Engineering Education and Practice: Embracing a Catholic Vision

8. International Service Learning at Marquette University

Chapter Eight international Service Learning at Marquette university DaNiel h. zitomer, larS e. olSoN, aND JohN P. Borg Most engineering curricula focus on science and mathematics to solve problems for groups of people. However, it is clear that knowledge of the group to be served and ethical discernment are also important to plan, design, and construct engineering works successfully. The fact that the social sciences are an integral part of engineering solutions has already been widely recognized. for example, vesilind wrote about the benefits of reforming engineering education to include more applied social science; virtuous decision making in the workplace is the major outcome described.1 More broadly, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) outlines ten skills that engineering graduates should demonstrate, six of which relate to social science (such as considering engineering solutions in a global and societal context), whereas only four of which relate to engineering and natural science (for example, applying math, science, and engineering knowledge).2 169 170 Daniel H. Zitomer, Lars E. Olson, & John P . Borg To serve society more fully and lead rewarding lives, engineering students must be given opportunities to develop better communication and civic participation skills. william wulf, former president of the National Academy of Engineering, has described the importance of participation by engineers in public policy debate, having written that engineers must “think about the social and political implications of technology” because engineering has a significant effect on society. Policy decision making will therefore benefit from significant technical input.3 wulf goes on to point out that the present engineering culture is indifferent or actively opposed to debate of public policy issues. wulf believes this situation should change. Ethical discernment, the perception and judgment of a person’s actions in light of standards of conduct, is another skill that employers report as essential for engineers to possess if they are to become leaders .4 Engineers must not only plan, design, build, and operate systems, they must also consider the ethical consequences of their work, providing leadership in teams and in the community. In his recent book, Chris Lowney applies leadership concepts used for over 450 years by the group of Catholic priests known as the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits ). He points out that self-awareness, ingenuity, love, and heroism can be developed through the Spiritual Exercises written by the society ’s founder, St. Ignatius, as well as other reflective techniques. These virtues can serve as foundations for successful decision making.5 Self-awareness, in turn, strengthens engineers’ resolve to act with “indifference”—remaining open to many methodologies—so as not to be hampered by attachment to one exclusive road that possibly leads to failure. It is important to note that, in the general sense, “indifference ” is often assumed to have a negative connotation. People that are indifferent may be thought to be uninspired, uninformed, and disinterested . However, as used by St. Ignatius and the Jesuits, the concept of indifference is inspired, informed, and valuable for attaining the greater good. for example, when designing and constructing civil engineering works, it is often necessary to adapt, make field modifications, and remain “indifferent” so as to best serve a community. On more than one occasion, Marquette University students have spent three months designing a bridge, only to travel to rural guatemala and find that the community members prefer a much higher bridge deck to accommo- International Service Learning at Marquette University 171 date greater river flows. After much debate, a compromise is typically reached. The bridge deck may not be raised from five to twelve feet, but raising it to eight feet is reasonable, and the bridge can be constructed . The design must then be quickly modified. If the student designer and supervising professional engineer remain “indifferent,” then they find that the redesign is not a reason to panic, but the compromise is for the best both technically and socially. In most cases, pedagogical methods linking social science, ethical discernment, and engineering are underdeveloped. Difficulties have been described as disinterest and cynicism of some educators towards engineering ethics and social science initiatives, a lack of engineering faculty who are committed to including ethics and social sciences in class, and a lack of motivation among students to learn about these subjects. SerVice learNiNg aS a WiNDoW of oPPortuNity iN eNgiNeeriNg eDucatioN Because engineers stereotypically resist debate about public policy as well as reflection on their work’s social dimensions, specific methods...