1. Engineering Ethics and the Public: Impact of a Graduate-Level Course on Students' Personal and Career Priorities and Values (2010-20).
- Author
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Mazzola, Frank A., Roy, Siddhartha, and Edwards, Marc
- Abstract
A graduate level three-credit elective course entitled "Engineering Ethics and the Public" has been offered by the Civil and Environmental Engineering department at Virginia Tech since 2010. The course draws on high profile case studies, both past and unfolding, to examine real-world ethical dilemmas that confront engineers and scientists in research, policy, and practice. Course alumni from 2010-2020 (n=65) were surveyed in 2021-2022 to determine their perceptions of the class and its impact on their ethical principles and conduct. Responses were compared to a control group of graduate students who were enrolled in the same department during the same time period who did not take the class (n=68). The control group placed significantly higher value on technical expertise, salaries, and work on projects for perceived job satisfaction, compared to course alumni, who placed greater value on interactions with the people whose lives their work may impact (p<0.001). Course alumni also were also more likely to listen to members of the public outside of their field (p=0.040) in considering ethical dilemmas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024