Modes and Implications of International Online Engineering Ethics Education: Reflections on the Experiences of Several Universities

Abstract

Considering China's need to strengthen/for strengthingengineering ethics education and the rapid development of online education, this paper introduces the current status of online engineering education in several foreign countriesanalyzes the modes of online engineering ethics education adopted by universities such as the University of Nebraska, Indiana University, Virginia Tech, and Deakin Universit andpoints out that their basic format involves the use of independent modules and discussion forums and their main characteristic is the emphasis on active learning, self-directedness, and interaction, and evaluates the effectiveness of such education. These foreign experiences have implications for Chinese engineering ethics education: China should strengthen engineering ethics education, promote innovative teaching methods including the shift from teacher-centeredness to learner-centeredness, consider postgraduate and continuing education as the first target of online engineering education, use discussion as a major educational strategy, provide support at the university level, and train teachers and students before class starts. All these measure can be used as references to facilitate universities in China in using online education as a new means to promote engineering ethics education.