Ethical Reasoning Development in Project-based Learning

This paper will describe the method of ethics instruction in a specific project-based learning program with the aim to improve the current level of moral reasoning skills in the engineering students enrolled in the program. The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) have endorsed efforts to improve the teaching of ethics in the engineering curriculum. Criterion 3-f of the ABET outcomes,specifically calls for student attainment of an understanding of ethical and professional responsibility. In response, engineering educators seek to develop curriculum to improve moral reasoning skills, which should lead to increased understanding of processes used to solve ethical dilemmas. This paper describes one method of developing ethical understanding and decision-making processes in the context of project-based learning, specifically students enrolled in Iron Range Engineering or Twin Cities Engineering, sister programs jointly directed by Minnesota State University, Mankato, Itasca Community College and Normandale Community College. Students in the program completed an online survey, the Defining Issues Test version 2, to measure their current moral reasoning skills. Comparative descriptive statistics are presented to compare measured moral reasoning levels of this group with engineering students at other universities and with other college majors.The paper also documents the ethical development activities and discussions that the students complete as part of the ethics curriculum during the year. The results inform engineering educators of the experience of using a particular ethical development curriculum model,specifically, small group discussions of ethical dilemmas moderated by team mentors and faculty members, followed by written student reflection.The next step is to measure any change in moral development levels during the academic year through a pre- and post-test administration of the DIT-2 survey. The results will inform the research team of the growth in moral development in our student group, assessing the effectiveness of the method of ethics instruction used. Additionally, a longitudinal study to measure growth in moral decision-making skills during a four-year undergraduate engineering program is planned

Optimization of ceramic waste filter for bathroom greywater treatment using central composite design (CCD)

The present study aims to develop a filtration system consisting of ceramic wastes as a treatment process of bathroom greywater to reduce chemical oxygen demand (COD), Total suspended solids (TSS), Total nitrogen (TN), and turbidity. Optimization of the reduction efficiency was investigated using response surface methodology (RSM) as a function of the ceramic practical sizes (0.25–1.18 mm) and hydraulic retention time HRT (1–3 h). The functional groups on the surface of the ceramic filter media were determined using Fourier transform irradiation (FTIR), while the scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to determine the microstructure and the surface morphology of the ceramic particles. Results revealed that the optimal reduction of COD, TSS, TN, and turbidity was influenced by active sites of the filter media (C]C, C]O, CeOeH, and OH−) and was achieved under the operating conditions of 0.25 mm of ceramic particles after 3 h of HRT, the observed and predicted reduction for COD, TSS, TN, and Turbidity were 38.8 vs. 39.8%; 58.47 vs. 59.59%; 66.66 vs. 67.32%; 88.31 vs. 89.02%, respectively. It can be concluded that the effectiveness of the ceramic filter media is a potential source for the filtration of bathroom greywater

Fair agricultural innovation for a changing climate

Agricultural innovation happens at different scales and through different streams. In the absence of a common global research agenda, decisions on which innovations are brought to existence, and through which methods, are taken with insufficient view on how innovation affects social relations, the environment, and future food production. Mostly, innovations are considered from the standpoint of economic efficiency, particularly in relationship to creating jobs for technology-exporting countries. Increasingly, however, the realization that innovations cannot be successful on their technical prowess alone calls for a broader investigation

The VIA Inventory of Strengths, Positive Youth Development, and Moral Education

The VIA Inventory of Strengths and the VIA model were originally developed to assess and study 24 character strengths. In this paper, I discuss how the VIA Inventory and its character strength model can be applied to the field of moral education with moral philosophical considerations. First, I review previous factor analysis studies that have consistently reported factors containing candidates for moral virtues, and discuss the systematic structure and organization of VIA character strengths. Second, I discuss several issues related to the VIA model, including a lack of previous studies that directly support the moral justifiability of the model and the presence of a fundamental virtue component required for optimal moral functioning in virtue ethics, phronesis, practical wisdom, in the model. Finally, I propose future directions for research on the VIA model in order to address the aforementioned issues and facilitate the application of the model in moral education

