The Engineering Deaf Awareness Project (E-DAP) is a pioneering initiative dedicated to making deaf awareness a standard in engineering. E-DAP is a movement for meaningful, measurable change in the number of people who proactively use accessibility tech in their daily lives, supporting everyone around them. By embedding accessibility into the fabric of engineering, E-DAP is breaking down barriers, changing perceptions and creating a future where engineering truly works to make everyone’s lives more effective
Imagine a world where talented individuals and dynamic growth oriented companies are turbo charged by removing barriers in communication and understanding. In engineeringâa field where communication is critical to innovation, being proactive and embedding accessibility at the norm is critical. At E-DAP, we believe technology for accessibility is the foundation for accessibility and increased performance and ground-breaking ideas. By fostering technology for accessibility and increased performance, weâre not just improving workplacesâweâre demonstrating how inclusivity fuels economic growth, creativity, collaboration and benefits everyone.
The EPC has published E-DAP resources in a toolkit in solidarity with the Project’s aims.
Mission and Strategic Aims
E-DAP’s mission is to embed deaf awareness into the core of engineering practices, ensuring that the profession is accessible and for all . Our strategic aims include:
Awareness: Educate engineering professionals and students about the challenges faced by the deaf community.
Inclusion: Develop and promote resources and training to support deaf individuals in engineering environments.
Action: Support and drive change across academia and businessesÂ
Innovation: Leverage emerging technologies to create solutions that bridge communication gaps.
Challenges
The engineering sector has historically faced challenges in creating inclusive environments for deaf individuals, including:
Lack of Awareness: Limited understanding of the unique needs of deaf professionals and students.
Resource Gaps: Scarcity of tailored training materials and support systems.
Technological Barriers: Underutilisation of technology to facilitate effective communication.
Initiatives and Activities
To address these challenges, E-DAP is implementing several key initiatives:
Hackathons: Organise collaborative events at Google’s ADC, bringing together students, engineers, and professionals to develop technological solutions that enhance communication and accessibility.
Webinars: Conducted a series of online seminars aimed at reaching over 1,000 participants, providing insights into deaf awareness and practical strategies for inclusion.
Social Media Campaigns: Leverage LinkedInto disseminate resources, share success stories, and engage the broader community in discussions on inclusivity.
Partnerships: Collaborate with organisations such as the Engineering Professors Council, Google, and the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) to amplify impact and resource availability.
Any views, thoughts, and opinions expressed herein are solely that of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of the Engineering Professorsâ Council or the Toolkit sponsors and supporters.
PowerPoint Subtitles Guidelines
1. Benefits of subtitles
Improve accessibility for deaf people
Improve understanding for foreign students/non-native speakers
Improve communication with native and non-native speakers, reducing the issues when one of the parties has a strong accent
2. Main steps
STEP 1: Activate the subtitles (See section 3)
STEP 2: Customise your settings (See section 4)
2.1. Select the language to be used 2.2. Select the subtitles position 2.3. Customise subtitles appearance (background, text size and colour)
STEP 3: Create your slide to leave room for the subtitles in line with your settings (avoid overlapping)
Note 1: You need to be connected to the internet for the subtitles to work.
Note 2: You need to change your security settings to authorise PowerPoint to access the microphone.
Note 3: You do not have to customise your settings for each presentation unless you wish to change something.
3. How do you activate the subtitles?
Open PowerPoint and on the main task bar select âSlide showâ and tick âAlways Use Subtitlesâ on the ribbon:
4. Subtitles settings
When activated, you can customise the subtitles:
Subtitles position
âBelow slideâ and âAbove slideâ
If one of the following options is selected
â Below slide
â Above slide
you do not have to worry about the subtitle background overlapping with slide content. However, the overall dimension of the projected slide will be reduced, so please check that it is still ok.
The examples below show the difference between âBottom (Overlaid)â and âBelow slideâ.
Bottom (Overlaid)
Below slide
âBottom (Overlaid)â and âTop (Overlaid)â
Important: If you select one of the following options
â Bottom (Overlaid)
â Top (Overlaid)
you will need to prepare your slides to leave room for the subtitles in line with your settings, and change the subtitle settings to improve visibility (see âSubtitlesâ > âMore settingsâ).
The example below uses âBottom (Overlaid)â and default settings for text and background.
On the above example we can see that the subtitles overlap with both the logo and the contents of the slide, making the visibility poor. In addition, the size of the subtitles text appears to be quite small.
The following example shows how the settings may provide better visibility of the subtitles and the contents of the slide.
More settings: Text size and colour, background colour and transparency
1) Change the settings to use a âLarge Textâ or âExtra Large Textâ and colours that improve visibility (e.g. yellow on solid black)
2) If you cannot rework the master slides and move the logo, select a solid background to provide more visibility to the subtitles. (Although you will make the logo less visible, this should give a better experience to the people attending the presentation.)
Subtitles background colour
How can the slide background influence the colour of the subtitles background and text colour?
