Case Studies About Moral Dilemas to Apply Ethical Theories in Engineering Education

Abstract

The significance of incorporating ethics education in engineering programs has grown considerably in recent times, especially within domains such as computer science, software engineering, data science, and artificial intelligence. In response to this demand, a pedagogical activity was developed and executed to facilitate students in applying ethical theories to occupational and societal challenges while enhancing their critical thinking abilities. This activity involves students participating in a debate where they are assigned a moral stance to uphold and must utilize one of the ethical theories explored in class to bolster their case. This paper offers an in-depth account of the conception and execution of this educational activity, as well as the encouraging results observed. Furthermore, the paper showcases the scenario utilized in the activity, which outlines a professional conundrum in the realm of Computer Engineering. The findings of this educational activity indicate its efficacy as a teaching instrument for ethics in engineering programs, with potential applicability to other engineering fields. By integrating such pedagogical activities into engineering programs, educators can empower students with essential ethical values and skills to tackle intricate ethical issues in their professional and social spheres while also fostering critical thinking and encouraging dialogue among students.