St. Cloud State University
General Education Goal Area 9 Designation
Civic Engagement & Ethics
Academic Affairs Use Only:
Response Date: ______________________
Effective Date: ______________________
1.
Prepared by: Steve Covey
Phone:
Proposal Number: _________________
Email: covey@stcloudstate.edu
2.
Requesting Unit: MME
3.
Department, Course Number, Title: MME 101 Introduction to the Engineering Profession
4.
New Course
5.
Will this course be flagged as a diversity course?
Already Designated as Diversity
6.
Will this course also satisfy another General Education Goal Area?
If “Yes” specify which goal area.
7.
Course bulletin description, including credits and semesters to be offered:
Professional responsibilities and ethics; critical thinking and engineering problem solving; social impact
of engineering; teamwork skills; engineering careers and work opportunities. 3 Cr. F,S.
8.
Indicate the clientele for whom this course is designed. Is the course for general education only, or
does it fulfill general education and other program needs for this or another department? Obtain
signatures from any affected departments.
All engineering programs require this course.
9.
Indicate any changes that must be made in offerings or resources in your department or other
departments by offering this course.
None
10.
For new courses or courses not yet approved for General Education, indicate any other SCSU departments
or units offering instruction that relates to the content of the proposed course.
11.
Courses designated as General Education are included in the assessment plan for the Goal Area(s)
for which they are approved. Courses for which assessment is not included in the annual GE
assessment report for two years will be removed from the General Education Program.
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Existing Course
No
Diversity Proposal Accompanying This Form
No
Yes
The Requesting Unit understands and recognizes the above conditions.
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12.
Provide a concise explanation of how the following goal is a “significant focus” of the proposed course.
Goal Area 9: Civic Engagement and Ethics
Understand and evaluate ethical or civic issues and theories, and participate in active citizenship or ethical
judgment.
a. understand and evaluate ethical or civic issues and theories
(i) students will learn the major ethical theories
(ii) students will learn how civic concepts are encoded in a professional code of ethics
(iii) students will discover the social and global impact of contemporary issues in engineering
b. participate in active citizenship or ethical judgement
(i) students will understand their reposibility to the health, safety and welfare of the public
(ii) students will identify technology-based situations that require reporting to an appropriate authority
(iii) students will identify ethical dilemmas and propose an appropriate plan of action
13. In order for a course to be designated as fulfilling Goal Area 9, it must address at least 5 of the 6 student learning
outcomes (SLOs) below. Check the SLOs below that are focused on in the proposed general education course.
1. Explain the connections among education, citizenship, and participation in a democratic society.
2. Explain major ethical or political theories.
3. Describe how interpretations of ethics or citizenship may vary by nationality, ethnicity, race, color, religion,
gender, ability and disability, or sexual orientation.
4. Apply concepts such as democracy, rights, morality, justice, virtue, liberty and obligation to personal,
professional, and public issues.
5. Analyze and evaluate alternative theoretical approaches or formulate solutions to ethical or civic issues.
6. Develop and exercise personal agency or ethical judgment in the public domain.
14.
Discuss how each Student Learning Outcome checked above is achieved in this course. (Note: Although
descriptions of typical assignments or types of assignments may be part of this discussion, it is not
appropriate to submit copies of actual assignments.)
SLO1: Students gain an appreciation for the connection between continued technical competency
and
the health, safety and welfare of the public. Students demonstrate the skills necessary for
lifelong (self-directed) learning which is necessary for continued competency in a technological
field.
SLO2: Students learn the major ethical theories. They answer exam questions and complete homework
assignments to measure their understanding and to identify their personal approach in resolving
ethical dilemmas in technology-based situations.
SLO3: Students are given an opportunity to explore different interpretations of ethics through
assignments and class discussion of the various situations that can arise in technical fields.
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SLO4: Students use a professional code of ethics to explore how such concepts are integrated into their
field. Students study professional settings and then describe an appropriate plan of action based
on the professional code of ethics.
SLO5: Students identify and develop a plan of action for different technology-based issues. At least one
case study is discussed in greater detail.
SLO6: Students learn that the health, safety and welfare of the public is of paramount importance to
professional engineers. Through class discussion and homework students evaluate case studies of
ethical issues in technical fields. Some examples of issues that may be discussed are:
* alternative sources of energy and their impact on the public
* inadequate risk assessment of new technology
* environmental impact of some technological solutions
* inadequacy of some government regulations for public safety
15.
List or attach the Course Outline (adequately described and including percentage of time to be allocated
to each topic). Curriculum Committees may request additional information. Topics larger than 20% need
to be broken down further. Indicate in your course outline where the Student Learning Outcomes
checked above are being met.
7 % - Study Success
8%13 % 6 % - Technical Communication
4 % - Ethical Theories
4%9%6%9%2 % - Statistical Profile of the Engineering Field
10 % - Description of the Engineering Field
6 % - Exploration of Engineering Disciplines
16 % - Industry Persepective of the Profession
Notes:
1. Many of the topics in the course incorporate other areas. For example, the unit on Teamwork Skills
includes an activity that evaluates personal ethics in the treatment of people different from oneself.
Another example is an activity in the Engineering Design unit that requires students to learn how
to evaluate the accuracy of internet information which is necessary for lifelong learning.
2. SLO 6 is also covered in part in both the Technical Communication and the Global and Current
Issues in Engineering.
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St. Cloud State University
Academic Affairs Use Only:
Response Date: _______________________
Effective Date: _______________________
General Education Transmittal Form
Proposal Number_______________
Department: MME
Course or Course(s): MME/ECE 101, Introduction to the Engineering Profession
Department or Unit Chair Signature
Date
Department forward to Academic Affairs for publication and electronically to Chair of General Education Committee, Chair
of College Curriculum Committee, College Dean
Recommendation of General Education Committee:
Approve
Chairperson
Committee
Remarks:
Disapprove
Signature
Date
Recommendation of University Curriculum Committee:
Approve
Chairperson
Committee
Disapprove
Signature
Date
Recommendation of Faculty Association:
Approve
FA Senate
Remarks:
Disapprove
Signature
Date
Action of Academic Vice President:
Approve
Signature
Remarks:
Remarks:
Disapprove
Date
Entered in Curriculum Data File ____________________________________________________
10/15/2009