âą What colour is the slide background?
If the slide background is white or a light colour, you should consider using a dark colour as subtitle background to create the right level of contrast and improve the visibility of the subtitles. Similarly, if the slide background is black or another dark colour, you should consider using a light colour as subtitle background.
The subtitles text colour should in turn be in contrast with the subtitles background colour.
âą Where is the logo? Are the subtitles overlapping with the logo? Can you re-work the master slides and move it?
If you cannot move the logo, you may want to consider this:
The subtitle background is not a solid colour by default, but has a certain degree of transparency. This may still be ok if there are no other objects (like a logo) under the subtitles background. Otherwise, you may need to update this setting to have a solid colour as background.
5. Guidance scope and feedback
Thank you for reading this guide and for your interest in E-DAP. We hope that this guide will help you to implement deaf awareness practises.
If youâd like to be involved in any further E-DAP led events, training materials or to join the E-DAP mailing list, please complete the form via the link below or scan the QR code.
Your feedback is important to us, as it allows us to improve our events and materials for others. Please provide your feedback on this guideline and on the subtitles usage by completing the following form:
Any views, thoughts, and opinions expressed herein are solely that of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of the Engineering Professorsâ Council or the Toolkit sponsors and supporters.
Any views, thoughts, and opinions expressed herein are solely that of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of the Engineering Professorsâ Council or the Toolkit sponsors and supporters.
Any views, thoughts, and opinions expressed herein are solely that of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of the Engineering Professorsâ Council or the Toolkit sponsors and supporters.
Activity: Assessment. This example demonstrates how the questions provided in Assessing ethics: Rubric can be used to assess the competencies stipulated at each level.
Authors: Dr. Natalie Wint (UCL); Dr. William Bennett (Swansea University).
This example demonstrates how the questions provided in the accompanying rubric can be used to assess the competencies stipulated at each level. Although we have focused on âWater Warsâ here, the suggested assessment questions have been designed in such a way that they can be used in conjunction with the case studies available within the toolkit, or with another case study that has been created (by yourself or elsewhere) to outline an ethical dilemma.Â
Year 1Â
Personal values: What is your initial position on the issue? Do you see anything wrong with how DSS are using water? Why, or why not?
Students should provide a stance, but more importantly their stance should be justified. In this instance this may involve reference to common moral values such as environmental sustainability, risk associated with power issues and questions of ownership.Â
Professional responsibilities: What ethical principles and codes of conduct are relevant to this situation?
Students should refer to relevant principles (e.g. from the Joint Statement of Ethical Principles). For example, in this case some of the relevant principles may include (but not be limited to) âprotect, and where possible improve, the quality of built and natural environmentâ, âmaximise the public good and minimise both actual and potential adverse effects for their own and succeeding generationsâ and âtake due account of the limited availability of natural resourcesâ.Â
Ethical principles and codes of conduct can be used to guide our actions during an ethical dilemma. How does the guidance provided in this case align/differ with your personal views? (This is a question we had created in addition to those provided within the case study to meet the requirements stipulated in the accompanying rubric.)
Studentsâ answers will depend upon those given to the previous questions but should include some discussion of similarities and differences between their own initial thoughts and principles/codes of conducts, and allude to the tensions involved in ethical dilemmas and the impact on decision making.Â
What are the moral values involved in this case and why does it constitute an ethical dilemma? (This is a question we had created in addition to those provided within the case study to meet the requirements stipulated in the accompanying rubric.)
Students should be able to identify relevant moral values and explain that an ethical dilemma constitutes a problem in which two or more moral values or norms cannot be fully realised at the same time.
There are two (or a limited number of) options for action and whatever they choose they will commit a moral wrong. The crucial feature of a moral dilemma is not the number of actions that are available but the fact that all possible actions are morally unsatisfactory.Â
What role should an engineer play in influencing the outcome? What are the implications of not being involved? (This is a question we had created in addition to those provided within the case study to meet the requirements stipulated in the accompanying rubric.)
Engineers are responsible for the design of technological advancements which necessitate data storage. Although this brings many benefits, engineers need to consider the adverse impact of technological advancement such as increased water use. Students may therefore want to consider the wider implications of data storage on the environment and how these can be mitigated.Â
Year 2Â
Formulate a moral problem statement which clearly states the problem, its moral nature and who needs to act. (This is a question we had created in addition to those provided within the case study to meet the requirements stipulated in the accompanying rubric.)
An example could be: âShould the civil engineer working for DSS remain loyal to the company and defend them against accusations of causing environmental hazards, or defend their water rights and say that they will not change their behaviourâ. It should be clear what the problem is, the moral values at play and who needs to act.Â
Stakeholder mapping: Who are all the stakeholders in the scenario? What are their positions, perspective and moral values?
