Approaches to Teaching Engineering Ethics

Approaches to Teaching Engineering Ethics Approaches to Teaching Engineering Ethics Approaches to Teaching Engineering EthicsIn its statement on Engineering Ethics Education, The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) believes that, because engineering has a large and growing impact on society, engineers must be equipped by their education to fulfill their ethical obligations to the public at large, to their profession, and to their clients and employers.While fruchtwein engineering educators agree in principle on the importance of incorporating engineering ethics into the curriculum, there is not much agreement on how ethics should be taught and who should teach it.Ethical Engineering Teaching AlternativesAnne Colby and William Sullivan, in their article in the July 2008 Journal of Engineering Education,Ethics Teaching in Undergraduate Engineering Education, identified three common approaches to teaching engineering ethics as outlined by Joseph Herkert in 2002Stand-alone courses in ethics provided within the engineering school or courses on ethics and moral philosophy more broadly provided by the philosophy department.Brief discussions of professional responsibility and ethics, most often references to public safety, incorporated wherever they arise naturally in connection with the subject matter of other courses. These discussions range from references to well-known cases of engineering failure to classroom or homework exercises in which students grapple with tradeoffs between potentially conflicting values such as cost and safety.Modules on engineering ethics and professional responsibility, typically consisting of two or three class sessions, most often in the capstone entwurf course. These modules involve more extensive coverage of ethical issues than the relatively brief references to these issues that are woven more organically into substantive courses.In either case, discussion persists about who should teach the ethics courses. Some engineer ing professors do not believe they are qualified to teach ethics, while others believe it is difficult for engineering students taught outside of their department to relate the discussions to real-world engineering issues.The Importance of Case StudiesRegardless of the teaching approach, case studies are the most popular tool used in most engineering ethics curriculum. Most students will learn about the ethical issues involved in well-publicized failures, such as the crash of the DC-10 in Paris that killed 346 people, the Hyatt Regency walkway collapse in Kansas City that killed 114 people, and the Challenger disaster.Joseph Herkert, associate professor of multidisciplinary studies and director the Benjamin Franklin Scholars Program at North Carolina State University, wrote in his article, Continuing and Emerging Issues in Engineering Ethics Education These high-profile cases may be useful for attracting the attention of engineering students, but the typical ethical dilemmas encount ered by most engineers are more mundane. Therefore, case studies of more common-place events are also used in classrooms.Charles Edwin Harris, Jr.,and co-authorsdescribe in their article, Engineering Ethics What? Why? How? And When?, two types of case studies commonly used the drawing the line method and the conflict resolution method.In the drawing the line case study, educators ask students where they would draw the line between acceptable and unacceptable actions in hypothetical situations. Harris presents a case where most engineers believe that accepting an inexpensive pen as a gift from a vendor is acceptable while accepting a $10,000 check from a vendor to specify a product that is both inferior and more expensive is not acceptable. These are two extreme cases and classroom discussions focus on the gray areas in between that present real world ethical dilemmas.Theyalso describe the conflict resolution method and how it presents different issues that create a conflict of inter est for the engineer. The popular videotape Gilbane Gold, produced by the National Society of Professional Engineers, presents a classic conflict problem. In the story, a young engineer is required to sign documents certifying that the plant discharge into the local sewer meets city regulations, when he suspects that it does not. To make matters worse, the contaminants in the plants discharge are arsenic and lead, and the sludge from the water treatment plant is made into a fertilizer (Gilbane Gold) that is used by local farmers. Plant management does not want to spend any more money to treat the discharge, and David believes he could lose his job if he presses the issue too far. His major conflict is between his obligation to be a loyal employee and his obligation to protect the health of the public. Both obligations are legitimate. What should he do?Whichever method or approach is adopted, it is clear that ethics education is an essential element in engineering education.Tom Ricci is the owner of Ricci Communications.Whichever method or approach is adopted, it is clear that ethics education is an essential element in engineering education.

