Collaborative Research: Normalizing Ethical Reasoning in Mathematics as a Foundation for Ethical STEM

数学家们，除了一些例外，并没有描述道德地实践和使用数学意味着什么。这导致了一种纵容数据相关丑闻、有问题的专业实践以及公众对科学信任度下降的文化。通过将伦理推理（ER）整合到本科数学课程中，数学界可以开始改变这样一种观念，即如果数学以抽象和理论结构为特征，那么数学从业者就没有伦理责任。考虑到“数学实践者”既是数学的使用者，也是数学的贡献者，本提案试图将ER建立为数学实践的常规组成部分。该项目的目标是数学课程（如微积分、微分方程和线性代数）的教师和学生，而不是等到从业者致力于研究的职业生涯，这些课程是各种STEM领域的基础，并试图引入可学习的、可改进的技能集（ER）。该项目建立在一个已发表的、发展的道德推理模型和一项关于数学从业者对数学、统计和计算（我们称之为“原型指南”）得出的道德实践方面的看法的全国调查的基础上，利用这个基础，该项目寻求在数学的使用和贡献方面培养诚信。该计划将邀请有兴趣的参与者参加一年级的研讨会，在各自的数学课程背景下发展以ER为特色的学习成果，并起草辅助教材。在整个第二年，参与者将通过与商业、工业和政府的焦点小组，与利益相关者（包括非讲师利益相关者）分享他们的工作，了解他们对在数学用户和贡献者中建立ER能力的看法。这种输入将有助于形成真正的问题，教师可以使用和改进。在三年级，参与者将参加国家和地区研讨会，在那里，其他基础数学课程的教师和不同学生水平的教师可以调整经过测试的ER教学材料，以促进在更广泛的学习者中实施。收集的数据将包括材料实施的调查数据，与材料开发和实施相关的定性数据，以及项目利益相关者的调查和访谈。数据将使用合格变更算法进行分析。该项目符合国家利益，因为公众对STEM研究成果的信任和信任，包括数学的一部分和涉及数学应用的研究成果。本项目由改善本科STEM教育和伦理与责任研究计划共同资助。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Mathematicians, with some exceptions, have not described what it means to practice and use mathematics ethically. This has contributed to a culture permissive of data-related scandals, questionable professional practices, and decreased public trust in science. By integrating ethical reasoning (ER) into undergraduate mathematics classes, the mathematics community can begin to alter the perception that, if mathematics features abstract and theoretical constructs, then the mathematics practitioner has no ethical responsibility. Considering the ‘mathematics practitioner’ to be both the user of, and the contributor to, mathematics, this proposal seeks to establish ER as a regular component of mathematical practice. Rather than wait until practitioners have committed to a career in research, this project target instructors of, and students in, math courses (such as Calculus, Differential Equations, and Linear Algebra) that are foundational for diverse STEM fields and seek to introduce a learnable, improvable skill set (ER). The project builds on a published, developmental model of ethical reasoning and a national survey of mathematics practitioners’ perceptions of aspects of ethical practice that were derived from mathematics, statistics, and computing (the results of which we refer to as the “proto-guidelines”) Using this foundation, the project seeks to foster integrity in both the use of, and contribution to, mathematics. The project will invite interested participants to a workshop in Year 1 to develop learning outcomes featuring ER in their respective mathematics course contexts and to draft supportive teaching materials. Throughout Year 2, participants will share their work with stakeholders, including non-instructor stakeholders through focus groups with business, industry, and government about their perceptions of building ER capabilities in users of, and contributors to, mathematics. This input will be useful in formulating authentic problems that instructors can use and refine. In Year 3, participants will attend national and regional workshops where instructors of other foundational mathematics courses, and at different student levels, can adapt the tested ER instruction materials to promote implementation among a broader set of learners. Data collected will include survey data from materials implementation, qualitative data related to the development and implementation of the materials, and surveys and interviews of project stakeholders. Data will be analyzed using a Qualified Change algorithm. This project serves the national interest in the faith and trust the public puts in the results of STEM research, including both that which is part of mathematics and that which involves the use of mathematics.This project is jointly funded by the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education and Ethical and Responsible Research Programs.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.