Below is a non-exhaustive list of some of the relevant stakeholders and values that may come up.Â
StakeholderÂ
Perspectives/interestsÂ
MoralvaluesÂ
DataStorageSolutions (DSS)Â
Increasing production in a profitable way; meeting legal requirements; good reputationtomaintain/grow customer base.Â
Representviewsofthose concerned about biodiversity. May be interested in opening ofgreenbattery plant.Â
Human welfare; environmental sustainability;justice.Â
LocalCouncilÂ
Represent views of all stakeholders and would needtoconsidereconomic benefits of DSS (tax and employment), the need of theuniversityandhospital, as well as the needs of local farmers and environmentalists. May beinterestedinopeningof green battery plant.Â
This may depend on their beliefs as an individual, their employment status and their use of services such as the hospital and university. Typically interested in low taxes/responsible spending of public money. May be interested in opening of green battery plant.Â
Reliable storage. They mayalsobeinterestedin being part of an ethical supply chain.Â
Trust; privacy; accountability;autonomy.Â
Non-humanstakeholdersÂ
Environmental sustainability.Â
What are some of the possible courses of action in the situation. What responsibilities do you have to the various stakeholders involved? What are some of the advantages and disadvantages associated with each? (Reworded from case study.)
Students should provide a stance but may recognise the tensions involved. For example, at a micro level, tensions between loyalty to the profession and loyalty to the company/personal financial stability. Responsibilities to fellow employees may include the degree to which you risk their jobs by being honest. They may also feel that they should protect environmental and natural resources.
At a macro level, they may consider the need for engineers to inform decisions regarding issues that engineering and technology raise for society (e.g. increased water being needed for data storage) and listen to the aspirations and concerns of others, and challenging statements or policies that cause them professional concern.Â
What are the relevant facts in this scenario and what other information would you like to help inform your ethical decision making? (This is a question we had created in addition to those provided within the case study to meet the requirements stipulated in the accompanying rubric.)
Students should identify which facts within the case study are relevant in terms of making an ethical decision. In this case, some of the relevant facts may include:Â
Water use permissible by law (âthe data centre always uses the maximum amount legally allotted to it.â)Â
This centre manages data which is vital for the local community, including the safe running of schools and hospitals, and that its operation requires sufficient water for cooling.Â
In more arid months, the nearby river almost runs dry, resulting in large volumes of fish dying.Â
Water levels in farmersâ wells have dropped, making irrigation much more expensive and challenging.Â
A new green battery plant is planned to open nearby that will create more data demand and has the potential to further increase DSSâ water use.Â
Obtaining water from other sources will be costly to DSS and may not be practically possible, let alone commercially viable.Â
Studentsshouldbeawarethatincompleteinformationhindersdecisionmakingduring ethical dilemmas, and that in some cases, further information will be needed to help inform decisions. In this case, some of the questions may pertain to:Â
Exactly how much water is being used and the legal rights.Â
Relationship between farmer and DSS/contractual obligations.Â
How costly irrigation is to the farmers (economic impact), as well as the knock-on impact to their business and supply chain.Â
How many people DSS employ and how important they are for local economy.Â
Detail regarding biodiversity loss and its wider impact.Â
How likely it is that the green battery plant will open and whether DSS is the only eligible supplier.Â
How much the green battery plant contract is worth to DSS.Â
How much water the green battery plant will use in the case that DSS get the contract.Â
Whether DSS is the only option for hospital and university.Â
What will happen if the services DSS provide to the hospital and university stop or becomes unreliable.Â
Year 2/Year 3 Â
(At Year 2, students could provide options; at Year 3 they would evaluate and form a judgement.)Â
Make use of ethical frameworks and/or professional codes to evaluate the options for DSS both short term and long term. How do the uncertainty and assumptions involved in this case impact decision making?
Students should list plausible options. They can then analyse them with respect to different ethical frameworks (whilst we don’t necessary make use of normative ethical theories, analysis according to consequences, intention or action may be a useful approach to this). Below we have included a non-exhaustive list of options with ideas in terms of analysis.Â
OptionÂ
ConsequencesÂ
IntentionÂ
ActionÂ
Keepusing waterÂ
May lead to expansion and profit of DSS and thus tax revenue/employment and supply.Â
Reputational damage of DSS may increase. Individual employee piece of mind may be at risk.Â
Farmers still don’t have water and biodiversity still suffers which may have further impact long term.Â
Intentionbehindaction notconsistentwith that expected by an engineer, other than with respect to legalityÂ
Actionfollowslegalnormsbut not social norms such as good will and concern for others.Â
Keep using the water but limit furtherworkÂ
May limit expansion and profit of DSS and thus tax revenue/employment and supply.Â
Farmers still don’t have water and biodiversity still suffers and may have further impact long term. This could still result in reputation damage.Â
Intentionbehindaction partially consistent with that expected by an engineer.Â
Actionfollowslegalnormsbut only partially follow social norms such as good will and concern for others.Â
Makeuseof other sources of waterÂ
Data storage continues.Â
Potential for reputation to increase.Â
Potential increase in cost of water resulting in less profit potentially less tax revenue/employment.Â
Farmers have water and biodiversity may improve.