Sustainability indicators of Iran's developmental plans : application of the sustainability compass theory

The main purpose of this study was to analyze Iran's developmental plans in order to examine and compare their direction and conformity with the sustainable development theory via the compass of sustainability. The approach involves a content analysis used in line with qualitative research methodologies. The results indicated that, in the first developmental plans, there was no direct reference to sustainable development. In the second to fifth plans, the main focus was on the social, environmental, and economic dimensions of development; which were common elements seen in the policies of all the plans. An analysis of the fourth plan revealed that expressions related to sustainable development appeared more frequently, indicating a stronger emphasis on sustainable development by decision-makers

The Development of Regulatory Standards for Gene Therapy in the European Union

This note examines the EU\u27s efforts to regulate gene therapy, considering the Union\u27s resolve to establish scientifically, economically, and morally sound parameters acceptable to its varied constituency. This includes discussion of legal and ethical considerations, biotechnology goals in the EU, and EU-wide uniform regulations

Developmental Level of Moral Judgment Influences Behavioral Patterns during Moral Decision-making

We developed and tested a behavioral version of the Defining Issues Test-1 revised (DIT-1r), which is a measure of the development of moral judgment. We conducted a behavioral experiment using the behavioral Defining Issues Test (bDIT) to examine the relationship between participants’ moral developmental status, moral competence, and reaction time when making moral judgments. We found that when the judgments were made based on the preferred moral schema, the reaction time for moral judgments was significantly moderated by the moral developmental status. In addition, as a participant becomes more confident with moral judgment, the participant differentiates the preferred versus other schemas better particularly when the participant’s abilities for moral judgment are more developed

Developing a system for assessing the costs associated with different procurement routes in the construction industry

In developing techniques for monitoring the costs associated with different procurement routes, the central task is disentangling the various project costs incurred by organizations taking part in construction projects. While all firms are familiar with the need to analyse their own costs, it is unusual to apply the same kind of analysis to projects. The purpose of this research is to examine the claims that new ways of working such as strategic alliancing and partnering bring positive business benefits. This requires that costs associated with marketing, estimating, pricing, negotiation of terms, monitoring of performance and enforcement of contract are collected for a cross-section of projects under differing arrangements, and from those in the supply chain from clients to consultants, contractors, sub-contractors and suppliers. Collaboration with industrial partners forms the basis for developing a research instrument, based on time sheets, which will be relevant for all those taking part in the work. The signs are that costs associated with tendering are highly variable, 1-15%, depending upon what precisely is taken into account. The research to date reveals that there are mechanisms for measuring the costs of transactions and these will generate useful data for subsequent analysis

Recommender systems and their ethical challenges

This article presents the first, systematic analysis of the ethical challenges posed by recommender systems through a literature review. The article identifies six areas of concern, and maps them onto a proposed taxonomy of different kinds of ethical impact. The analysis uncovers a gap in the literature: currently user-centred approaches do not consider the interests of a variety of other stakeholders—as opposed to just the receivers of a recommendation—in assessing the ethical impacts of a recommender system

An approach to quantify value provided by an engineered asset according to the ISO 5500x series of standards

Asset Intelligence through Integration and Interoperability and Contemporary Vibration Engineering Technologies : Proceedings of the 12th World Congress on Engineering Asset Management and the 13th International Conference on Vibration Engineering and Technology of Machinery. 2-4 August 2017, Brisbane, AustraliaThe purpose of any asset is to provide value to the organization and its stakeholders. In Asset Management, the concept of value encompasses quantitative and qualitative, as well as tangible and intangible benefits that assets may provide to an organization. The definitions of asset and value are not only closely linked but also complementary. An “asset” provides the means for the realisation of “value” thus the management of an asset is strategic and has to be linked to an organization’s value norms. This paper extrapolates from the definitions in ISO 5500x series of standards to describe a generic approach for quantifying the value provided by engineered assets deployed by a business organisation.Unión Europea. 64573