Integrating Ethics into Technical Curricula
Publication: Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 120, Issue 1
Abstract
Our society is plagued by regulations brought about by our own unwillingness to conduct our affairs according to societal values. Current ethics instruction has been ineffective in relieving this problem because: (1) It is based on the mistaken belief that there is no consensus on values in our society; (2) ethics is insufficiently integrated into the curriculum to establish relevance; and (3) it uses an ineffective instructional methodology. The values embodied in the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are widely accepted in our society; the key‐course concept sufficiently integrates ethics into the curriculum to establish relevance; and the stages approach provides an effective instructional methodology. A synthesis of these concepts provides a methodology that should prove effective in training students to live and work in accord with societal values. This methodology has been tested in several courses with good response from faculty and students. Full implementation and a longitudinal study to determine methodology effectiveness are recommended.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
1.
Bras, R. L. (1990). Hydrology; an introduction to the hydrologic science. Addison‐Wesley, Reading, Mass.
2.
Brest, C. L. (1987). “Seasonal albedo of an urban/rural landscape from satellite observations.” J. Climate and Appl. Meteorology, 26(9), 1169–1187.
3.
Brutsaert, W. H. (1982). Evaporation into the atmosphere. D. Reidel Publishing Co., Boston, Mass.
4.
Byrne, G. F., Dunn, F. X., and Diggle, P. J. (1988). “Forest evaporation and meteorological data: a test of a complimentary theory advection‐aridity approach.” Water Resour. Res., 24(1), 30–34.
5.
Eagleson, P. S. (1970). Dynamic hydrology. McGraw‐Hill Book Co., Inc., New York, N.Y.
6.
“Evaporation and irrigation water requirements.” (1991). ASCE Manuals and Reports on Engineering Practice No. 70, M. E. Jensen, R. D. Burmand, and R. D. Allen, eds., ASCE, New York, N.Y.
7.
Fritz, S., and MacDonald, J. H. (1949). “Average solar radiation in the United States.” Heating and Ventilating, Vol. 46, 61–64.
8.
Gangopadhyaya, M., Uryvaev, V. A., Omar, M. H., Nordenson, T. J., and Harbeck, G. E. (1966). “Measurement and estimation of evaporation and evapotranspiration.” Tech. Note No. 83, World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Geneva, Switzerland.
9.
Global comparisons of selected GCM control runs and observed climate data. (1990). L. S. Kalkstein, ed., Office of Policy and Evaluation, Climate Change Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Washington, D.C.
10.
Hansen, J., Russell, G., Rind, D., Stone, P., Lacis, A., Lebedeff, S., Ruedy, R., and Travis, L. (1983). “Efficient three‐dimensional global models for climate studies: models I and II.” Monthly Weather Rev., Vol. 111, 609–662.
11.
Harrison, L. P. (1963). “Fundamental concepts and definitions relating to humidity.” Wexler, ed., Humidity and Moisture; Vol. 3, Reinhold Publishing, New York, N.Y.
12.
Heerman, D. F., Harrington, G. J., and Stahl, K. M. (1985). “Empirical estimation of clear sky solar radiation.” J. Climate and Appl. Meteorology, 24(3), 206–214.
13.
Jarvis, P. G., James, G. B., and Landsberg, J. J. (1976). “Coniferous Forests.” Vegetation and the atmosphere; Vol. 2, J. L. Monteith, ed., Academic Press, London, England, 171–244.
14.
Lettenmaier, D. P., and Gan, T. Y. (1990). “Hydrologic sensitivities of the Sacramento‐San Joaquin River Basin, California, to global warming.” Water Resour. Res., 26(1), 69–86.
15.
Linsley, R. K., Kohler, M. A., and Paulus, J. L. H. (1982). Hydrology for engineers, 3rd Ed., McGraw‐Hill Book Co., Inc., New York, N.Y.
16.
List, R. J. (1984). Smithsonian meteorological tables, 6th revised Ed., Smithsonian Inst., Washington, D.C.
17.
McCabe, G. J., and Ayers, M. A. (1989). “Hydrologic effects of climate change in the Delaware River basin.” Water Resour. Bull., 25(6), 1231–1242.
18.
McNaughton, K. D., and Black, T. A. (1973). “A study of evapotranspiration from a Douglas fir forest using the energy balance approach.” Water Resour. Res., 9(6), 1579–1590.
19.
Milly, P. C. D. (1992). “Potential evaporation and soil moisture in general circulation models.” J. Climate, 5(3), 209–226.
20.
Mitchell, J. E., Manabe, S., Meleshko, V., and Tokiokia, T. (1990). “Equilibrium climate change and its implications for the future,” Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), J. T. Houghton, G. J. Jenkins, and J. J. Ephraums, ed., Cambridge University Press.
21.
Monteith, J. L. (1965). “Evaporation and the environment.” The state and movement of water in living organisms; XIXth Symp.; Society for Experimental Biologists, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England, 205–234.
22.
Monteith, J. L. (1973). Principles of environmental physics. Edward Arnold, London, England.
23.
Murray, F. W. (1967). “On the computation of saturation vapor pressure.” J. of Appl. Meteorology, Vol. 6, 203–204.
24.
Nicholson, S. E. (1988). “Land surface atmosphere interaction: physical processes and surface changes and their impact.” Progress in Physical Geography, 12(1), 37–65.
25.
Penman, H. L. (1948). “Natural evaporation from open water, bare soil and grass.” Proc., Royal Society, London, England, A193.
26.
The potential effects of global climate change on the United States; Appendix A—water resources. (1989). J. B. Smith and D. A. Tirpak, eds., Office of Policy and Evaluation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Washington, D.C.
27.
Rauner, J. L. (1976). “Deciduous forests.” Vegetation and the atmosphere; Vol. 2, J. L. Monteith, ed., Academic Press, London, England, 241–264.
