DEVELOPING PROFESSIONALISM IN THE ELECTRICAL-ENGINEERING CLASSROOM

This paper describes an integrated activity in engineering ethics and responsibility extending over three class periods in an electrical engineering senior seminar. The activity begins by having the students discuss (using role play) and choose a course of action with respect to a consumer safety product. The choices involve a tradeoff between product cost (and resulting market attractiveness) and the level of safety provided. After they make their decision, we surprise them with a civil court trial, in which they are challenged by a "plaintiff's attorney" to justify their decisions in an adversarial atmosphere. A great deal of interest is generated because the role play becomes real, in the sense that they are called on to defend their actual decisions, rather than reviewing the words and actions of others. They also learn about tort law and liability. Students often describe the mock court class as "the best I ever had in engineering."