3 Fast Resume Fixes for Your Best Candidates

3 Fast Resume Fixes for Your Best Candidates 3 Fast Resume Fixes for Your Best Candidates Imagine the scenario You have just completed an interview with an outstanding candidate. The applicant has amazing skills that are perfect for the role and a personality that rocks. Theres only one problem Their resume doesnt have the right emphasis for the job. The only way you are getting this one through the door is with a resume that screams, Hire me for this jobWhat is a busy recruiter to do?According to Diane Hudson, certified resume writer (CPRW) and director of the Certified Professional Career Coach programat the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches(PARW/CC), To stelle a resume for a specific job requires tweaking to meet the job requirements.The top half of the first page is the most critical part of any resume. When providing your candidates with resume guidance, you should focus on the following three elements for maximum impactThe Title LineAlso known as a headline, this sectionencourages the resume reader to continuing further.The Summary StatementA strong summary highlights a candidates relevant technical skills and speaks to their past expertise and soft skills.The Keywords A bulleted list of keywords can make or break a resume, especially when it comes to getting through an applicant tracking system (ATS).Below are somefundamental guidelines to help your candidate do a quick and powerful resume revision1. The Title Line Instruct your candidate to make their title line reflect the saatkorn or very similar wording as the job title listed in the job posting. If the candidate has never held that specific role, the word target may be added.For example, if a candidate is being submitted for a customer success manager (CSM) role, and they have previously held the roles of account manager and customer support manager, their new title line might readTarget Customer Success Manager (CSM)2. The Summary StatementAdvise your candidate to crea te a paragraph that is not italicized and contains no more than five sentences. The summary is best when it begins with descriptive adjectives that embody the relevant value a candidate brings. If the position description mentions specific personality traits, be sure your candidate includes these traits in their summary. A good summary statement will mention relevant expertise and vertical market experience. It should also include specific abilities that relate to the job description, and it should leave out all irrelevant information.Here is an example of a summary created for a senior technical recruiterTenacious and resourceful talent acquisition professional with extensive corporate recruiting expertise. Skilled at identification and placement of IT professionals for startups and Fortune 500s. Able to devise and implement effective programs to entice active and passive candidates. Deep familiarity with multiple applicant tracking systems. Excellent interpersonal communication sk ills at all organizational levels.Advise your candidates to draw language from the requirements section of the job post. In the case of this summary, the position mentioned applicant tracking systems and specific experience sourcing both active and passive candidates. The requirements also included experience working across all organizational levels.3. The KeywordsWhile adding a keyword section to a resume may seem simple enough, the real challenge and the most important part is knowing what to omit. Any specific skills mentioned in the job posting that have not already been addressed in the title line or summary statement should be included in the keyword list. Any irrelevant skills ought to be removed. The most important bullets should come first.Lets take a quick look at this high-level sales executives keywordsTeam Building ? Strategic Planning ? schlussverkauf Training ? Business DevelopmentCustomer Retention/Expansion ? Direct Sales ? TurnaroundsIf this candidate is going fo r an individual contributor role rather than a management-level role, it would be a good idea to remove team building. Business development and direct sales might also be shifted to positions one and two, respectively. Assuming the job description doesnt mention turnarounds, this bullet can and should be removed to make room for other skills that are more relevant to the job opportunity.Less is more when it comes to resumes. Laundry lists are out, and relevant keywords are in. If your candidate stumbles, consider partnering with a reputable resume writing firm that has expertise in recruiting and can provide fast turnaround time.Wendy Schwartz, CPRW, is a senior career consultant and IT recruiter. She is launching ITJobSearchHelp.com in Q2 of 2018 to complement her staffing and resume writing firm, SearchProDirect.com.Master the art of closing deals and making placements. Take our Recruiter Certification Program today. Were SHRM certified. Learn at your own pace during this 12-week program. Access over 20 courses. Great for those who want to break into recruiting, or recruiters who want to further their career. Like this article? We also offer tons of free eBooks on career and recruiting topics - check out Get a Better Job the Right Way and Why It Matters Who Does Your Recruiting. document.write(Read more ) in Resume

