Education of Electrical Engineering Students about Ethics and Societal Impacts in Courses and Co-curricular Activities

Abstract

This research explored faculty perspectives on the ethics and societal impacts (ESI) education of electrical engineering (EE) students, in comparison to other engineering disciplines. An Input-Environment-Output model underpins the work, focusing on environmental factors (courses and co-curricular settings) that could influence students’ ESI knowledge. EE participation in the survey of engineering educators was lower than other disciplines (civil, mechanical, chemical), raising concerns about the culture around ESI education in EE. Instructors believed that the most common settings for ESI education of undergraduate EE students were senior capstone design and first-year introductory courses. Compared to other disciplines, fewer faculty believed that EE undergraduates were taught about ESI in sophomore/junior engineering/engineering science courses. The most common ESI topics taught to EE students were: professional practice issues, safety, and the societal impacts of technology. Fewer EE faculty taught sustainability and environmental protection issues compared to other disciplines. Within EE courses where faculty integrated ESI, the most common ESI teaching methods were engineering design, case studies, and examples of professional scenarios. Co-Curricular activities such as IEEE, honor societies and research may also contribute to the ESI education of EE students. Faculty are encouraged to integrate ESI issues into all of their courses and activities.