On the pedagogy of ethics in engineering degrees: rationale, imperatives and internationalization

Nations that are signatory to the Washington Accord (1989) accept that the teaching of ethics, in a professional context, is mandatory for undergraduate engineering curricula. The inclusion of ethics, in otherwise very tight curricula, is due to the changing role of engineering; in particular it reflects a greater public awareness of the effects of engineering processes. On the basis of this, it follows that engineers are required to demonstrate transparently responsible practice in the knowledge that they are indeed accountable for their actions. In most countries, this requirement is embodied in legislation. The teaching of ethics to engineering undergraduates is a relatively new concept. This paper provides an overview of one methodology, the 'full submergence' technique, wherein engineers are challenged to respond to ethical conundrums in a high intensity project-based, block course. Over the last decade, this model has been successfully used in four countries