Alternativewatersourcesmaybeassociated with the same issues or worse.Â
Intention behind action seems consistent with that expected by an engineer. However, this is dependent uponÂ
whether they chose to source sustainable waterwithlessimpact on biodiversity etc.Â
Thismaybedependenton the degree to which DSS proactively source sustainable water.Â
Reduce worklevels or shut downÂ
Impact on profit and thus tax revenue/employment and supply chain. Farmers have water and biodiversity may improve.Â
May cause operational issues for those whose data is stored.Â
Seems consistent with those expected of engineer. Raises questions more generally about viability and feasibility of data storage.Â
Action doesn’t follow social norms of responsibility to employeesandshareholders.Â
Investigate othercooling methods which don’t require as much water/don’t take on extra work untilanother method identified.Â
May benefit whole sector.Â
May cause interim loss of service.Â
Â
This follows expectations of the engineeringprofession in terms of evidence-baseddecisionmaking and consideration for impact of engineering in society.Â
It follows social norms in termsofresponsibledecision making.Â
Any views, thoughts, and opinions expressed herein are solely that of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of the Engineering Professorsâ Council or the Toolkit sponsors and supporters.
Authors: Dr. Natalie Wint (UCL); Dr. William Bennett (Swansea University).
Who is this article for?:Â This article should be read by educators at all levels in higher education who wish to integrate ethics into the engineering and design curriculum or module design.
As engineering educators, it is uncommon that we were taught or assessed on ethical thinking within our own degree programmes. Although we may be able to think of plenty of ethical scenarios from our own experience, we may not necessarily be able to identify the best way to assess the ability of a student to engage in ethical thinking in a systematic and robust manner, something which is critical for both the evaluation of learning and teaching (as explained further here).
Furthermore, the complex, ill-structured nature of ethical dilemmas, which often involve a variety of diverse stakeholders, perspectives and cultural norms, necessitates an ability to navigate tensions and compromise. This results in situations in which multiple possible courses of action can be identified, meaning that there is not one single âgoodâ or âcorrectâ answer to ethical questions posed.
It is also necessary to evidence that students are able to meet the criteria outlined by accreditation bodies. Within the UK context, it is the Engineering Council (EC) that is responsible for providing the principal framework which guides engineering course content and sets accreditation threshold standards of competence through AHEP, the Accreditation of Higher Education Programs, as part of The UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UKSPEC).
The knowledge, skills and attributes expected of engineering graduates constantly shifts, and since the advent of AHEP in 2004 there has been increased focus on strengthening design, and consideration for economic, ethical, environmental, legal, and social factors.
In-keeping with a need to assess engineering ethics in a robust manner, this article provides step-by-step considerations for designing assessment and is primarily intended to be used in conjunction with an existing ethics case study, such as those available through the EPC’s Engineering Ethics Toolkit (we later make use of the existing âWater Warsâ case study to exemplify the points made).
The guidance and accompanying rubric have been designed in a way that encourages students to grapple with the numerous tensions involved in ethical decision making, and the focus is thus on assessment of the decision-making process as opposed to the âanswerâ given, the decision made or the outcome of the scenario.
Assessment purpose:
The first consideration is the year group you are assessing, and the competencies they have already acquired (for example in the case of Level 5 and Level 6 students). You may want to consider the (partial) learning outcome (LO) as defined by AHEP4 LO8 (Table 1). Whilst this shouldnât act to limit what you choose to assess, it is a good place to start in terms of the level of ability your students should be demonstrating.
Note that the Engineering Council (EC) claim âThis fourth edition of AHEP has reduced the total number of learning outcomes in order to focus attention on core areas, eliminate duplication and demonstrate progression between academic levels of studyâ. They are thus interested in the differences between level. You are recommended to make this explicit in module specification and associated assessment description. Key differentiations are shown in Table 1. For example, at Level 5 you may be more interested in studentsâ abilities to identify an ethical situation, whereas at Level 6 you may want them to be able to reason through options or make a judgement.
Table 1: AHEP4 Learning Outcomes
Year 1 (Level 4)
Year 2 (Level 5)
Year 3 (Level 6)
M Level (Level 7)
LO8
Apply ethical principles and recognise the need for engineers to exercise their responsibilities in an ethical manner and in line with professional codes of conduct.
Identify ethical concerns and make reasoned ethical choices informed by professional codes of conduct.
Identify and analyse ethical concerns and make reasoned ethical choices informed by professional codes of conduct.
Identify and analyse ethical concerns and make reasoned ethical choices informed by professional codes of conduct (MEng).
Interpretation
Awareness of issues, obligations, and responsibilities; sensitising students to ethical issues.
Ability to resolve practical problems; identify ethical issues and to examine opposing arguments.
Ability to resolve practical problems; identify ethical issues and examine and evaluate/critique opposing arguments.
Ability to resolve practical problems; identify ethical issues and examine and evaluate/critique opposing arguments.
