2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Incorporating Giving Voice to Values (GVV) into an Engineering Ethics Course

Presented at Engineering Ethics Division (ETHICS) Technical Session _Monday June 26, 11:00 - 12:30

The Department of Engineering and Society instructors at the University of Virginia recently developed a new course on Engineering Ethics aimed at second- and third-year students. Unlike previous courses in the department, the mid-level course emphasizes micro-ethics and employs the Giving Voice to Values (GVV) framework. The emphasis on micro-ethics is timely and appropriate given the polarization and plurality of views and beliefs in our nation and world and the increasingly higher stakes of engineering practice. To help students understand how they can act on their personal ethics, the course also incorporates the GVV material, originally developed for application in business settings. The GVV modules in this course were adapted specifically for use in engineering education, in collaboration with the GVV founder and the Online Ethics Center (OEC) director and are now available through the OEC for anyone to use. This paper provides an overview of the GVV portion of the new course design and discusses initial impressions from piloting the course over three semesters.

Authors

Dr. Rosalyn W. Berne University of Virginia [biography]

Rosalyn W. Berne, Ph.D. is the Olsson Professor of Applied Ethics in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University of Virginia, and Chair of the Department of Engineering and Society. She also directs the Online Ethics Center for Engineering and Science (OEC). As a scholar, Berne explores the intersecting realms of emerging technologies, science, fiction, and myth, and the links between the human and non-human worlds. Published under her name are two academic books; a science fiction novel; two award-winning books in the genre of body-mind-spirit, and numerous papers and articles.
Dr. William J Davis University of Virginia [biography]

William J Davis, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in Science, Technology, and Society in the Department of Engineering and Society and the University of Virginia. William has degrees in literature and Science and Technology Studies, and has taught courses in English, philosophy, and sociology in universities in the USA and Mexico. His current research investigates the ethical and social implications of technology, including those related to artificial intelligence, automation, bioethics, machine ethics, and post and trans-humanism.
Mr. Kent A. Wayland University of Virginia [biography]

Kent earned his PhD in Anthropology at the University of Virginia and is now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering and Society, School of Engineering and Applied Science, at the University of Virginia
Dr. Bryn Elizabeth Seabrook University of Virginia [biography]

Bryn Seabrook is an Assistant Professor in Science, Technology, and Society at the University of Virginia.
Caroline Crockett University of Virginia [biography]

Caroline Crockett is an Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University of Virginia. She received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Virginia and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan. Her educational research interests include conceptual understanding of electrical engineering concepts and assessing the impact of curriculum changes.

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