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About: Ethical Decision Making in Engineering

Module by: William Frey

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Name: Ethical Decision Making in Engineering
ID: m14033
Language: English (en)
Summary: Recent work in moral psychology demonstrates that case discussion helps students to refine decision making techniques, leads them to question unexamined attitudes, and helps improve their moral reasoning. This module works with these developments by providing students with short, realistic scenarios whose narratives end at crucial points of decision. Students are provided with solutions that bring the narrative to a close and are asked to evaluate and rank them by using ethics and feasibility tests. The format bears a superficial resemblance to the Gray Matters exercise currently being used at Boeing Corporation in their ethics training program. But this particular version is more open-ended (students are invited to design their own solutions) and more oriented toward getting students to think about ethical issues and values. The first UPRM version of this module was introduced during an NSF funded retreat (SBR-9810253) held at Maricao, Puerto Rico in 1999. Different versions of this activity have been used in engineering, computer, and business ethics classes. This module is being developed as a part of an NSF-funded project, "Collaborative Development of Ethics Across the Curriculum Resources and Sharing of Best Practices," NSF SES 0551779.
Subject: Humanities
Keywords: Cases, Decision, EAC, Engineering, Ethics
Document Type: -//CNX//DTD CNXML 0.5 plus MathML//EN
License: Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 2.0)
Authors: William Frey (wfrey@uprm.edu)
Copyright Holders: William Frey (wfrey@uprm.edu)
Maintainers: William Frey (wfrey@uprm.edu)
Version: 1.3 (history)
Created: Sep 29, 2006 4:42 pm GMT-5
Revised: Mar 2, 2007 8:56 am US/Central

Version History

Version: 1.3 Mar 2, 2007 8:56 am US/Central by William Frey
Changes: 
Updated abstract
Version: 1.2 Oct 10, 2006 5:10 pm GMT-5 by William Frey
Changes: 
Changed Title
Version: 1.1 Sep 30, 2006 1:21 pm GMT-5 by William Frey
Changes: 
This module was developed to overcome a block in publishing a revised version of the original Decision Making module.  Changes are substantial
1. New cases and exercise format
2. Learning xml editing allowed the insertion of directions, tests, set-up, and pitfall descriptions.  
3. Module m13757 was set up as a link.

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American Chemical Society (ACS) Style Guide:

Frey, W. Ethical Decision Making in Engineering, Connexions Web site. http://cnx.org/content/m14033/1.3/, Mar 2, 2007.

American Medical Assocation (AMA) Manual of Style:

Frey W. Ethical Decision Making in Engineering [Connexions Web site]. March 2, 2007. Available at: http://cnx.org/content/m14033/1.3/.

American Psychological Assocation (APA) Publication Manual:

Frey, W. (2007, March 2). Ethical Decision Making in Engineering. Retrieved from the Connexions Web site: http://cnx.org/content/m14033/1.3/

Chicago Manual of Style (Bibliography):

Frey, William. "Ethical Decision Making in Engineering." Connexions. March 2, 2007. http://cnx.org/content/m14033/1.3/.

Chicago Manual of Style (Note):

William Frey, "Ethical Decision Making in Engineering," Connexions, March 2, 2007, http://cnx.org/content/m14033/1.3/.

Chicago Manual of Style (Reference, in Author-Date style):

Frey, W. 2007. Ethical Decision Making in Engineering. Connexions, March 2, 2007. http://cnx.org/content/m14033/1.3/.

Modern Languages Association (MLA) Style Manual:

Frey, William. Ethical Decision Making in Engineering. Connexions. 2 Mar. 2007 <http://cnx.org/content/m14033/1.3/>.