The final row in Table 1 provides our interpretation of the LO, making use of language similar to that within the EPC’s Ethics Learning Landscape. We believe this is more accessible and more easily operationalised.
The following steps outline the process involved in designing your assessment. Throughout we make reference to an existing EPC case study (Water Wars) to exemplify the points made.
1.) The first consideration is how much time you have and how much of the case study you want to use. Many of the case studies have multiple stages and could be spread over several sessions depending on time constraints.
2.) Linked to this is deciding whether you want to assess any other LOs within the assessment. For example, many of the case studies have technical elements. Furthermore, when using reports, presentations, or debates as methods of assessment you may also want to assess communication skills. Whatever you decide you should be careful to design the assessment in such a way that assesses LO8 in a robust manner, whereby the student could not pass the element without demonstrating they have met the individual LO to the required level (this is a key requirement to meet AHEP4). For example, in an assessment piece where ethics is worth 50% of the grade, a student could still pass the element as a whole (with 40%) by achieving high scores in the other grading criteria without the need to demonstrate their ability to meet LO8.
3.) Once you are aware how much of a case study you have time for and have decided which LOs (other than LO8) you are assessing, you should start to determine which questions are aligned with the level of study you are considering and/or the ability of the students (for example you may query whether students at Level 5 have already developed the skills and competencies suggested for Level 4). At each level you can make use of the accompanying rubric to help you consider how the relevant attributes might be demonstrated by students. As an example, please refer to the accompanying document where we provide our thoughts about how we would assess Water Wars at Levels 4-6.
4.) Once you have selected questions you could look to add any complementary activities or tasks (that do not necessarily have to be assessed) to help the students broaden their understanding of the problem and ability to think through their response. For example, in the Water Wars case study, there are multiple activities (for example Part 1, Q3 and Part 2, Q3, Q4, Q6, Q7) aimed at helping students understand different perspectives which may help them to answer further ethical questions. There are also technical questions (for example Part 1, Q5) which help students understand the integrated nature of technical and social aspects and contextualise scenarios.
5.) Once you have selected your questions you will need to make a marking rubric which includes details of the weightings given for each component of the assessment. (This is where you will need to be careful in selecting whether other LOs are assessed e.g., communication, and whether a student can pass the assessment/module without hitting LO8). You can then make use of the guidance provided in terms of expectations at a threshold and advanced level, to write criteria for what is expected at each grade demarcation.
Although we have focused on âWater Warsâ here, the suggested assessment questions within the accompanying rubric have been designed in such a way that they can be used in conjunction with the case studies available within the toolkit, or with another case study that has been created (by yourself or elsewhere) to outline an ethical dilemma.
Other considerations:
As acknowledged elsewhere within the toolkit (see here), there are âpractical limits on assessmentâ (Davis and Feinerman, 2012) of ethics, including demands on time, pressure from other instructors or administrators, and difficulty in connecting assessment of ethics with assessment of technical content. These are some other considerations you may wish to make when planning assessment.
âą Number of students and/or marking burden: With large student numbers you may be more inclined to choose a group assessment method (which may also be beneficial in allowing students to share perspectives and engage in debate), or a format which is relatively quick to mark/allows automated marking (e.g. a quiz). In the case of group work it is important to find a way in which to ensure that all students within each group meet the LO in a robust manner. Whilst assessment formats such as quizzes may be useful for assessing basic knowledge, they are limited in their ability to ensure that students have developed the higher-level competencies needed to meet the LO at output level.
âą Academic integrity: As with any LO there is a need to ensure academic integrity. This may be particularly difficult for large cohorts and group work. You may wish to have a range of case studies or ensure assessment takes place in a controlled environment (e.g. an essay/report under exam conditions). This is particularly important at output level where you may wish to provide individual assessment under exam conditions (although competencies may be developed in groups in class).
âą Logistics/resourcing: Many of the competencies associated with ethics are heavily linked to communication and argumentation, and answers tend to be highly individual in nature. Role play, debates, and presentations may therefore be considered the most suitable method of assessment. However, their use is often limited by staffing, room, and time constraints. Many of these methods could, instead, be used within class time to help students develop competencies prior to formal assessment. You may also choose to assess ethics in another assessment which is more heavily resourced (for example design projects or third year projects).
âą Staged assessment: The ethical reasoning process benefits from different perspectives. It may therefore be desirable to stage assessment in such a way that individuals form their own answer (e.g. a moral problem statement), before sharing within a group. In this way a group problem statement, which benefits from multiple perspectives and considerations, can be formed. Similarly, individuals may take the role of an individual stakeholder in an ethical dilemma before coming together as a group.
âą Use of exams: Whilst we see an increasing movement away from exams, we feel that a (closed book) exam is a suitable method of assessment of ethics based LOs in the situation that:
o There is a need to ensure academic integrity, and that each student meets the LO at output level.
o The exam is assessing competencies (e.g. ethical argumentation) as opposed to knowledge.
o All the relevant information needed is provided and there is limited content for students to learn in advance (aside from argumentation, justification, decision making skills etc developed in class).
