Engineering Ethics and the Drexel University Library: A Collaborative Teaching Partnership

1. Engineering Ethics and the Drexel University Library:A Collaborative Teaching Partnership Jay BhattMark Manion Eli Fromm Drexel University June 2004

2. Topics • Background and goals • Curriculum • Role of the library and collaboration with professors

3. Drexel Engineering Curriculum - Background • 1988 - Began restructuring undergraduate engineering curriculum • Introduced engineering with professional contexts • Increased emphasis on experiential learning integrated with traditional classroom lecture • Emphasized communication skills, teamwork and independent learning skills • Demonstrated relationship of science and engineering with liberal arts, social systems, and political policy

4. Background - continued. Present curriculum evolved from: • Enhanced Educational Experience for Engineering Students (E4) project * • Gateway Engineering Education Coalition *www.gatewaycoalition.org * National Science Foundation (NSF) funded initiatives.

5. Goals - Engineering Ethics Education • Integrate Engineering Ethics into the curriculum through current courses as well as new courses. • Reinforce engineering ethics at every level of their undergraduate experience (from Freshmen to Senior). • Students are expected to do research and find high-quality information to demonstrate their exploration of the social, ethical, and political impact of their work.

6. Guiding Factors - Engineering Ethics Education • Creative problem solving • Treat students as emerging professionals • Challenge students to consider social, ethical and political impact of their work. • Emphasize continuous life-long learning for personal and professional success • Mandate student interaction with librarians while students seek high-quality information resources. • Reinforce ethical considerations with courses for first, second, third, and fourth year undergraduate students.

7. Topics • Background and goals • Curriculum • Role of the library and collaboration with professors

8. Courses - Engineering Ethics Education • Freshmen - Freshmen Engineering Design sequence with a main focus on the ethical use of information • Sophomores - two courses "Evaluation and Presentation of Data" - EPED 231 and EPED 232 • Juniors - PHIL 315 - Engineering Ethics * • Seniors - Senior Design Projects - ethical use of information AND ethical aspects of their project * We will briefly discuss Themes and Pedagogical Approaches for PHIL 315.

9. PHIL 315 Engineering Ethics - Themes

10. PHIL 315 - Pedagogical Approaches • Teaching code-based reasoning (Professional Codes of Conduct) • Teaching case-based reasoning • Teaching moral problem solving • Teaching the social and political responsibilities of engineers

11. PHIL 315 - Pedagogical Approaches - Examples • Code-based reasoning Hyatt Regency Walkway Collapse - July 17, 1981 - Kansas City, Missouri • Case-based reasoning Iran Flight 655 Shot Down by USS Vincennes - July 3, 1988

12. PHIL 315 - Pedagogical Approaches - Examples - continued. • Moral problem solving Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster - January 27, 1986 • Social and political responsibilities Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor Explosion - April 26, 1986 - Chernobyl, Russia

13. Topics • Background and goals • Curriculum • Role of the library and collaboration with professors

14. Library Role - Supporting Engineering Ethics Why the library? • Libraries contain (or provide access to) resources for student assignments: debates, essays, discussions. • Librarians teach students how to find information • Librarians teach students how to assess the quality of the information. Teaching methods: classroom presentations, consultations (face-to-face and email for small groups or individuals) • Diverse multidisciplinary information needs – engineering, politics, business, ethics

15. Library Role - Example • Teaching fair use of information. • Use of Library web page during consultations. • Email and person-to-person consultations are used. http://www.library.drexel.edu/research/tutorials/citation/default.html

16. Library Consultations - Definition & Techniques Librarians instruct students on how to: • Search for information • Assess information and information sources • Cite and use information correctly Techniques: • Email and Face-to-face • Small Group and Individuals

17. Library Consultations - Justification • Student reliance on free web sites often results in poor quality information, especially when compared to library resources. Consultations help students realize the importance of library resources. • Students often mis-use the library catalog and cannot find what they are looking for even though the library has the item they need. Consultations help address this problem. • Librarians impart "information enlightenment" to students during consultations.

