Ethics instruction: A case study approach

Instruction in ethics for engineering and engineering technology students may take many forms, such as inclusion as part of technical courses, separate courses taught in technical departments, or courses taught in other departments. In exploring various options, the author found that personal anecdotes in which ethics problems were encountered and dealt with were quite popular with students. Students came to understand that situations with ethical implications can arise at unexpected times and must be dealt with. If the instructor can explain that he or she actually experienced these situations, the students come to understand that they will undoubtedly also encounter them and must be able to deal with then. In an attempt to formalize this method so that material could be provided for use by other instructors, a case study approach, similar to that often used extensively in business and commerce schools, was adopted by the author