2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Developing the Design Reasoning in Data Life-Cycle Ethical Management Framework

Presented at Design in Engineering Education Division (DEED) - Research Investigations in the Context of Design Education

Human-designed systems are increasingly leveraged by data-driven methods and artificial intelligence. This leads to an urgent need for responsible design and ethical use. The goal of this conceptual paper is two-fold. First, we will introduce the Framework for Design Reasoning in Data Life-cycle Ethical Management, which integrates three existing frameworks: 1) the design reasoning quadrants framework (representing engineering design research), and 2) the data life-cycle model (representing data management), and 3) the reflexive principles framework (representing ethical decision-making). The integration of three critical components of the framework (design reasoning, data reasoning, and ethical reasoning) is accomplished by centering on the conscientious negotiation of design risks and benefits. Second, we will present an example of a student design project report to demonstrate how this framework guides educators towards delineating and integrating data reasoning, ethical reasoning, and design reasoning in settings where ethical issues (e.g., AI solutions) are commonly experienced. The framework can be implemented to design courses through design review conversations that seamlessly integrate ethical reasoning into the technical and data decision-making processes.

Authors

Dr. Senay Purzer http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0784-6079 Purdue University [biography]

Senay Purzer is a Professor in the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University. Her research is on engineering design reasoning.
Dr. Carla B. Zoltowski http://orcid.org/0009-0003-1391-6800 Purdue University [biography]

Carla B. Zoltowski is an associate professor of engineering practice in the Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and (by courtesy) the School of Engineering Education, and Director of the Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) Program within the College of Engineering at Purdue. She holds a B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Engineering Education, all from Purdue. Dr. Zoltowski’s research interests include the professional formation of engineers, diversity, inclusion, and equity in engineering, human-centered design, and engineering ethics.
Dr. Wei Zakharov http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-7805-6675 Purdue University [biography]

Dr. Wei Zakharov is an Associate Professor and Engineering Information Specialist in Libraries and the School of Information Studies and (by courtesy) the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University. She teaches and conducts research in data and information literacy education, and online learning.
Joreen Arigye http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7530-7566 Purdue University [biography]

Joreen Arigye is a Ph.D. student in Engineering Education at Purdue University. She earned her B.S. in Software Engineering from Makerere University and her M.S. in Information Technology, with a focus on Software Engineering & Data Science, from Carnegie Mellon University. Her research focuses on reflective practices and outcomes in scaffolded computational modeling and simulation engineering projects, alongside the integration of data and ethical reasoning in engineering, and computing education within the African context.

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