Acclimating international graduate students to professional engineering ethics. 2011

Byron Newberry, and Katherine Austin, and William Lawson, and Greta Gorsuch, and Thomas Darwin
Mechanical Engineering, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA. Byron_Newberry@Baylor.edu

This article describes the education portion of an ongoing grant-sponsored education and research project designed to help graduate students in all engineering disciplines learn about the basic ethical principles, rules, and obligations associated with engineering practice in the United States. While the curriculum developed for this project is used for both domestic and international students, the educational materials were designed to be sensitive to the specific needs of international graduate students. In recent years, engineering programs in the United States have sought to develop a larger role for professional ethics education in the curriculum. Accreditation requirements, as well as pressures from the private sector, have helped facilitate this shift in focus. Almost half of all engineering graduate students in the U.S. are international students. Further, research indicates that the majority of these students will remain in the U.S. to work post-graduation. It is therefore in the interest of the profession that these students, coming from diverse backgrounds, receive some formal exposure to the professional and ethical expectations and norms of the engineering profession in the United States to help ensure that they have the knowledge and skills--non-technical as well as technical--required in today's engineering profession. In becoming acculturated to professional norms in a host country, international students face challenges that domestic students do not encounter; such as cultural competency, language proficiency, and acculturation stress. Mitigating these challenges must be a consideration in the development of any effective education materials. The present article discusses the project rationale and describes the development of on-line instructional materials aimed at helping international engineering graduate students acclimate to professional engineering ethics standards in the United States. Finally, a brief data summary of students' perceptions of the usefulness of the content and instructional interface is provided to demonstrate the initial effectiveness of the materials and to present a case for project sustainability.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D011361 Professional Competence The capability to perform the duties of one's profession generally, or to perform a particular professional task, with skill of an acceptable quality. Competence, Professional,Generalization of Expertise,Technical Expertise,Expertise Generalization,Expertise, Technical
D003258 Consumer Behavior Behavior associated with the procurement of goods, services, or experiences. Consumer Preference,Consumer Satisfaction,Behavior, Consumer,Behaviors, Consumer,Consumer Behaviors,Consumer Preferences,Preference, Consumer,Preferences, Consumer,Satisfaction, Consumer
D003479 Curriculum A course of study offered by an educational institution. Curricula,Short-Term Courses,Course, Short-Term,Courses, Short-Term,Short Term Courses,Short-Term Course
D004500 Education, Graduate Studies beyond the bachelor's degree at an institution having graduate programs for the purpose of preparing for entrance into a specific field, and obtaining a higher degree. Graduate Education,Educations, Graduate,Graduate Educations
D004738 Engineering The practical application of physical, mechanical, and mathematical principles. (Stedman, 25th ed) Engineerings
D004995 Ethics, Professional The principles of proper conduct concerning the rights and duties of the professional, relations with patients or consumers and fellow practitioners, as well as actions of the professional and interpersonal relations with patient or consumer families. (From Stedman, 25th ed) Professional Ethics,Ethic, Professional,Professional Ethic
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000068 Accreditation Certification as complying with a standard set by non-governmental organizations, applied for by institutions, programs, and facilities on a voluntary basis. Accreditations
D000069 Acculturation Process of cultural change in which one group or members of a group assimilate various cultural patterns from another. Assimilation, Cultural,Cultural Assimilation
D013334 Students Individuals enrolled in a school or formal educational program. School Enrollment,Enrollment, School,Enrollments, School,School Enrollments,Student

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