Using Design Norms To Teach Engineering Ethics

Engineering ethics is a difficult subject to teach. Both students and faculty perceive it as a subjective area that cannot be quantified. Modern faculty are uncomfortable with the idea of teaching in areas related to values, attitudes, and behavior (areas tied to ethics) as opposed to knowledge and skills. Engineering students have the preconception that philosophical issues are too abstract and therefore irrelevant to their engineering work. Ethics is also a difficult subject to integrate with other engineering topics. The detailed, technical topics of typical engineering courses do not obviously lend themselves to broad, philosophical analysis. Faculty also feel time pressure in such courses, dissuading them from squeezing in non-technical topics such as ethics discussions.