Cultivating Dispositions Towards Social Responsibility: Students' Perceptions of the Social Responsibilities of Engineers

Engineering social responsibility is the responsibility of engineers to evaluate the broader impacts of their work on public welfare. Despite the central role of social responsibility to the engineering profession, social responsibility does not seem to be adequately emphasized in engineering curriculum. This study seeks to understand how engineering students understand the social responsibilities of engineers. Data were collected at a large, public institution through a survey and interviews with ten students and three professors. The results from this study indicate that students understand the responsibilities of engineers to benefit and prevent harm to society. When asked about influences on their views of social responsibility, students identified personal and extracurricular experiences, not engineering courses. This finding suggests students may form their dispositions towards social responsibility outside of their engineering curriculum. To cultivate students’ dispositions towards social responsibility, engineering programs are encouraged to incorporate instruction about the social dimensions of engineering.Ope