University of Colorado at Boulder
 
Angela R. Bielefeldt, PhD, PE 
Macroethics

CCE-STEM:
Collaborative Research:
Efficacy of Macroethics Education in Engineering


This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant #1540348, #1540341, and #1540308. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.


In order for engineering and computing to reach its full potential to benefit society, students must be prepared to engage in broad considerations of the ethical issues that face the profession. Established codes of conduct describe standards for professional behavior, but these largely relate to individual actions associated with individual projects, so-called 'micro'-ethical considerations. But engineering and other STEM areas fall short of its societal duties, if it ignores 'macro'-ethical challenges - ethical issues that must consider societal implications of technology as well as the collective responsibility of the STEM profession. Macroethics includes issues such as sustainability, poverty and underdevelopment, security and peace, social justice, bioethics, nanoscience, and social responsibility. The extent to which engineering and computing students graduate with an understanding of macroethical issues is unclear, and is in need of organization. The ultimate goal of the research is to identify a variety of effective methods to teach and assess students' macroethical knowledge in a variety of settings.

The first goal of this project is to evaluate the various ways in which macroethics is taught to engineering and computing students - both undergraduates and graduates, both in and out of the classroom. Therefore, the research will start with a large survey of engineering and computing faculty across the U.S. Ihis survey stage is underway in spring 2016.

In the second part of the research, faculty who are effectively using a diversity of methods to teach a range of macroethical issues will be interviewed. On the basis of these interviews, a variety of case studies will be selected for detailed evaluation.

In the third stage of the research, the team will visit an array of classrooms/informal learning activities, and survey/interview current and former students. This will be used to develop a set of case studies that can serve as models for others. Best practices that are identified will be propagated through STEM education via a faculty training workshop and online resources.



Angela Bielefeldt, Ph.D., P.E.
Dr. Bielefeldt is a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, where she began teaching in 1996.

Nathan Canney, Ph.D., P.E.
Dr. Canney is an instructor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Seattle University.

Chris Swan, Sc.D.
Dr. Swan is an Associate Dean of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service at Tufts University. He is also an Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Daniel Knight, Ph.D.
Dr. Knight is an Research Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder. Since 2001 he has served in a number of roles related program assessment and educational research.

Madeline Polemear
Maddie serves as a graduate research assistant on the project, which is the basis for her Ph.D. dissertation at the University of Colorado Boulder.


  • The co-curricular and curricular surveys had 1448 responses from faculty across the U.S. and a small amount of participation from individuals at international institutions.
  • Thank you to everyone who has given their time to contribute to our study.
    The majority of responses represent:
    • professional societies (including SWE, ASCE, AIChE, AIAA, IEEE, NSBE, ASME, SAE, SHPE, IIE, BMES, ASHRAE, and others)
    • honor societies (including Tau Beta Pi, Chi Epsilon, Pi Tau Sigma, Upsilon Pi Epsilon, Eta Kappa Nu, Omega Chi Epsilon, and others)
    • engineering service groups (Engineers Without Borders, Engineering World Health, Engineers for a Sustainable World, Bridges to Prosperity)
    • undergraduate research (such as REU sites)
    • design competitions (US EPA P3, Solar Decathlon, Concrete Canoe, Ecomarathon, Solar Splash, and others)
  • Survey responses also reflect social impact and ethics topics taught in undergraduate and graduate courses. The goal is to obtain results that represent courses across all engineering and computing disciplines, at all types of institutions, taught by all ranks of tenured, tenure-track, and other instructors.
  • Interviews were conducted with 37 faculty members to gain more information on their ethics teaching practices. We are currently selecting the teaching settings to observe during the 2017/2018 academic year.


  • Bielefeldt, A.R., C. Swan, N. Canney, D. Knight. (2016). Efficacy of Macroethics Education in Engineering. American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference & Exposition. New Orleans. NSF Grantees Poster Session. In press. 19 pp.
  • Knight, D., A.R. Bielefeldt, C. Swan, N. Canney. (2016). Macroethics instruction in co-curricular settings: the development and results of a national survey. Frontiers in Education (FIE) Conference. Abstract accepted; work-in-progress paper in preparation.
  • Bielefeldt, A.R., C. Swan, N. Canney, D. Knight. (2016). Macroethics education in engineering and computing courses. American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Rocky Mountain Section Conference. Abstract accepted, paper in preparation.
  • Bielefeldt, A.R., N.E. Canney, C. Swan, M. Polmear, D. Knight. (2017). A Picture of Microethics and Macroethics Education of Biomedical Engineering Students in the United States. Ethics in Biology, Engineering and Medicine. In press. DOI 10.1615/EthicsBiologyEngMed.2017018790
  • Bielefeldt, A.R., M. Polmear, D. Knight, C. Swan, N. Canney. 2017. Incorporation of Ethics and Societal Impact Issues into Senior Capstone Design Courses: Results of a National Survey. American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference and Exposition Proceedings. June 25-28. Columbus, OH. 19 pp.
  • Bielefeldt, A.R., M. Polmear, D. Knight, C. Swan, N. Canney. 2017. Incorporation of Ethics and Societal Impact Issues into First Year Engineering Courses: Results of a National Survey. American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference and Exposition Proceedings. June 25-28. Columbus, OH. 15 pp.
  • Canney, N., E. Simon, A.R. Bielefeldt, M. Polmear, D. Knight, C. Swan. 2017. Challenges and Opportunities: Faculty Views on the state of Macroethical Education in Engineering. American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference and Exposition Proceedings. June 25-28. Columbus, OH. 12 pp.
  • Polmear, M., D. Knight, A. Bielefeldt, C. Swan, N. Canney. 2017. Analysis of Macroethics Teaching Practices and Perceptions in Engineering: Results of an International Survey. REES 2017 Research in Engineering Education Symposium. July 6-8, Bogota Columbia. 8 pp.



  • Online Ethics Center for Engineering and Science
  • Texas A&M University, Ethics Case Studies
  • Illinois Institute of Technology, Ethics Education Library
  • Engineering, Social Justice, and Peace
  • National Society of Professional Engineers, Ethics
  • Royal Academy of Engineers, Ethics
  • Santa Clara University, Markkula Center for Applied Ethics
  • Harvard program on Science, Technology and Society