A Constructivist Approach to the use of Case Studies in teaching Engineering Ethics

Diana Adela Martin, Edward Conlon, Brian Bowe

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

    Abstract

    Our paper aims to explore the effectiveness of a constructivist approach to the teaching of engineering ethics through case studies, by putting forward a contextualization of the much discussed case study “Cutting Road Side Trees” [12] in light of the constructivist frame suggested by Jonassen [8]. First, we briefly analyse how the use of case studies for the teaching of engineering ethics eludes the complexity of the engineering professional environment before arguing that constructivism is a learning theory that can help to address this complexity. The final section proposes a constructivist reworking of the case method in a manner that aims to correct the deficiencies identified, followed by a discussion of the results of applying the contextualized exercise to First Year group of engineering students. The key findings reveal that the contextualized scenario enhances, in some respects, students’ understanding of the social dimension of the engineering profession.

    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationTeaching and Learning in a Digital World - Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Interactive Collaborative Learning
    EditorsDavid Guralnick, Istvan Simonics, Michael E. Auer
    PublisherSpringer Verlag
    Pages193-201
    Number of pages9
    ISBN (Print)9783319732091
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2018
    Event20th International Conference on Interactive Collaborative Learning, ICL 2017 - Budapest, Hungary
    Duration: 27 Sep 201729 Sep 2017

    Publication series

    NameAdvances in Intelligent Systems and Computing
    Volume715
    ISSN (Print)2194-5357

    Conference

    Conference20th International Conference on Interactive Collaborative Learning, ICL 2017
    Country/TerritoryHungary
    CityBudapest
    Period27/09/1729/09/17

    Keywords

    • Case studies
    • Constructivism
    • Engineering education
    • Engineering ethics
    • Role-playing
    • Social dimension of engineering

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