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U495J·SUNDAY WORKSHOP: Ethics Everywhere! Co-creating Meaningful Ethics Assignments across Engineering Curriculum
Workshop Sponsored Workshops
Sun. June 23, 2024 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM
C124, Oregon Convention Center
Session Description

Free ticketed event
Connecting technical knowledge with ethical inquiry in engineering coursework fosters deeper engagement with course content and critical reflection on technical challenges, yet this approach is often overlooked in engineering classes. Questions regarding ethics in engineering may appear in first-year programs or in capstone as “one-and-done” lessons, but ethical considerations should be broadly integrated across the curriculum. This integration helps students see the essential relationships between the technical content of engineering and the tough decisions that they will inevitably make as professionals. We believe that an iterative “ethics everywhere” approach to engineering education supports students in their development. Careful sequencing and integration of ethical considerations across the curriculum allows students to become good engineers: both technically proficient and ready to exercise sound judgment in the real world, underscoring the relevance of ethics across many fields, including design.

At Duke University, we have developed modules for students to identify ethical dilemmas, apply design principles for diverse stakeholders, and incorporate value and virtue in and beyond the classroom. In collaboration, educators in the disciplines of engineering and ethics have prepared student outcomes related to ethics that build across the four undergraduate years. We also developed specific learning outcomes that are accessible to broader engineering faculty to connect technical content with ethical inquiry.

In this workshop, we will provide background on the importance of ethics education in engineering with a focus on tangible and effective strategies to incorporate modules in multiple courses. We will share our process of collaborating with ethics experts and how to strategize with colleagues at your university to more broadly teach ethics. We will present examples of exercises, assessments, and conversations that integrate our proposed hierarchical ethical student outcomes. Participants will join in active conversations with colleagues in related fields/courses to assess the current state of ethics training in their departments; what skills and mindsets with ethical inquiry lead to success; and what concerns they have in implementing ethics modules in the classroom. This workshop is intended for faculty who have an interest in integrating themes of ethics within technical engineering classes, or even have starting ideas, but would like to develop a more complete lesson plan with the assistance of their peer community. By the end of this workshop, attendees should have concrete ideas for exercises and modules that can be integrated into their courses and departments to train the next generation of ethical engineers.

Speakers
  1. Cameron Kim
    Duke University

    Cameron Kim is Assistant Professor of the Practice in Biomedical Engineering at Duke University, Associate Faculty in the Duke Science & Society Initiative, and member of the Duke Center for Advanced Genomic Technologies. He earned his Ph.D. in Bioengineering at Stanford in 2020, focusing on protein and RNA-based control systems in alternative splicing devices for mammalian synthetic biology. His current research focuses on developing pedagogical frameworks for ethics-guided design in emerging biotechnologies, with an emphasis in gene and cell-based therapies. He serves as the research advisor for the Duke International Genetically Engineered Machine undergraduate research group to promote authentic research experiences and mentor the next generation of bioengineers. Currently, Dr. Kim and his undergraduate team of 15 students are initiating a project on developing high-throughput screening of novel protein secretion signals to stimulate chimeric antigen receptor T cells for signal amplification. He also serves as the Associate Director for Undergraduate Studies in Biomedical Engineering. In recognition of his teaching, he received the Bass Connections Leadership Award and the Klein Family Distinguished Teaching award in 2023. Overall, his work aims to advance the field of biomedical engineering through innovative education and research, with a focus on improving society through emergent biotechnologies.

  2. Dr. Elizabeth Kathleen Bucholz
    Duke University

    Dr. Elizabeth Bucholz is the Claude B. Williams and David M. Hessee Associate Professor of the Practice for the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Duke University and is the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Department of Biomedical Engineering in the Pratt School of Engineering. She graduated with her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University in 2008 and has been teaching at Duke since 2010. She teaches classes such as Signals and Systems, Modern Diagnostic Imaging Systems, Freshmen Design and Communication, a Magnetic Resonance Imaging class and a graduate version of Signals and Systems.

  3. Dr. Ann Saterbak
    Duke University

    Ann Saterbak is Professor of the Practice in Biomedical Engineering and Director of the First-Year Engineering Program. Since joining Duke in June 2017, she launched the new Engineering Design and Communication course. In this course, first-year students work in teams to solve community-based, client-driven problems and build physical prototypes. Prior to Duke, she taught at Rice University, where she was on the faculty since 1999. Saterbak is the lead author of two textbooks: Bioengineering Fundamentals and Introduction to Engineering Design. At Rice and Duke, Saterbak’s outstanding teaching has been recognized through five school- and university-wide teaching awards. For her contribution to education within biomedical engineering, she was elected Fellow in the Biomedical Engineering Society and the American Society of Engineering Education. She is the founding Editor-in-Chief of Biomedical Engineering Education.

  4. Christian Ferney
    Duke University

    Christian Ferney is Associate Director for Education at the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University and Director for Undergraduate Programs for The Purpose Project at Duke. He oversees much of the Institute’s portfolio of undergraduate courses and cocurricular programs. Across the university, he works with faculty to integrate questions of ethics, character, and purpose into their courses—and to design experiences that collapse the space between students’ classes and the rest of their lives. A sociologist by training, he teaches multidisciplinary courses on work and purpose, including convening the What Now? program for first-year undergraduates and the Pursuing Purpose seminar for sophomores and juniors. A specialist in developing collaborative curriculum, Christian is perhaps most excited when thinking through connection points across multiple disciplinary lenses and areas of expertise. He holds a BA in sociology from Linfield College and an MA and PhD in sociology from Duke University.