This research explored the extent to which alumni felt that extracurricular activities during college impacted their ethical knowledge, reasoning, and/or behavior. The research utilized a mixed methods approach, with both an online survey and interviews. The survey asked “To what extent did co-curricular activities and/or informal learning experiences during college impact your ethical knowledge, reasoning, or behavior?” Alumni rated 9 activities based on a scale of: did not participate, involved but no impact (0), small impact (1), moderate impact (2), large impact (3). Among the engineering alumni, most activities were rated as having a moderate impact on ethical development among those who had participated, on average: volunteer activity (n 105, avg 1.9), fraternity/sorority (n 33, avg. 1.9), internship or co-op (n 100, avg. 1.8), design groups (n 90, avg 1.8), undergraduate research (n 75, avg 1.8), engineering service group (n 37, avg 1.7). Activities that averaged a smaller impact included: sports (n 74, avg 1.4), professional society (n 90, avg 1.3), and honor society (n 40, avg 0.8). Follow-up interviews were conducted with 14 alumni who described specific examples of ethical development from engineering service groups, internships, undergraduate research, the mini Baja team, the Society of Women Engineers, local community service / volunteer activities, student government, leading a non-engineering student group, a fraternity, and informal conversations with engineering professors. Some also noted that they participated in various co-curricular activities (e.g. professional societies) but did not believe they contributed to their ethical knowledge, skills, or reasoning. The perspectives of working engineers can help faculty advisors of extracurricular activities to integrate ethics education in these contexts.
Angela Bielefeldt is a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering (CEAE) and Director for the Engineering Plus program. She has served as the Associate Chair for Undergraduate
Graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder holding a bachelor's degree in environmental engineering and a master's degree in civil engineering. Presented undergraduate research findings on ethics in co-curricular university environments in the form of a poster at the 2018 Zone IV ASEE Conference. Defended and published master's thesis examining ethics introduction in K12 STEM education in November 2019. Second co-author of the paper "Educating Civil Engineering Students about Ethics and Societal Impacts via Cocurricular Activities", published in the Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice and recognized as an Editor's Choice. Currently involved with research regarding ethics in engineering education with Dr. Angela Bielefeldt. Preparing to submit three papers regarding ethics in education for the 2020 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition.
Madeline Polmear is a Marie Sklodowska-Curie, EUTOPIA Science & Innovation Cofund Fellow at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium. Her research interests relate to engineering ethics education and the development of societal responsibility and professional competence through formal and informal learning. Madeline received her Bachelor’s in environmental engineering, Master’s in civil engineering, and PhD in civil engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder, USA. Prior to joining the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, she was a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Civil and Coastal Engineering at the University of Florida, USA.
Daniel W. Knight is the Program Assessment and Research Associate at Design Center (DC) Colorado in CU’s Department of Mechanical Engineering at the College of Engineering and Applied Science. He holds a B.A. in psychology from Louisiana State Universit
Chris Swan is a professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department at Tufts University. He has additional appointments in the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life. He also serves as an Associate Dean of Inclusive Excellence in the university's cabinet of Institutional Inclusive Excellence.
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