Ethics teaching and research are core to my work — teaching, researching, designing curricula, and editing. Here’s a two-day snippet of activities….

Yesterday, I attended a work session for the EthiCo project, led by TU Dublin but working in collaboration with many other technological universities. We’re considering multi-dimensional understandings of ethics. And, our group is developing tools for teaching students about ethics and teachers about how to incorporate ethics (social and environmental justice) into their classrooms. TU Dublin’s Professor Noel Fitzpatrick is leading the effort.

Just before we met, my WhatsApp thread was alive as my colleagues and I determined the theme of our upcoming Dublin Maker (July 23) booth: Reboot Arcade. Short description: Games of all sorts and art installations relating to rebooting civilization in our own unique way.

We’ll inspire those who visit our booth to envision the world we’d create if we were doing things from scratch. I’ll contribute an activity for our booth at Dublin Maker about circular economy and regenerative design.

Throughout the day, I also wrote and uploaded feedback to my BIM students in the Research Methods module.

And, did quite a bit of editing on a manuscript with Inês Direito and Bill Williams using the Hero’s Journey framework. Here’s snapshot of my screen with a graphic I’ve made for that paper:

Today started with a conference of the members of the European University of Technology (EUt+). I presented ideas as part of the morning’s panel on the role of Education in the EUt+. I talked about the importance of ethics in technical education. It’s strange but exciting to be in a room with over 100 educators discussing topics passionately in person once again!

After the panel, I chatted with colleagues over coffee, and later followed up with many via email about how they can connect to SEFI and SEFI’s Ethics working group, and also the upcoming Project Approaches in Engineering Education (PAEE) conference where I’ll be delivering a keynote.

I really enjoyed hearing the speakers launch the conference (the secretary of the initiative, TU Dublin’s president, and the TU Dublin point person for the EUt+). Hearing them, I got a better idea of what’s in store for us as we join together as one big university offering more transferability of our students and of ideas and among our teachers. We’re building the future and creating our new reality.

But I couldn’t stay long. I hurried home to meet online with the editorial team for a new Handbook on Engineering Ethics Education. I zipped off emails to invite lead authors for Theme 4, on ethics accreditation.

I’ve got to get back to work now, but I’ll paste the handbook outline below, so you can see what kinds of things we’re exploring.

Outline for the Handbook on EEE

Theme 1: Foundations of engineering ethics education

Chapter 1.1: The purpose(s) of engineering ethics education

Chapter 1.2: How engineering ethics education makes use of normative ethical theories

Chapter 1.3: The individual and the collective in engineering ethics education

Chapter 1.4: Codes and professional organizations in engineering ethics education

Chapter 1.5: Reason and emotion play in engineering ethics education

Theme 2: Interdisciplinary contributions to engineering ethics education

Chapter 2.1: Philosophical and religious foundations in global perspective

Chapter 2.2: Sociological, Postcolonial and Critical Theory foundations

Chapter 2.3: Psychological foundations

Chapter 2.4: Management & Organisational studies foundations

Chapter 2.5: Engineering Design foundations

Chapter 2.6: Environmental Science foundations

Theme 3: Teaching methods in Engineering Ethics Education

Chapter 3.1: Literature review mapping the use of different teaching methods

Chapter 3.2: Case studies and dilemmas in engineering ethics education

Chapter 3.3: Project-Based Learning and Challenge Based Learning

Chapter 3.4: Value Sensitive Design and Design-Based Learning

Chapter 3.5: Field learning in engineering ethics education

Chapter 3.6. Arts-based methods in engineering ethics education

Chapter 3.7: Reflective and dialogue-centered approaches

Theme 4: Accreditation and Engineering Ethics Education

Chapter 4.1: Background history of ethics in accreditation

Chapter 4.2: Contextual mapping of ethics education and accreditation nationally and internationally

Chapter 4.3: Overview of literature and analysis of the types of research that have been published on Accreditation and EEE

Chapter 4.4: Comparative analysis of accreditation processes and implications at global and international levels

Chapter 4.5: Comparative analysis of accreditation processes and implications for ethics education at the local level

Chapter 4.6: A synthesis of the prior chapters in the section

Theme 5: Ethical issues in different engineering disciplines

Chapter 5.1: Software engineering

Chapter 5.2: Chemical engineering

Chapter 5.3: Biotechnology

Chapter 5.4: Civil engineering

Chapter 5.5: Mechanical / aerospatial engineering

Chapter 5.6: Electrical / electronic engineering

Chapter 5.7: Environmental engineering.

Theme 6: Assessment of different aspects of Engineering Ethics Education

Chapter 6.1: Course and curriculum quality

Chapter 6.2: Answering the need of industry, local communities, and other stakeholders

Chapter 6.3: Moral reasoning, ethical judgement, moral awareness, ethical sensitivity

Chapter 6.4: Views on knowledge, science, engineering

Chapter 6.5: Competencies such as critical thinking

Chapter 6.6.: Attitudes and character

Chapter 6.7: Limitations and critical perspectives on assessments