Teaching engineering ethics: a new approach

Engineering programs across the USA are experimenting with new ways to integrate engineering ethics into the curriculum. In a large part, this is motivated by criterion three of ABET's Engineering Criteria 2000 that requires that engineering programs demonstrate that their graduates have an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility. Faculty are challenged to find an appropriate place to integrate this material into their curricula. The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at California State University, Northridge has been experimenting with the use of "The Ethics Challenge", a board game that has been developed and used by the Lockheed Martin Corporation for its in-house annual ethics awareness training. This approach allows ethics to be integrated into the curriculum in many places and at levels from freshman to senior. This paper describes "The Ethics Challenge" and how it can be used to teach engineering ethics in any engineering program.