Development and Evaluation of a Model to Assess Engineering Ethical Reasoning and Decision Making

摘要

Little empirical research has been directed at team based ethical decision making, specific to engineering, and none (to the authors' knowledge) have studied the process of ethical decision making by engineers, an increasingly important issue given ABET's Criterion 3-f"... an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility". The objectives of this study are to: (1) investigate whether groups/teams of engineering students make "better" decisions than individuals when solving problems involving ethical issues, (2) evaluate and describe the processes used by the individuals and groups to solve problems that are ethical in nature, (3) and to assess those variables that potentially affect the quality of the resolution and the quality of the decision process. Two primary models: Jones's Synthesis of Ethical Decision Making descriptive model used in business and a normative Harris, Pritchard, and Rabins (HPR) Model widely used in engineering, combined with factors cited in the literature were used to form an Ethical Decision Making in Engineering Model. Using this model an experimental study involving both individuals and teams of engineering students solving ethical dilemmas was used to accomplish the research objectives. The results of this research suggest that teams achieve better results than individuals when resolving less complex ethical dilemmas. When complexity is increased both teams and individuals have difficulty obtaining satisfactory resolution; having completed an engineering ethics course also does not appear to improve the resolution. Processes that are used, as well as those significant factors identified, provide the engineering education community with an understanding about the degree to which a course in engineering ethics improves the ability and the quality of the resolution reached; and hence gives an improved understanding of professional and ethical responsibility.