28.
Rosenberg, N. J., Kimball, B. A., Martin, P., and Cooper, C. F. (1990). “From climate and enrichment to evapotranspiration.” Climate change and U.S. water resources, P. E. Wagonner, ed., J. Wiley & Sons, New York, N.Y., 151–175.
29.
Schaake, J. C. (1990). “From climate to flow.” Climate change and U.S. water resources, P. E. Wagonner, ed., J. Wiley & Sons, New York, N.Y.
30.
Schlesinger, M. E., and Zhao, Z. C. (1988). “Seasonal climate changes induced by doubled as simulated by the OSU atmospheric GCM/mixed‐layer ocean model.” J. Climate, 2(5), 459–495.
31.
Smith, J. B., and Tirpak, D. A. (1989). The potential effects of global climate change on the United States; appendix A Water Resources. Office of Policy, Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Washington, D.C.
32.
Shuttleworth, W. J. (1979). “Evaporation.” Rep. No. 56, Institute of Hydrology, Wallingford, Oxon, England.
33.
Stone, P. H., and Risbey, J. S. (1990). “On the limitations of general circulation models.” Rep. No. 2, Center for Global Climate Change Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, Mass.
34.
Tetens, O. (1930). “Uber einige meteorologische Begriffe.” Z. Geophys., Berlin, Germany, Vol. 6, 297–309 (in German).
35.
Verma, S. B., Baldocchi, D. D., Anderson, D. E., Matt, D. R., and Clement, R. J. (1986). “Eddy fluxes of and sensible heat over a deciduous forest.” Boundary Layer Meteorology, Vol. 36, 71–91.
36.
Wilson, C. A., and Mitchell, J. F. B. (1987). “A doubled climate sensitivity experiment with a global climate model including a simple ocean.” J. Geophysical Res., 92(D11), 315–343.
37.
Wright, J. L. (1982). “New evapotranspiration crop coefficients.” J. Irrig. and Drain. Div., ASCE, 108(2), 57–74.
38.
Wright, J. L., and Jensen, M. E. (1972). “Peak water requirements of crops in southern Idaho.” J. Irrig. and Drain. Div., ASCE, 96(1), 193–201.
39.
Dunfee, T. W., and Robertson, D. C. (1988). “Integrating ethics into the business school curriculum.” J. Business Ethics, 7(11), 847–859.
40.
“Ethics in construction: A new approach to higher education.” (1991). Am. Inst. Constructors Newsletter, 21(4), 1, 3.
41.
Gunn, A., and Vesilind, P. A. (1984). “Ethics and engineering education.” J. Profl. Issues Engrg., 110(4), 143–149.
42.
Hassler, P. C. (1987). “Six years experience in offering courses in ethics.” J. Profl. Issues Engrg., 113(1), 10–15.
43.
Herkert, J. R., and Viscomi, B. V. (1991). “Introducing professionalism and ethics in engineering curriculum.” J. Profl. Issues Engrg. Education Practice, 117(4), 383–387.
44.
Jones, T. M. (1989). “Can business ethics be taught? Empirical evidence.” Business Profl. Ethics J., 8(3), 73–94.
45.
Killingsworth, R. A., Jr. (1992). “Integrating ethics into construction curricula.” Proc. of the 28th Annual Conf. of the Associated Schools of Construction, Purdue Univ., W. Lafayette, Ind., 13–18.
46.
Koehn, E. (1991). “An ethics and professional seminar in the civil engineering curriculum.” J. Profl. Issues Engrg. Education and Practice, 117(2), 96–101.
47.
Kremers, M. (1989). “Teaching ethical thinking in a technical writing course.” IEEE Trans. on Profl. Commun., 32(2), 58–61.
48.
Lande, N., and Slade, A. (1979). Stages. Harper & Row, New York, N.Y.
49.
Lindauer, G. C., and Hagerty, D. J. (1983). “Ethics simulation in the classroom.” Chem. Engrg. Process, 79(7), 17–19.
50.
McCuen, R. H. (1990). “Guidance of engineering‐design‐class lectures on ethics.” J. Profl. Issues Engrg., 116(3), 251–257.
51.
“Moral decay? Study warns young adults lack Bedrock values.” (1990). World, 5(21), 12.
52.
Rest, J. R. (1986a). Moral development: Advances in research and theory. Praeger Publishers, New York, N.Y.
53.
Rest, J. R. (1986b). The 1986 manual for the DIT. Ctr. for the Study of Ethical Development, Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn.
54.
Robertson, H. D. (1987). “Developing ethics education in the construction education program.” Proc. of the 23rd Annual Conf. of the Associated Schools of Construction, Purdue Univ., W. Lafayette, Ind., 140–143.
55.
Saterlie, M. E. (1988). “A community‐based values program.” Education Digest, 54(Dec.), 34–7.
56.
Shea, G. F. (1988). Practical ethics. American Mgmt. Association Membership Publications Division, New York, N.Y.
57.
Soloman, R. C., and Hanson, K. R. (1985). It's good business. Atheneum, New York, N.Y.
58.
Tucker, W. H. (1983). “Dilemma in teaching engineering ethics.” Chem. Engrg. Proc., 79(4), 20–25.
59.
Vesilind, P. A. (1991). “Views on teaching ethics and morals.” J. Profl. Issues Engrg. Educ. Prac., 117(2), 88–97.
60.
Wilcox, J. R. (1983). “The teaching of engineering ethics.” Chem. Engrg. Proc., 79(5), 15–20.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 120 • Issue 1 • January 1994
Pages: 58 - 69
Copyright
Copyright © 1994 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 8, 1993
Published online: Jan 1, 1994
Published in print: Jan 1994
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.