Heres how I became a six-figure freelancer

Heres how I became a six-figure freelancerHeres how I became a six-figure freelancerSince 2014, Ive traveled to over 20 countries - all while building a freelance marketing company through which I earn six figures a year.Dont be fooled, though. It hasnt always been like this. I started my freelancing careeras a side gig. I worked full-time, and although I had ambitions of having my own company, setting my own schedule and working from anywhere, making those goals a reality seemed a long way off.Initially,my freelance incomeprovided spending money my first few years out of college, when I welches saving up for a move to Europe while payingmy student loans. When I finally moved to London a few years after graduation to start my PhD, it seemed like the perfect time to take the leap andgo freelance full-time.It took a while, but I was able to build up that freelance side gig to full-time work, making six figures and having the ability to work from anywhere in the world. Here are my tips on how to grow your side hustle salary, whether you want to keep it in addition to a full-time job or develop it into something bigger.Never say noFrom the get-go, I took on every freelance job that was offered to me. From ghostwriting to social media posting to digital strategy, I took on every job that I could find, and made sure I over delivered, every time. There were weekends when I worked rather than played, evenings where I would sit down at the computer only to look up at sunrise and many, many missed invites to fun events - but I made sure that I did my best at every job that came my way.You have to spend money to make moneyI washesitant at first to make a website for myself, take classes to build my skill set, or travel on my own dime to meet with clients. But the old adage is true (with a caveat) sometimes, you have to spend money to make money. After a while,having a portfolio onlinewas super helpful when speaking with prospective clients who had heard about me through word of mouth.Name dropping training courses and even client meetings is important, even if sometimes it feels a little show-offish.Discern what you spend your money on, of course, but be aware that a few well-planned events, training, andprofessional development tacticscan really build your profile, skill set,and career.Networking no matter how painful really worksMost of my clients now come from word of mouth- but of course, you have to startsomewhereto get to that place. And its never guaranteed that youll continue to get clients through word of mouth. I am, by nature, not a very outgoing person with strangers - but I try to join groups or go to events where I know people are interested in the same things, so theres at least one common topic of interest.Whether you attend charity events, professional development sessions oreven a coffee or drinks to catch up, theyre all great opportunities to meet new people, hone your communications skills and of course - talk about your tr ade. You never know where those conversations will lead. I alsobewerberinterview for full-time jobs semi-regularly. I like to keep my interview skills fresh. Staying up to date on how people in my industry chat with one another helps to keep my options open.Develop a portfolioEveryone should have a calling card of sorts thatshow prospective clients that you can walk the walk, not just talk the talk. As you build your client base, you can start to use past client work as examples, but in the meantime, use work projects (confirm you can use them with HR), or develop your own projects that you do in your free time to showcase your skills. Some trades are mora difficult than others to showcase, so even gathering testimonials and recommendations is a great place to start.Hustle hard, but take time to restEveryone talks about how busy they are, and in our society, we wear this like a badge of honor. But. Make sure you take the time to enjoy life, pursue a hobby, stay healthy and maintain your personal relationships. I sacrificed a lot in my early freelancing years, including a great relationship, to build my career. I wish I had spent a little more time on myself, because I would have burned out less, which would have made me more efficient and effective in the long run. Even a few hours a week for self-care is a great start.Offer multiple proficienciesI started out as a writer, and ended up as a marketing consultant - its funny how ones career can morph and take different paths. As a freelancer, you already have to be your own salesperson, marketer, accountant, and bookkeeper, but youll likely also have to help clients with multiple things that are related to your industry. For example, many of my clients require someone who is both strategic and tactical. I often find myself making strategies and then implementing them - which is a great way to keep my skills fresh. My advice is to always go into projects with an open mind, and be aware that you may do things th at span your ability set.Hopefully, youll find these tips helpful as you develop your freelance careers. And as always, the most important thing is to listen to your gut, be true to yourself, and be passionate about what youre doing that will never fail you.This article first appeared on Career Contessa.