Ethics Education in Science Engineering program, National Science Foundation Interdisciplinary...

Ethics Education in Science & Engineering program, National Science Foundation

Interdisciplinary Project Team: Joe Herkert, PI, Engineering Ethics Heather Canary, Co-PI, Communication Karin Ellison, Co-PI, Biology & Society Jamey Wetmore, Co-PI, Science, Technology &

Society How do we integrate education about “micro”

ethics (individual responsibilities) with education about “macro” ethics (social responsibilities of a profession, field, or discipline)?

Four Goals of Ethics Education (Davis, 2006): Increased ethical sensitivity Increased knowledge of relevant standards of

conduct Improved ethical judgment Improved ethical will-power

Four Instructional Models: Stand-alone 1-credit course Embedded units in 9-credit required course Hybrid course Lab engagement model

How do we best meet goals? Compare outcomes across instructional models

How do we find out what differs across instructional models? Constant observation of all four models across

time not possible Syllabi and course structure indicate one type of

difference Student outcomes are measure of efficacy but

not of different processes Student reflections about process best indicator

of how models differ

Quantitative Measures: Instructor Argumentativeness Instructor Verbal Aggressiveness Out of Class Communication Classroom Communication Climate

Qualitative Assessments: How view role in society as scientist/engineer

(pretest & posttest comparison) Most memorable topic/discussion (details) Identify & evaluate ways ethics/social

responsibility presented (details) How relevant were these discussions, why? How valuable were these discussions, why?

Ethics education is an inter-disciplinary concern

Fostering ethics discussions requires being situated in professional context

Predict that student outcomes are related to classroom dynamics

Content-specific discussions regarding micro & macro concerns garner student interest