Problem-Based Learning in Engineering Ethics Courses
Main Article Content
Abstract
I describe the first stages of a process of design research in which I employ problem-based learning in a course in engineering ethics, which fulfills a requirement for students in engineering degree programs. The aim of the course is to foster development of particular cognitive skills contributing to moral imagination, a capacity to notice, respond to, and think about basic values in open-ended problem situations. In the course, groups of students develop their own problem situations based on their experience and expertise in engineering practice, then respond to those situations through a guided process of inquiry and problem solving designed to focus their attention on basic ethical values. I close with observations on the process of designing the course, laying the groundwork for subsequent formal assessment.
Article Details
1. Publication and Promotion: In consideration of the Publisher’s agreement to publish the Work, Author hereby grants and assigns to Publisher the non-exclusive right to print, publish, reproduce, or distribute the Work throughout the world in all means of expression by any method now known or hereafter developed, including electronic format, and to market or sell the Work orany part of it as Publisher sees fit. Author further grants Publisher the right to use Author’s name in association with the Work inpublished form and in advertising and promotional materials
2. Copyright: Copyright of the Work remains in Author’s name.
3. Prior Publication and Attribution: Author agrees not to publish the Work in print form prior to publication of the Work by the Publisher. Author agrees to cite, by author, title, and publisher, the original Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning publication when publishing the Work elsewhere
4. Author Representations: The Author represents and warrants that the Work:
(a) is the Author’s original Work and that Author has full power to enter into this Agreement;
(b) does not infringe the copyright or property of another;
(c) contains no material which is obscene, libelous, defamatory or previously published, in whole or in part.
Author shall indemnify and hold Publisher harmless against loss of expenses arising from breach of any such warranties.
5. Licensing and Reuse: Reuse of the published Work will be governed by a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-nc/4.0/). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon the Work non-commercially; although new works must acknowledge the original Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning publication and be non-commercial, they do not have to be licensed on the same terms.
References
Amador, J. A., Miles, L., & Peters, C. B. (2006). The practice of problem-based learning: A guide to implementing PBL in the college classroom. Bolton, MA: Anker.
Barrows, H. S. (1986). A taxonomy of problem-based learning methods. Medical Education, 20, 481–486.
Belland, B. (2011). Distributed cognition as a lens to understand the effects of scaffolds: The role of transfer of responsibility. Educational Psychology Review, 23(4), 577–600. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10648-011-9176-5
Belland, B. R., Kim, C., & Hannafin, M. J. (2013). A frame- work for designing scaffolds that improve motivation and cognition. Educational Psychologist, 48(4), 243–270. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2013.838920
Berry, R., Borenstein, J., & Butera, R. (2015). Contentious problems in bioscience and biotechnology: A pilot study of an approach to ethics education. Science & Engineering Ethics, 19(2), 653–668.
Berry, R. M., Levine, A. D., Kirkman, R., Blake, L. P., & Drake, M. (2015). Navigating bioethical waters: Two pilot projects in problem-based learning for future bioscience and biotechnology professionals. Science and Engineering Ethics, 1–19.
Brown, A. L. (1992). Design experiments: Theoretical and methodological challenges in creating complex interventions in classroom settings. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 2(2), 141.
Chang, P.-F., & Wang, D.-C. (2011). Cultivating engineering ethics and critical thinking: A systematic and cross-cultural education approach using problem-based learning. European Journal of Engineering Education, 36(4), 377–390.
Collins, A., Brown, J. S., & Newman, S. E. (1987). Cognitive apprenticeship: Teaching the craft of reading, writing and mathematics. Champaign, IL: Center for the Study of Reading.
Collins, A., Joseph, D., & Bielaczyc, K. (2004). Design research: Theoretical and methodological issues. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 13(1), 15–42.
Drake, M., Griffin, P., Kirkman, R., & Swann, J. (2005). Engineering ethical curricula: Assessment and comparison of two approaches. Journal of Engineering Education, 94, 223–231.
Greenwood, E. (1957). Attributes of a profession. Social Work, 2(3), 45–55.
Harris, J., Charles E., Pritchard, M. S., & Rabins, M. J. (2009). Engineering ethics: Concepts and cases (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Harris Jr., C. E. (2008). The good engineer: Giving virtue its due in engineering ethics. Science & Engineering Ethics, 14(2), 153–164.
Hmelo-Silver, C. E. (2004). Problem-based learning: What and how do students learn? Educational Psychology Review, 16(3), 235–266.
Johnson, M. (1993). Moral imagination: Implications of cognitive science for ethics. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Kirkman, R. (2015). How I teach. Field notes of a practical ethicist. Retrieved from http://ethicsafield.com/how-i-teach/
National Society of Professional Engineers. (2007). Code of ethics for engineers. Retrieved from Alexandria, VA: http://www.nspe.org/sites/default/files/resources/pdfs/Ethics/CodeofEthics/Code-2007-July.pdf
Neufeld, V. R., & Barrows, H. S. (1974). The McMaster philosophy. Journal of Medical Education, 49, 1040–1050. Newstetter, W. C. (2005). Designing cognitive apprenticeships for biomedical engineering. Journal of Engineering Education, 94, 207–213.
Pea, R. D. (2004). The social and technological dimensions of scaffolding and related theoretical concepts for learning, education, and human activity. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 13(3), 423–451.
van de Poel, I., & Royakkers, L. r. M. M. (2011). Ethics, technology, and engineering: An introduction. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.
van de Poel, I. R., Zandvoort, H., & Brumsen, M. (2001). Ethics and engineering courses at Delft University of Technology: Contents, educational setup and experiences. Science and Engineering Ethics, 7(2), 267–282.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes (M. Cole, v. John-Steiner, S. Scribner, & E. Souberman Eds.). Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Werhane, P. H. (1999). Moral imagination and management decision-making. New York: Oxford University Press.
Weston, A. (2007). Creative problem solving in ethics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Weston, A. (2012). A 21st century ethical toolbox (3rd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Whitbeck, C. (2011). Ethics in engineering practice and research (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Wood, D., Bruner, J. S., & Ross, G. (1976). The role of tutoring in problem-solving. Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry & Allied Disciplines, 17(2), 89–100. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1469-7610.ep11903728