Engineering Ethics as an Expert Guided and Socially Situated Activity

Abstract

The study aimed at investigating: the group dynamics underlying ethical decision-making in Senior Design Project (SDP) teams and research labs, and the role of ethics experts in the ethical decision-making. Using cognitive ethnography, we analyzed research activities in engineering research laboratories, and SDP teams' discussions about ethics issues, with or without the presence of ethics experts. We found that student teams demonstrated multi-layered understanding of engineering ethics: explicit and implicit. Those two types of understanding manifested themselves differently across SDP teams. At the explicit level, SDP teams understood their technical responsibility and practical work ethics, but at the same time rarely showed appreciation for social implications or social responsibility in engineering. At the implicit level, SDP teams understanding of engineering ethics varied across teams, and it did not directly influence their ethical decision-making. Some SDP teams, however, did demonstrate implicit and broad understanding of social implications of engineering, particularly when coupled with ethics experts, and when the atmosphere was collegial. When it comes to research laboratories, voluntary ethics discussions were rarely present. Based on our results, we suggest a situated approach, such as midstream modulation in engineering labs and collaboration with ethics experts to improve engineering ethics education programs.