Making connections: engineering ethics on the World Wide Web

Abstract

This paper focuses on the use of the World Wide Web in courses and course units dealing with engineering ethics and/or the social implications of engineering. Course materials and other resources for use by students and faculty are discussed and a new website, the Web Clearinghouse for Engineering and Computing Ethics, is introduced. Course materials and resources found on the Web include: ethics centers that focus on engineering ethics and/or other fields of professional ethics; case studies and other instructional materials; course syllabi; codes of engineering ethics; ethics pages of professional societies; papers, articles and reports with relevance to engineering and computer ethics; on-line ethics journals and newsletters; and primary source archives. The Web lends itself for use as a place to post a living course syllabus, with hypertext links to on- and off-site material containing course information and assignments as well as information on content and pedagogical techniques of interest to faculty who are developing and teaching courses in engineering and computing ethics. By illustrating in real-time the interconnectedness of information from engineering, the humanities and the social sciences, the Web serves as a tangible metaphor for the interdisciplinary approach necessary for a complete examination of ethics in engineering.