"Mind the gaps": an empirical approach to engineering ethics, 1997-2001

Area of Science:

• Engineering Ethics
• Professional Responsibility
• Societal Impact of Engineering

Background:

• Ethical education for engineering students may not align with contemporary professional practice.
• Discrepancies exist in how students and professionals perceive engineering ethics.
• Current approaches to engineering ethics may oversimplify complex real-world issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the disconnect between engineering students' ethical education and practicing engineers' experiences.
• To analyze differences in identifying ethical issues and professional responsibilities.
• To advocate for empirical survey methods in engineering ethics research.

Main Methods:

• A five-year survey administered to Stanford engineering students and practicing engineers.
• Analysis of survey data to identify divergences in ethical perspectives.
• Comparison of student and professional views on non-technical aspects of engineering responsibility.

Main Results:

• Significant disconnects identified between engineering ethics education and practice.
• Substantial disagreement among students on what constitutes an ethical issue.
• Considerable variation among practicing engineers regarding key non-technical responsibilities.
• These divergences impede ethical issue recognition and responsibility assignment in practice.

Conclusions:

• Empirical surveys are crucial for understanding engineering ethics realities.
• Refined survey methods can enhance the study of engineering ethics.
• This approach complements case study methods and counters overly theoretical analyses.