Their use may therefore be limited to Level 6.
Rubric
This document provides the partial AHEPLO8 at each level. The competences involved in meeting this LO have then been identified, along with what students would need to demonstrate to evidence meeting a threshold level, or advanced level. Example questions are given to show how students may demonstrate their competence at each level. For each question there is an explanation of how the question supports achievement of LO at that level. The rubrics should be used alongside the accompanying guidance document which offers practical suggestions and advice.
Year 1: This year focuses on developing awareness of issues, obligations, and responsibilities, and sensitising students to ethical issues.
Year 2: This year focuses on developing the ability to identify ethical issues and to examine opposing arguments, all of which is needed to examine, analyse, and evaluate ethical dilemmas in Year 3.
Year 3: This year focuses on ensuring that students can satisfy LO8 at an output level in a robust manner.
References:
Davis, M. and A. Feinerman. (2012). âAssessing graduate student progress in engineering ethicsâ, Science and Engineering Ethics, 18(2), pp. 351-367.
Any views, thoughts, and opinions expressed herein are solely that of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of the Engineering Professorsâ Council or the Toolkit sponsors and supporters.
December 2024
At the 2nd International Congress on Public Administration in 2024, held at Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul in Campo Grande, Brazil, the 13th-16th November, Dr Manuela Rosa, Professor at University of Algarve and EPC Ethics Ambassador, promoted the Sustainability Toolkit in her presentation âResilience and Territorial Sustainabilityâ.
November 2024
Ethics Toolkit project manager Dr. Sarah Jayne Hitt promoted the Ethics Toolkit in her keynote speech at INCOSE UK’s ASEC2024 conference, held in Edinburgh, 5 – 6th November 2024.
Ethics Toolkit project manager Dr. Sarah Jayne Hitt chaired a panel on ‘Ethical Practice – What, Why and How?’ at the Hazards Forum in Manchester on 4th November, and promoted the Engineering Ethics Toolkit to audience members from academia and industry.
October 2024
At the 24th International Walk21 Conference on Walking and Liveable Communities, held at ISCTE in Lisbon, Portugal, 14th-18th October, Dr Manuela Rosa, Professor at the University of Algarve, and Ethics Ambassador for the EPC, promoted the Engineering Ethics Toolkit in her presentation âLayouts of pedestrian crossings for inclusive and age friendly societyâ.
July 2024
As academics know, itâs been âconference seasonâ recently, with the usual rush of meetings and symposia and events that mark the beginning of summer. Weâre pleased that the Engineering Ethics Toolkit has been featured at several of these, both home and abroad:
At the SEFI Spring School, held at TU Berlin the 10th â 12th April, the SEFI Ethics and Sustainability Special Interest Groups convened to consider âDemocracy in Engineering Educationâ, and the Ethics Toolkit was featured in a workshop on the knowledge, skills, and mindsets of engineering educators.
At the EPC Annual Congress, held at Cardiff University the 9th-11th June, the Facial Recognition case study was mentioned during conversations about AI Ethics, and the Constructive Alignment tool was showcased as a way to plan for weaving ethics into almost any learning outcome.
At the UK and Ireland Engineering Education Research Network Annual Symposium, held at Ulster University in Belfast the 17th â 18th June, the Guidance Articles were presented as a great place to get started in learning more about teaching engineering ethics.
At the American Society of Engineering Education conference, held in Portland, Oregon the 23rd-27th June, Sarah Jayne Hitt presented an impact study that she and Sarah Junaid conducted on use of the Ethics Toolkit, featuring both website data analytics as well as information from user interviews.
During 2024 the Ethics Toolkit had over 25,000 views, so we know you’re looking at it, but we also want to know where youâre talking about the Ethics Toolkit! Have you featured a resource in a conference presentation or meeting? Tell us about how the resources have helped you over the past yearâweâd love to feature your story.
We’re excited to share with you that we are starting work on a Complex Systems Toolkit, aimed at supporting educators in their teaching of the subject. Toolkit development will start in early 2025. The Complex Systems Toolkit is supported by Quanser. Read on to learn more and find out how you can get involved.
WHY is the EPC developing a Complex Systems Toolkit?
Complex systems shape our lives and day-to-day realities more than most people realise. At the intersection of computing, robotics, and engineering, ever more technology is dependent on complex systems, from AI to biomedical devices to infrastructure.
Understanding both complexity and systems is critical to todayâs engineering graduates, especially as the UK seeks to position itself as a leader in areas like advanced manufacturing and autonomous systems.
Engineers increasingly work in environments where they are required to connect different disciplines, perspectives, and skills, to understand and navigate sociotechnical systems, and to communicate complexity to diverse audiences.
Employers today seek graduates who understand not just interdisciplinary engineering work, can work with teams, and understand complexity from different fields and specialisations, but also who can work with non-engineers on products and projects and translate that complexity effectively.
