Public policy Engineers have a responsibility to other engineers But what difference does it make? If our graduates know the language, understand the theories, and can solve the problems, why does it matter that we don’t try to affect their attitudes and values and ethics. Well, I think it does make a difference because engineering is not a trade; it is a profession which means that it is governed by principles and not rules. Rules can be followed, Cognitive domain Principles can only provide guidance. Affective domain Also, engineers have a responsibility to the public and to the engineering profession. This responsibility does not arise by rational thought but by the relationships we develop “Responsibility” is related to the affective domain “Engineer” is a class. If AN engineer cheats, it may be interpreted as “Engineers cheat”

Why should we care if we neglect the affective domain? Engineering is a profession Governed by principles, not by rules Codes of ethics Engineers have a responsibility to the public Health, safety, and welfare Public policy Engineers have a responsibility to other engineers In summary, ALL OF THESE REQUIRE AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT WE MEAN BY ETHICS, VALUES AND ATTITUDES plus HAVING the VALUES and ATTITUDES that result in a commitment to fulfill these responsibilities. All of these require an understanding of ethics, values and attitudes

Engineering educators have a responsibility To the public To the engineering profession To other engineers To their students Engineering educators have a responsibility So now IN SUMMARY we, as engineering educators, have a responsibility to (the list). We have a responsibility to help our students understand their ethical responsibility (a cognitive task) and to inspire them to meet that responsibility (an affective task) The former is much easier than the latter To help their students understand their ethical responsibility To inspire their students to meet that responsibility (Values)

Ethics and Values Ethics are principles that help us determine what is the right thing to do Our values determine whether or not we will do the right thing Here are the definitions. The principles of ethics can be learned. The case can be made that VALUES ARE ESTABLISHED EARLY IN LIFE. I believe they can be changed I believe they can be influenced by example and that they can be clarified by discussion. Which brings us to the FIRST thing I think you should do

So how do we meet this responsibility? First, know yourself. Set an example This above all: to thine own self be true And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man. - Shakespeare in Hamlet Mainly, I will be talking about how to help your students learn the principles of ethics. Underneath anything you do, however, your attitude, YOUR values will become apparent. So the first thing you need to do is consider your own values and how you will communicate them, intentionally or not, to your students.

So how do we meet this responsibility? Second, see that every student receives a copy of an appropriate Code of Ethics Some Indian engineering societies maintain written codes Institution of Engineers – India India Society of Engineers Most American and international engineering societies maintain codes The Institution of Engineering and Technology (Great Britain) has an extensive “Rules of Conduct” Choose a general code or one that is specific to your discipline Paper or electronic? Why not both? But lets concentrate on learning the principles of engineering ethics. The next step is very easy; introduce your students to the idea that there are principles that should guide our behavior and that A lot of people have given a lot of thought to those principles. Many tens of thousands of hours They are embodied in Codes of Ethics. See that your students have one (or more) in their list of favorites and in their notebooks (or whatever your students use)

IEEE Code of Ethics Hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public Avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest Be honest and realistic in stating claims or estimates based on available data Reject bribery in all its forms Improve the understanding … of the capabilities and societal implications of … technologies Here is an abbreviated example of a code, that of IEEE. There are other sections of the code as well but these are some of the most salient. Chances are that your students have never thought about these things so this can serve as a good discussion starter.

So how do we meet this responsibility? Third: Get students to: Read Think Talk Listen Write about ethics and values But back to our responsibility to help our students to understand ethics. Like most any subject, it will help if they read, think, talk, listen and write about the subject. GREAT. So how do we get them to do that?

So how do we do that? (Get students to read, think, talk, listen, write about ethics) Independent course on engineering ethics Pros Faculty responsibility is clear (Instructor assigned) Materials are readily available Students concentrate on material (They will be graded) Can provide depth Cons Unless it is required, few students will elect the course Can be seen as add-on and not integral part of engineering One possibility is to have an independent course in engineering ethics. Best taught by engineers to make it more authentic and less theoretical. Various pros and cons.

Another possibility (Get students to read, think, talk, listen, write about ethics) Integrate into engineering coursework Pros Looks like integral part of engineering education Seems more authentic – involves all engineering faculty One of the first things students hear (Intro to Engineering) One of the last things students hear (Capstone Design) And many times in between Cons Takes some time away from technical education Professors not comfortable with subject Students may not have incentive (no grade?) Responsibility may be diffuse (No assigned instructor) If everyone is in charge, no one is in charge Assign a coordinator Another possibility – the one I like - is to integrate ethics into the engineering course work. Perhaps have every course have one assignment and one day per semester devoted to ethics. There are various pros and cons

An Integrated Ethics Program Get faculty buy-in Assign a coordinator Every professor do something Have students read a story (case study) and discuss Search “Engineering ethics examples” Look for a story that relates to subject of class Have students write a story about ethics and discuss Choose one principle from the code of ethics as a subject Report to faculty So lets say you do not have an ethics program and you would like to have one. Where do you start? The faculty must support this activity because it does have faculty doing something they are not used to – addressing the affective domain – so get faculty buy-in. Second, somebody needs to be in charge. Department head or assistant head would be good. The more clout, the better. Then every faculty member do something every semester. Faculty members should report their activity to the coordinator who should write a summary report That’s a BIG ORDER and may not be realistic. But individual faculty members (or two or three) can do the things listed here.

Other Possibilities One-day workshop for faculty Identify issues Define terms Analyze ethical complexity Sensitize faculty to ethical issues Provide ideas on how to start a discussion Enlist Liberal Arts faculty Involve student organizations At the department or school level, here are some other possibilities.

Do it! At a minimum: So get started Distribute and discuss a code of ethics Discuss ethics education with faculty Decide what to do Do it! So if you are already doing ethics education, GREAT. If not, you owe it to your students, to their future employers, and to society to do something. At a minimum: FINALLY, if it just YOU, do it in your classes. Distribute a code. Assign a story. Discuss in class

Thank you for joining us today and for your kind attention Lyle D. Feisel, Dean Emeritus Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science State University of New York - Binghamton