18. Library Consultations - Justification - continued • Consultations in a friendly environment encourage students to explore the variety of resources available through the library. • Ethical use of information. • Librarians identify subject areas in the collection that may need new or additional materials.

19. Library Consultations - Observations • Students were simply using the web to support their cases • Most students did not use other books from the library except the ones on RESERVE • Students were not aware of IEEE Xplore, Ei Compendex and Applied Science and Technology Abstracts. They did not know they existed, nor did they know about the scholarly articles and other types of information contained in these sources.

20. Expanding the Role of the Library in Support of Engineering Ethics - Library Instruction • Library Instruction to increase awareness about various library resources and other tools. • Currently no specific classes offered, except for a single resource training session during Freshman year. (650 students, each attends 1 session, library conducted 25 sessions). • Co-ordinate with faculty to design the instructional component.

21. Library Instruction Session - Goals • Library Instruction to increase awareness about various library resources and other tools. • Emphasis on scholarly articles from major electronic databases (one activity will require students to compare an electronic database such as IEEE Xplore or Ei Compendex with Yahoo! or Google). • Life-long learning – information skills can be transferred in other settings.

22. Expanding the Role of the Library - Example • Librarian & Faculty collaborated to create the Engineering Ethics Guide. • PHIL 315 linked to the guide through WebCT. • Currently rely on Library Instruction and Web Guides. http://www.library.drexel.edu/research/guides/pdfs/engethics.html

23. Librarian / Professor Collaboration • Librarians • Information Literacy - Critical Thinking, Accreditation Implications. How to find, evaluate, and use information effectively (Information Literacy as defined by ALA). • Faculty • Subject area expertise • Relevant / acceptable assignment content • Professional expectations • Combined • Past research experience & shared desire to help students.

24. Strategies for Librarian / Professor Collaboration - Networking Networking • Professors see library in a new light - as a partner in education and instruction (different role than previous encounters during PhD studies). • Get to know each other better • Share information and discuss goals • Formal and informal discussions, meetings, lunches, emails, etc. • Combine expertise in respective areas • Information Literacy for professors

25. Strategies for Librarian / Professor Collaboration - Improve Collection Improve Collection & Collection Awareness • Consider resource formats - books, journals, documentaries, DVD, software, etc. • Transcripts of interviews with professional engineers investigating technological failures may be available. • Librarian provides Professor with list of resources • Professor provides feedback, perhaps adds items to list • Librarian notifies Professor when resources are available

26. Strategies for Librarian / Professor Collaboration - Teaching Critical Thinking Skills • Librarians - emphasize Critical Thinking during research: Students use critical thinking when obtaining and evaluating information. Critical evaluation of the information and the source of the information. • Professors - emphasize Critical Thinking during assignments: Debates and discussions - students need factual evidence to support / defend decisions.

27. Strategies for Librarian / Professor Collaboration - Library Instruction • Emphasizes Basic Research Skills and Life-long Learning • Subject versus keyword searching • Developing search strategies • Using Boolean searching • In-class exercise employs collaborative team-based searching • Team presents their position based on what they found • Presentation skills stressed

28. Strategies for Librarian / Professor Collaboration - Library Instruction - continued. • Faculty/librarian partnership – teaching team • Both work on equal basis respecting each other’s needs and goals • Effective collaboration is a precondition for success in a team taught course • Collaboration required for successful library classes and consultations. • Collaboration helps avoid sending mixed signals to students. • Interactive nature of instruction as students seek, obtain and evaluate information together

29. Future Directions • Three focus groups for observations - Before the library session, after the session and after reports are done • Each observation session to get feedback from students • Survey questions • Improve future teaching and instruction sessions

30. Conclusion • Librarian / Professor collaboration • Integrate engineering ethics and professional expectations into current classes • Supplement curriculum with new courses focused on engineering ethics • Information Literacy - teach and reinforce techniques for finding, evaluating, using, and citing information. • Life-long learning and Accreditation implications

31. Thank you for your time! [end]