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

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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.