Faculty Perspectives and Practices Related to Engineering Ethics and Societal Impacts Education

• Main Author: Polmear, Madeline Ruth Anderson
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest LLC 2019; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
• Subjects: Case Studies; College Faculty; Curriculum Research; Data Analysis; Educational Environment; Engineering; Engineering Education; Ethics; Higher education; Learner Engagement; Literature Reviews; Outcomes of Education; Science Curriculum; Social Influences; Teacher Attitudes; Teaching Experience; Teaching Methods; Thinking Skills; Undergraduate Students; Undergraduate Study
• ISBN: 9781085797160; 1085797163

Across the world there is increasing emphasis on developing engineering students' understanding of ethical responsibility and awareness of societal context. This trend has necessitated a closer examination of the role that engineering faculty play in the integration of ethics and societal impacts (termed ESI) in curricula. Like all instructional decisions, those related to if, how, and where to teach ESI are the result of a complex combination of factors that are both within and outside of the control of the individual educators. This research applied the Academic Plan model (Lattuca & Stark, 2009), which conceptualizes course planning in higher education to understand influences on engineering faculty's practices and perspectives related to ESI. This framework posits that personal internal factors, environmental influences, and external forces shape educational processes and outcomes through curriculum design. The Academic Plan provided the structure of this dissertation so that each of the three chapters explored a different component of the model: individual internal influences, academic environment, and sociocultural environment. First, in-depth and semi- structured interviews with engineering faculty who teach ESI illuminated the personal beliefs and interests and academic and professional experiences that shaped their instruction. Second, a case study exploration of two engineering departments elucidated the influence of academic environment and culture on engineering faculty's teaching related to ESI. Third, a broader view of environment through a cultural lens explored similarities and differences in the ESI practices and perspectives of educators in Anglo and Western European countries. Taken together, these results build on the Academic Plan to provide granularity on influences of significance in ESI education in engineering. The findings indicate both conflicting and complementary influences on ESI course planning and how factors at the personal and environmental level can be leveraged to support faculty's teaching of ESI and thus students' education on these important considerations. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]