Implementation Strategy for Infusing Engineering-Specific Ethics into the Mechanical Engineering Curriculum

According to ABET, one major student outcome is “an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.” Although some departments in the nation try to implement this through a standalone course, others cannot find the space in their curriculum to do so. Even when presented as a standalone course, it is typically introduced at the higher (junior or senior) levels. We aim to develop a detailed template for a department-wide plan for disseminating engineering ethics topics throughout the Mechanical Engineering curriculum in sophomore, junior, and senior year courses. This includes guidance on the frequency and quantity of time and effort devoted to engineering ethics topics in the identified discipline-specific courses. Some of these may require the development of example case studies used in lecture material, quizzes, and discipline-specific projects. A course instructor can use the appropriate rubrics for ABET assessments. This paper introduces the department ethics assessment plan that was used in the ABET self-study report for the last cycle. There is a periodical review of the implementation plan for continuous improvement. This plan is based on Bloom's taxonomy where each course is designed to equip the students at the appropriate learning level. At the sophomore level, we focus on students understanding the basic ethics theories and the ASME code of ethics through a case study and writing assignment. The junior-level course addresses the next higher learning level, namely analysis. Teams of students are asked to analyze and resolve developed course-specific problems that involve ethical considerations in the ASME code of ethics. The senior-level course examines and revisits some broad moral theories (Utilitarianism, Kantianism, Virtue-based) and the ASME/NSPE Code of Ethics. In this last stage, students evaluate various case studies, providing a much deeper learning experience. The current approach does have some challenges and requires alignment between the courses involved and periodical changes and updates. The proposed model could be expanded to other engineering disciplines.