The IEEE Student Ethics Competition (SEC) was developed and introduced by the IEEE Ethics and Member Conduct Committee (EMCC) in 2004. Since then, this group has promoted the SEC especially as a regional activity. The competition objectives are [1]:
1) “To foster familiarity with the IEEE Code of Ethics and ethical concepts,
2) To promote a model for discussing and analyzing ethical questions, and
3) To provide experience in applying ethical concepts to professional situations.”
The EMCC toolkit provides the IEEE Code of Ethics, guidelines for conducting a student competition, judging forms for live and virtual events, promotional templates for organizers (as shown in Figure 1), hypothetical case samples of ethical situations, and other resources which facilitate the implementation of a competition.
A professional ethics component is required for engineering accreditation and professional registration. Common strategies to address ethics education include content on professional codes of ethics, traditional theories (such as deontological, utilitarian, and virtue models), prominent historical case studies, etc. Case-related activities for both historical and hypothetical cases highlight the relevance of ethics to the profession and the consequences of ethical failures. The SEC complements academic content with an IEEE-related activity or event. It links the study of ethics to the professional community and gives a structure to apply the professional code. With the IEEE Code of Ethics as a reference point, a basic set of themes regarding professional ethics are emphasized.
The IEEE Code of Ethics and the SEC
Codes of ethics are common features of professions. Such codes are part of formal efforts by professional communities to set consensus standards and to provide needed self-regulation guidelines for practitioners [2]. Similar to the traditional professions of divinity, medicine, and law, the engineering community recognizes its responsibilities to all stakeholders, especially the public. The American Institute of Electrical Engineers, predecessor of the IEEE, adopted its first code in 1912 [3]. A major revision was made with the 1974 version. This modernized IEEE Code of Ethics was structured around four themes. It detailed ethical responsibilities for engineers related to [3]:
1) “maintaining their own capabilities,
2) behavior at work,
3) relations with employees and clients, and
4) responsibilities to the community.”
The current form of the IEEE Code of Ethics [1, 3] was adopted in 1990 and has been revised several times. Its ten categories may be viewed as addressing performance of engineering work, the role of engineers in society, personal obligations, and community concerns through categories 1-4, 5, 6, and 7-10, respectively. Other codes have similar themes [2].
SEC competitions consist of a preparation period and a judging period. Student participants prepare a presentation as part of a team in which a fictious ethics case is analyzed. A recommended format is provided. Participants should 1) identify the key case facts, 2) call out the ethical content, 3) cite relevant sections of the IEEE Code of Ethics, 4) apply the code to the ethical questions, and 5) conclude with a summary position statement. The judging form has sections for each of these analysis elements. The discussion must be coordinated among the participating team members. Options are given for live events with two-member teams or three-member teams and virtual events with two-member teams. The SEC toolkit provide everything needed to plan and conduct the competition except an ethical case.
Developing a Good Ethics Case for the SEC
Published actual and hypothetical ethical cases, cf. Williams [4] and Fleddermann [5], offer excellent study and practice material, but these cases may be well known or may require specialized knowledge. A custom case can target ethical concepts of particular interest, can be written to match the participants’ background knowledge, and can include multiple facets to explore both black-and-white and gray situations. Most importantly, a custom case has not been seen by the participants. Consequently, the SEC guidelines call for a hypothetical case that incorporates multiple ethical issues and that requires no specialized background knowledge [1]. Cases dealing with public safety and welfare, conflict of interest, engineering practice, and research ethics are encouraged.
The author has coordinated the Student Ethics Competition in IEEE Region 5 for many years and has published selected cases that have been used in these competitions [6]. The cases were designed to be appropriate for undergraduates or graduates in engineering; no particular level of study is needed. Each case establishes a professional workplace setting, gives a sequence of events, and highlights selected ethical questions and potential consequences. The cases contain several potential issues to broaden the scope. The anticipated analysis for each case requires the student participants to distinguish among actions that may be ethically positive, ethically neutral, clearly unethical, unwise, etc. (Note that behavior may be unwise or a mistake without being unethical.). Some aspects in the sequence of events are left intentionally vague so that the participants may modify their analysis based on reasonable assumptions. (These assumptions should be explicit in the presentation for full credit by the judges.). Some cases incorporate dilemmas in which ethical responsibilities may be in conflict. Others present situations in which expediency may cross ethical boundaries. A best practice is to leave the sequence of events at a midpoint. Then, the student participants must analyze the stated actions and must give recommendations for next steps.
Summary
The IEEE Student Ethics Competition provides comprehensive guidelines to conduct events related to the IEEE Code of Ethics and its application. The program contributes to the professional development of engineering students and encourages the study of professional ethics. The SEC toolkit and other ethics resources are maintained by the IEEE Ethics and Member Conduct Committee [1]. The sample ethics cases that are part of the toolkit and other sample cases available in the engineering community, e.g. the NSPE Ethical Review Case collection [7], are useful resources for academic activities and competition practice. A critical component of an SEC event is the ethics case. Hypothetical cases are required. The references point to published cases from recent IEEE regional events which illustrate recommended case features and best practices.
References
- IEEE Ethics and Member Conduct Committee, “Student Ethics Competition,” “Code of Ethics,” and “Example Ethics Cases.” Accessed 2024. Available: https://www.ieee.org/about/ethics/
- Steve E. Watkins, “Teaching Engineering Ethics,” Proceedings of the 2015 ASEE Zone III Conference, Springfield, Missouri, 2015. Available: https://peer.asee.org
- W. Pugh, “Creating the IEEE Code of Ethics” IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu The Bridge Magazine, 109(2), pp. 8-14, June 2013. Available https://hkn.ieee.org/news-and-announcements/the-bridge
- Cindy Williams, “Intel’s Pentium Chip Crisis: An Ethical Analysis,” IEEE Trans. of Professional Communication, 40(1), pp13-19, 1997.
- Charles B. Fleddermann, Engineering Ethics Cases for Electrical and Computer Engineering Students,” IEEE Trans. on Education, 43(3), pp.284-287, 2000
- Steve E. Watkins, “Hypothetical Cases in Engineering Ethics,” Proceedings of the 2017 ASEE Gulf Southwest Section Conference, Dallas, Texas, 2017. Available: https://peer.asee.org
- National Society of Professional Engineers, “Board of Ethical Review Cases,” Accessed 2024. Available: https://www.nspe.org/resources/ethics/ethics-resources/board-ethical-review-cases
