Collaborative: Standard: Institutions in Student Organizations Cultivating Cultures of Ethical Engineering

近年来的研究表明，学生课外活动对学生的道德发展具有重要作用；然而，目前尚不清楚哪种具体的活动最有效，以及为什么有效。该奖项支持一个研究项目，该项目建议通过确定工程学生组织以及这些学生组织内有效培养道德行为的制度机制来解决这个问题。它还将在四个学生组织中测试课堂外非正式实践的有效性。这项研究的结果将有助于增加工程教育的奖学金，强调伦理问题，社会正义的重要性，通过关注课堂外有助于培养工程领域伦理文化的环境，培养具有全球能力的工程师和批判性思维。他们还将有助于创建一个实践社区，目标是提高伦理工程的可见度，并在伦理STEM领域的学者之间分享知识。本项目调查了不同的学生组织在培养美国工科学生道德行为方面所起的作用，并确定这些组织中培养道德行为的确切制度机制。研究表明，学生们在学习结束时通常比开始时更不愿意理解他们工作的伦理含义。教学和应用之间的差距表明，需要继续进行研究，以确定有效培养STEM伦理文化的因素，并促进工程专业学生对伦理的认识和理解。拟议研究的结果将直接影响所研究院校内外的学生组织。本研究将涉及这些组织中的各种关键参与者，包括领导，导师和成员，就改善工程伦理行为展开讨论。该项目还将测试干预措施的有效性，并为学生组织制定一套指导方针。这项研究有望在大学内外教育道德工程师，并有望对受工程项目影响的人和社区产生积极影响。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。

Recent studies demonstrate that extracurricular student activities can play an important role in the ethical development of students; however, it is not known which specific kinds of activities are most effective and why. This award supports a research project that proposes to address this question by identifying engineering student organizations, as well as institutional mechanisms within these student organizations, that are effective in cultivating ethical behavior. It will also test the effectiveness of informal practices outside of the classroom in four student organizations. The results of this research will contribute to the increasing scholarship in engineering education which emphasizes ethical concerns, the importance of social justice, educating globally competent engineers and critical thinking by focusing on contexts outside of the classroom that contribute to cultivating ethical cultures in the field of engineering. They will also serve to create a community of practice with the goal of increasing the visibility of ethical engineering and knowledge sharing among scholars in the field of ethical STEM.This project investigates the role that different student organizations play in cultivating ethical behavior of engineering student in the U.S. and to identify the precise institutional mechanisms within those organizations that foster ethical behavior. Research shows that students are typically less interested in understanding the ethical implications of their work at the end of their studies than they were at the beginning. This gap between instruction and application indicates a continued need for research to identify factors that are effective in cultivating a culture of ethical STEM and promoting an awareness and understanding of ethics among engineering students. The results from the proposed research will directly affect student organizations within the studied institutions and beyond. This study will involve a diversity of key players in these organizations including leadership, mentors, and members to open discussion regarding improving engineering ethics behavior. The project will also test the efficacy of interventions and create a set of guidelines for student organizations. This research promises to educate ethical engineers within and beyond the university, and it is expected to have positive impacts on the people and communities that are affected by engineering projects.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.