Systems thinking competency is seen as critical to education for sustainable development, and when integrated holistically, complex systems in engineering teaching can align with national and international initiatives that promote social and environmental responsibility.
Accreditation frameworks increasingly refer to complex problems and systems thinking in outcomes for engineering programmes.
Learning approaches for integrating complex systems knowledge, skills, and mindsets in engineering supports educators in their own professional development, since many may have not learned about this topic that they are now expected to teach.
WHAT is a Complex Systems Toolkit?
The Complex Systems Toolkit will be a suite of teaching resources, which may include a scaffolded framework of learning objectives, lesson plans, guidance, case studies, project ideas, and assessment models. These are intended to help educators integrate complex systems concepts into any engineering module or course.
The Toolkitâs ready-to-use classroom resources will be suitable for those who are new to teaching complex systems, as well as those who are more experienced.
Teaching materials will focus on the development of relevant knowledge, skills, and mindsets around complex systems and contain a variety of suggestions for implementation rooted in educational best practice.
Toolkit resources will help educators to understand, plan for, and implement complex systems learning across engineering curricula and demonstrate alignment with AHEP criteria and / or graduate attributes.
Guidance articles will explain key topics in complex systems education, highlighting existing resources and solutions and promoting engagement with a network of academic and industry experts.
HOW will the Toolkit be developed?
The Toolkit materials will be created and developed by diverse contributors from academia and industry, representing a variety of fields and coming from multiple continents.
The resources will be presented so that they can be used in many different settings such as online and hybrid teaching, lecture sessions, and problem-based learning scenarios.
The Toolkit will be a community-owned project, and anyone can suggest or submit a new resource or get involved.
The Toolkit will be developed by the Engineering Professorsâ Council and is supported by Quanser.
WHO is involved in Toolkit development?
The development of the Toolkit will be managed by a Working Group of subject experts from academia and industry, put together by the EPC and Quanser.
At the Engineering Professors Council (EPC), we believe that inclusivity should be embedded into the heart of engineering education. One of the key areas where this is essential is supporting individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. We are proud to be a supporter of the the Engineering Deaf Awareness Project (E-DAP), a pioneering initiative established by Dr. Emma Taylor, focused on making Deaf Awareness a standard practice within engineering, both in academia and industry.
Why This Matters in Engineering Education and Workplace Settings.Â
A recent study by the University of Manchester and University of Nottingham, published in the International Journal of Audiology revealed that deafness and hearing loss affects 18 million people in the UKâaround one-third of adults. Despite its prevalence, many educational institutions and industries, including engineering, face challenges in making environments fully accessible to deaf or hard of hearing individuals. The E-DAP project highlights a crucial issue: without deaf awareness, talented engineering students and professionals face significant barriers that limit their ability to contribute fully in all aspects of their daily personal, academic and professional lives.
Gaining Momentum
The E-DAP has gained significant momentum through increased collaboration and has expanded its reach, engaging a wider audience in conversations about accessibility in engineering. This growth culminated in a recent visit to Googleâs Accessibility Discovery Centre (ADC) in London, where next generation Engineering Leaders Scholarship (ELS) awardees from the Royal Academy of Engineering joined forces with a diverse community to explore how technology can drive meaningful change.Â
Hackathon Innovating for Deaf Awareness at Googleâs ADC
At the ADC, the team toured the latest tech and heard a keynote presentation by award-winning EDI lead Maria Grazia Zedda, followed by a hackathon focused on developing new ideas for accessible tech in engineering.Â
The hackathon hosted by Ellie Hayward (leading in implementing deaf awareness in start-up environments) and judged by Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professor Dr. Emma Taylor, brought together the best next generation engineering minds to tackle real-life deaf accessibility challenges. Working in pairs, they focused on how they could develop technologies to break down barriers and develop integrated technology support for deaf individuals, in both academic and professional environments. The hackathon participants came from diverse engineering disciplines (biomedical, aerospace, software, manufacturing, mechanical, structural and spacecraft) and included;Â Â
The team was supported by Stella Fowler and Professor Sarah Hitt of the Engineering Professors Council. Stella is also an Honorary Research Fellow at UCL and Sarah is Professor of Liberal Studies at NMITE, which focuses on a real-world, holistic and contextual approach to engineering.Â
The team also benefited from valuable advice and sustained support provided by RNID, a Google ADC partner, whose expertise supported the accessibility focus of the hackathon. For further insights on fostering inclusive environments, RNIDâs guidelines on accessible meetings are an essential resource.
