2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Impact of critical narrative on students' abilities to recognize ethical dilemmas in engineering work

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

This study aims to investigate the impact of exposure to critical narratives on students' abilities to recognize ethical dilemmas and broader impacts in engineering work. Critical narratives are place-based stories that engage students and help them enhance their critical thinking skills by making connections between the narratives, broader impacts of engineering work, and their responsibility to address these issues. The effectiveness of the critical narrative intervention was assessed by implementing discussion-based assignments around three critical narratives, which required students to listen to the narrative, respond to focus questions, engage with their peers, and reflect on the process. The intervention was completed by 58 students as part of their ethics module in a senior capstone design engineering course, while a comparison group of 60 students did not receive the intervention. Both groups completed a project-group discussion assignment where they were asked to identify and discuss ethical dilemmas and broader impacts encountered while working on their capstone design projects. Researchers developed a 5-point rubric to evaluate the responses to focus questions and reflections on the process. Results indicated that the study group that received the intervention achieved higher average scores on each of the three criteria that were evaluated, but lower scores on the reflection component. The accompanying paper will discuss the theoretical motivation relying on critical narratives, deployment of the intervention, and statistical analysis of the results.

Authors

Dr. Jeff R. Brown Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach [biography]

Jeff Brown is a professor of civil engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL. His research interests include ethics and professional formation in engineering education, service learning, and structural health monitoring of reinforced concrete structures. Dr. Brown received his PhD in structural engineering from the University of Florida in 2005.
Chad Rohrbacher Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach
Dr. Taylor Joy Mitchell Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University [biography]

Taylor Joy Mitchell is an associate professor of composition and humanities at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL. Her research interests includes analysis of pivotal cultural figures, masculinity studies, and SoTL studies in humanities higher education courses. Dr. Mitchell received her PhD in 20th Century American Literature from the University of South Florida in 2011.
Dr. Leroy Long III http://orcid.org/https://0000-0001-5962-7412 Sinclair Community College - Dayton [biography]

Leroy Long III, PhD is a STEM educator, artist, author, speaker, and change leader. Dr. Long chairs the Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) Department at Sinclair Community College. He is a proud graduate of Dayton Public Schools. Dr. Long has a B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Wright State University and Ohio State University. He also has a Ph.D. in STEM (Engineering) Education from Ohio State. Dr. Long has interned with Toyota and he owns a small education-based company. For more details see: leroylongiii.com
Jenna Korentsides Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach [biography]

Jenna Korentsides is a Ph.D. student in the Human Factors department at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL. Jenna works under the advisement of Dr. Joseph R. Keebler in the Small Teams Analog Research lab where she studies various topics including team performance and training across domains including spaceflight and medicine, as well as practices skills related to user experience and statistical analysis.
Joseph Roland Keebler Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach

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