Assessing Engineering Students' Understanding of Their Professional and Ethical Responsibilities

University Of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Abstract

Engineering - Other (59) This project, being conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the Colorado School of Mines, investigates the feasibility of a web-based system for assessing an engineering student's ability to recognize and resolve ethical dilemmas similar to those encountered in practice. The investigators are testing a "pencil-and-paper" version with carefully constructed scenarios and well developed scoring rubrics on 100 students. Finally, they are evaluating the use of a neural network to predict student classification. In order to evaluate their tool, they will compare their results to those derived from follow-up interviews and a "triangulation" process that combines many measures to estimate the true outcome. They plan to describe their results at major engineering education meetings and, if warranted, they will publish in archived journals.