The hackathon sparked a wide range of innovative ideas, inspired by the ADC visit and Mariaâs keynote speech, and these will be further refined in a future hackathon later this year.Â
Voice isolation technology for hearing aidsÂ
Projected real time captioning onto a wearable deviceÂ
Real-time sign language translation that integrates with existing meeting toolsÂ
 An AI assistant and digital hub for best use of accessibility settings
Looking Forward
In the coming months, the E-DAP will collaborate on a series of outputs including hackathons, a webinar and the development of a manifesto for change outlining key recommendations for integrating deaf awareness into education and industry. Itâs evident that the momentum of the E-DAP will continue to build, with a strong focus on two key areas;
Increased focus on enabling deaf awareness to ensure better engineering life long education delivery for all using current tech: By integrating the latest accessibility technologies, the project aims to create more inclusive learning environments, ensuring those who are deaf or have hearing loss have equal opportunities to participate and thrive in engineering education and industry across all modes of learning, from apprenticeships to workplace based learning.
Developing future concepts and tools through direct, engineering-led design hackathon activities and more: These events and collaborations will empower engineers to innovate and develop cutting-edge solutions, focusing on real-world applications that address accessibility challenges.Â
A Shared Vision for Change
At the EPC, we recognise inclusivity benefits everyone. By supporting the E-DAP, we aim to create an environment where all can thrive and contribute to the future of engineering. Together, we can ensure that deaf awareness is not just an initiative but a standard practice in our field. We look forward to bringing more updates to the EPC community over the coming months.
We want to see ethics embedded in all engineering modules and courses, across all higher education institutions. But to see this achieved we need your help. There are many ways that you can promote the teaching of ethics within your institution and department, and we’ve listed just a few here to get you started.
Talk to your colleagues about the Engineering Ethics Toolkit.
Download our posters and put them up on staff noticeboards in your department. We have a poster for the Ethics Toolkit, the Ethics Explorer interactive tool, and our Ethics Ambassadors community. Spread the word!
Add a link to your department website’s resources.
The Engineering Ethics Toolkit is open access, and its teaching resources can be adapted to suit individual needs. We’d love for you to add us to your list of go-to resources.
Share our classroom materials and guidance on your social media.
Run a collaborative learning session with a few colleagues on how to use one of our case studies in the classroom.
Often, all it takes is a bit of encouragement to give someone the confidence to start adding ethics to their teaching. We have advice on organising class sessions using our case studies; why not sit down with a couple of colleagues, get to grips with it, and make a plan?
Run a training session for your department on integrating ethics into a class or curriculum.
Once you’ve got to grips with teaching ethics, you’re perfectly placed to teach your colleagues how to go about it. Tell them about your own experiences, what was easy, what was difficult, and where to find the resources they need!
Give us your feedback about teaching or promoting ethics within your institution.
Whether you feel like a seasoned pro or are still struggling to say ‘deontology debate’, we want to hear your experiences. You can submit a blog to the Toolkit, or complete our feedback form.
Adapt one of our case studies and publish it on your institution website.
Our case studies are published with a CC-BY-SA Creative Commons 4.0 license, meaning that you can (and are encouraged to!) share and adapt them, making them appropriate to your specific context. If you would like to send us a link to any adapted materials that you have published, we’ll add it to our resources.
Give a talk to your institution’s Student Union Engineering Society on Engineering Ethics.
Hopefully all of your institution’s engineering students will come across engineering ethics during their course. But if there are some modules or courses that don’t currently embed ethics, you could reach out to your institution’s SU Engineering Society and offer to give a brief talk with Q&A to discuss issues such as what ethics is, why it’s important in engineering, and how engineers can make ethical decisions. This way you are introducing keen engineers to a vital subject that they might miss out on elsewhere.
Talk to academic leadership about integrating ethics into your institution’s engineering curricula.
Engineering curricula can do more to help students effectively develop ethical awareness, reasoning, or motivation in future engineering professionals. Whilst individual educators can (and do) make a vast difference by embedding ethics across their own engineering modules, a top down approach from the institution making ethics integration mandatory across curricula would mean that all engineering teaching staff would have to embed ethics in their courses and modules. You could make ethical practice a unique selling point of your programme!
Use our open access and free to adapt teaching materials when planning your class, semester or year.
Become a reviewer for new Toolkit content and encourage colleagues to sign up.
We are seeking academics to review the various resources that are submitted to us for publication within the Engineering Ethics Toolkit. Our expectation is that we may ask you to review two or three pieces of content per year. You can apply to be a reviewer here.
Write or co-write a guidance article, case study, or other teaching material for the Toolkit.
We encourage academics to submit advice and guidance, personal blogs, case studies, enhancements and other teaching materials to us for publication in the Engineering Ethics Toolkit. Working with colleagues on this content spreads the word and doubles the expert value. You can find out more about submitting content for the Toolkit here.
Organise or take part in an event.
Ready to talk ethics? Organise an informal lunch or coffee meet up with department colleagues to share experiences and good practice in teaching engineering ethics. Going to a conference? Get ready to talk ethics to anyone who will listen! We’ve got some handy talking points for you to use. Keep an eye out for opportunities to share resources and expertise.
Tell us your ideas for promoting ethics within your institution or workplace. Email w.attwell@epc.ac.uk.