Collaborative Research: A Holistic Assessment of the Ethical Development of Engineering Undergraduates

这个工程教育项目的PI建议使用计算机化评估电池对工程本科生的道德发展进行全面评估，其中包括与道德决策，人口统计学，大学经历等相关的项目。PI将开发和测试学生工程道德发展（SEED）利用道德发展的经验模式进行调查，以评估各种投入的影响。PI将分析数据并确定对伦理发展产生最积极影响的输入。该项目的成果将是更好地了解道德发展的课程努力的影响，使教育工作者能够改善本科阶段的道德教育。PI建议与全国16个不同的合作机构建立关系，并对合作机构所有班级的4，000名工程本科生进行横断面研究。在项目的开发阶段，还将在每个机构与学生、教师和管理人员举行焦点小组会议。该项目侧重于道德发展的三个主要组成部分（道德知识，道德推理能力和道德行为），它包括对美国工程本科生道德发展产生最积极影响的教育经验（包括课程和课外）和学生背景（包括学生特征和机构文化）的国家评估。该项目有三个目标：（1）验证工程本科生道德发展的经验模型，（2）评估教育经验和学生环境对道德发展的影响，以及（3）识别和传播对道德发展有最积极影响的因素。

The PIs, of this engineering education project, propose to conduct a holistic assessment of the ethical development of engineering undergraduates using a computerized assessment battery that will include items related to ethical decision making, demographics, college experiences, etc. Specifically, the PIs will develop and test the Student Engineering Ethical Development (SEED) Survey to assess the impact of various inputs using an empirical model of ethical development. The PIs will analyze data and identify those inputs that have the most positive impact on ethical development. The outcome of this project will be a better understanding of the impact of curricular efforts on ethical development, allowing educators to improve ethics instruction at the undergraduate level. The PIs propose to establish relationships with sixteen diverse partner institutions nationwide and administer the survey to a cross-sectional study of 4,000 engineering undergraduates at all class levels at the partner institutions. Focus groups will also be conducted at each institution w/ students, faculty and administrators during the development phase of the project. The project focuses on three primary components of ethical development (knowledge of ethics, ethical reasoning ability, and ethical behavior), and it includes a national assessment of educational experiences (including curricular as well as extracurricular) and student context (including student characteristics and institutional culture) that have the most positive impact the ethical development of engineering undergraduates in the United States. The project is guided by three objectives: (1) validate an empirical model of the ethical development of engineering undergraduates, (2) assess the impact of educational experiences and student context on ethical development, and (3) identify and disseminate factors that have the most positive impact on ethical development.