A Scoping Review on Engineering Student Perspectives of Ethics Preparedness

Abstract

The importance of preparing students to make ethical decisions as practicing engineers is known within the industry, but little is known about how students perceive their preparedness to make these decisions based on instruction alone. This scoping literature review investigates the student perspective on ethical preparedness from engineering ethics education. The results evaluated seven peer-reviewed publications from ERIC and Scopus databases over the last ten years focused on undergraduate engineering ethics education. Findings indicate three prevailing themes from the student perspective: (1) varying confidence in complexity, (2) limited technological literacy, and (3) disconnected professional roles and responsibilities. This review highlights the need for intentional classroom interventions that bridge the gap between student uncertainty in ethics and equipping them for the ethical bounds of the profession.