Reflection of UCL Civil and Environmental Engineering experience in integrating ethics in engineering education

Abstract

Discussions on ethical aspects of engineering and the development of ethical codes of practices are now common practice in many countries. These discussions stem from the 20th century experience that engineering decisions can have profound implications for the wellbeing of the public and the environment, although different societies have followed specific paths in their development of codes of engineering ethics (Downey et al. 2007). Engineers need to act within their professional code of conduct and be able to make ethically sound decisions and therefore engineering ethics cannot be separated from technical competence.