2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Engineering programs are increasingly expected to prepare graduates to act as moral agents when working on complex, uncertain, and socially consequential problems. This paper reports a proof-of-concept evaluation of an undergraduate research experience that integrates coupled ethical-epistemic analysis and reflexive principlism to support moral agency development in engineering-relevant research contexts. The REU sequence spanned two semesters: a trial semester (n = 5) used to pilot program activities and assessment procedures, followed by a first implementation semester (n = 5; n = 4 completers) that is the focus of this paper. During the implementation semester, students conducted qualitative thematic analyses across climate-related projects, including natural hazards research with AI, electricity and climate change decision-making, and food security and climate change. Moral agency was assessed using pre and post case study exercises scored with a reflexive principlism rubric that evaluated six dimensions of ethical reasoning: principle identification, dilemma specification, perspective-taking, coherence and justification, reflectivity, and ethical-epistemic reasoning.

Results are descriptive due to the small sample and indicate increases in total rubric scores for all four completers, with the largest gains occurring in the ethical-epistemic dimension. Post-program URSSA responses (n = 4) further suggest perceived gains in time management, interpreting research literature, and analyzing data patterns, alongside more modest gains in communication and documentation practices. These preliminary findings support the feasibility of embedding coupled ethical-epistemic analysis within undergraduate research as a pedagogical approach relevant to engineering ethics education, and motivate future work with larger cohorts and comparative designs.
This work contributes to ongoing efforts to define empirically grounded methods for integrating ethics into engineering education. By connecting epistemic and ethical reasoning within authentic research contexts, this study provides preliminary evidence that coupled ethical-epistemic analysis supports the cultivation of moral agency, a central objective in educating engineers equipped to confront complex socio-technical challenges. Next steps include expanding this assessment process to groups of REU students undertaking an international applied research experience in Sweden.