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

这项工程教育计划的督导计划建议使用电脑化评估小组，对工科本科生的道德发展进行全面评估，评估范围将包括与道德决策、人口统计资料、大学经历等有关的项目。具体而言，督导计划会发展和测试学生工程道德发展调查(SEED)，以使用道德发展的经验模式评估各种投入的影响。绩效指标将分析数据，并确定对道德发展具有最积极影响的投入。这个项目的结果将是更好地了解课程努力对道德发展的影响，使教育工作者能够改进本科生层面的道德教学。PIS建议与全国16个不同的伙伴机构建立关系，并对伙伴机构所有班级的4,000名工程学本科生进行横断面研究。在项目开发阶段，还将在每个机构与学生、教职员工和管理人员一起开展重点小组活动。该项目侧重于伦理发展的三个主要组成部分(伦理知识、伦理推理能力和伦理行为)，并包括对教育经验(包括课程和课外)和学生环境(包括学生特征和机构文化)进行的全国性评估，这些经验对美国工科本科生的伦理发展具有最积极的影响。该项目以三个目标为指导：(1)验证工科本科生道德发展的经验模型，(2)评估教育经历和学生环境对道德发展的影响，以及(3)确定和传播对道德发展具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.