Ethics and the Development of Professional Identities of Engineering Students

Loui, Michael C.

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/12998 Copy

Description

Title

Ethics and the Development of Professional Identities of Engineering Students

Author(s)

Loui, Michael C.

Issue Date

2005

Keyword(s)

engineering ethics, professional identity

Abstract

How do undergraduate students in engineering conceive of themselves as professionals? How can a course on engineering ethics affect the development of an undergraduate student's professional identity? In this project, students responded to questions about the characteristics and responsibilities of professional engineers. The results indicate that students learn about professionalism primarily from relatives and co-workers who are engineers, and rarely from technical engineering courses. Even before they study engineering ethics, students put honesty and integrity on par with technical competence as an essential characteristic of engineers. In the course, students benefit from cases of actual incidents and from classroom activities that encourage diverse perspectives on moral problems. By analyzing cases in groups and by hearing different perspectives, students build self-confidence in moral reasoning. By the end of the course, some students understand professional responsibility not only as liability for blame but in a capacious sense as stewardship for society.

Publisher

American Society for Engineering Education

Type of Resource

• text
• image

Language

en

Permalink

• http://soa.asee.org/paper/jee/paper-view.cfm?pdf=869.pdf
• http://hdl.handle.net/2142/12998

Sponsor(s)/Grant Number(s)

Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, National Science Foundation Grant SES-0138309

Copyright and License Information

(c) 2005 American Society for Engineering Education

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