Abstract
Engineering ethics is considered as one of the most important elements of engineering education by the Japanese Accreditation Board for Engineering Education (JABEE) as well as by many other national and international accreditation entities including ABET in the US and the International Engineering Alliance. However, what are actually taught in engineering programs in Japan and in other countries in the name of "engineering ethics"? With the support from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), the Research Committee on Engineering Ethics of the JSEE (hereafter the Committee) has conducted an empirical study on the current state of engineering ethics education in Japan (and in some other countries) as a first step toward the development of a "model syllabus" for engineering ethics. By carrying out the two-phased extensive survey on existing syllabi (in collaboration with JABEE), an analytical classification of the survey results, the two-round Delphi questionnaires for the feedback from experts, and a public comment survey, the Committee has identified the educational and learning objectives of engineering ethics. The results of the above study as well as the scope and goal of the Model Syllabus project will be discussed in the presentation.
