Student-inspired activities for the teaching and learning of engineering ethics

Area of Science:

• Engineering Education
• Ethics in STEM
• Curriculum Development

Background:

• Engineering ethics education faces challenges due to student perceptions of subjectivity and ambiguity.
• Existing methods like case studies and ethical frameworks partially address these issues.
• A need exists for more creative and diverse ethics education methods in engineering curricula.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel approach where first-year engineering undergraduates propose ethics education activities.
• To enhance student engagement, reflection, and understanding of engineering ethics.
• To generate creative, discipline-specific ethics education ideas relevant to peers.

Main Methods:

• Students received an introduction to engineering ethics, covering moral/professional conduct frameworks.
• Discipline-specific and student-relevant contexts were provided to guide activity proposals.
• The approach was implemented across four engineering departments at Imperial College London.

Main Results:

• The initiative generated numerous creative ideas for ethics education activities.
• Students actively engaged in developing content relevant to their peers and disciplines.
• The approach fostered wider student participation in ethics awareness and reflection.

Conclusions:

• Student-led proposal of ethics education activities is a valuable method for enhancing learning.
• This approach effectively complements existing engineering ethics education strategies.
• The generated ideas offer practical resources for educators to improve student experience and understanding.