Incorporating Social, Policy, and Ethical Considerations in Engineering and Design Education: an Examination of Barriers and Resources
Name
v006t06a019-detc2023-116605.pdf
Description
Published version
Size
1.27 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
67abd4d39831a819c659c55461a6121a
Author(s)
Saadi, Jana I
Das, Madhurima
Roeder, Gillian
Ostrowski, Anastasia K
Lee, Stella
Santos, Marina
Breazeal, Cynthia
D’Ignazio, Catherine
Yang, Maria C
Verma, Aditi
Date Issued
August 20, 2023
Journal
Volume 6: 35th International Conference on Design Theory and Methodology (DTM)
Publisher
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Citation
Saadi, Jana I, Das, Madhurima, Roeder, Gillian, Ostrowski, Anastasia K, Lee, Stella et al. 2023. "Incorporating Social, Policy, and Ethical Considerations in Engineering and Design Education: an Examination of Barriers and Resources." Volume 6: 35th International Conference on Design Theory and Methodology (DTM).
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Abstract
Within higher education, there are increasing calls for design-focused fields, such as engineering and urban planning, to incorporate social, policy, and ethical considerations into their courses to create and develop more responsible, society-minded designers to solve today’s complex societal issues. At the same time, not all instructors of design courses may feel equipped or comfortable engaging social, policy, and ethical considerations in their courses. Previous work has shown that engineering courses engage less with these considerations than other design fields. More perspectives are necessary to understand how instructors consider engaging these considerations and their motivations behind it. We present a survey of instructors regarding their curricular practices and goals as they relate to social, policy, and ethical considerations to understand the barriers, resources, and changes of these considerations in design education. Our results demonstrate there is an increased awareness for the need for this type of content that is promising for the future of engaging social, policy, and ethical considerations in design curriculum. However, for those instructors interested in including such considerations there are barriers such as the identifiable relevance, lack of time and educational materials inhibiting their inclusion. This can be supported by more educational resources, financial support, and prioritization in design education.
Within higher education, there are increasing calls for design-focused fields, such as engineering and urban planning, to incorporate social, policy, and ethical considerations into their courses to create and develop more responsible, society-minded designers to solve today’s complex societal issues. At the same time, not all instructors of design courses may feel equipped or comfortable engaging social, policy, and ethical considerations in their courses. Previous work has shown that engineering courses engage less with these considerations than other design fields. More perspectives are necessary to understand how instructors consider engaging these considerations and their motivations behind it. We present a survey of instructors regarding their curricular practices and goals as they relate to social, policy, and ethical considerations to understand the barriers, resources, and changes of these considerations in design education. Our results demonstrate there is an increased awareness for the need for this type of content that is promising for the future of engaging social, policy, and ethical considerations in design curriculum. However, for those instructors interested in including such considerations there are barriers such as the identifiable relevance, lack of time and educational materials inhibiting their inclusion. This can be supported by more educational resources, financial support, and prioritization in design education.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1115/detc2023-116605
