INTEGRATING PROFESSIONAL ETHICS INTO CIVMECH COURSE

During the Ethics Across the Curriculum workshop held at Illinois Institute of Technology on July 30 to August 6, 2002, I presented some materials on indoor air quality where I integrated professional ethics, and I identified CIVMECH (Mechanical Engineering Applications for Civil Engineers) as the course into which I introduced professional ethics. Please refer to the attached CIVMECH course syllabus. In my lectures and examinations I included discussions and questions relating to professional ethics. Please refer to sample questionnaires, quiz and final exam. Generally, the students appreciated the integration of ethics in some of the topics discussed. They participated actively during class discussion of some ethical issues faced by engineers in practice especially in designing thermal systems like air conditioning. The responses given by the students in the course impact survey attest to my general impression.

Sixty-eight (68) out of seventy-three (73) students enrolled in the course wrote their responses in the form provided by IIT. While most of the students have taken up CETHICS course (Civil Engineering Ethics) before enrolling in CIVMECH, they express that integrating professional ethics into CIVMECH has enhanced their understanding of the professional duties of engineers. It seems that the responsibility of engineers for the safety, health and welfare of the public was deeply impressed among them in the course. Most, if not all, believe that the time spent for professional ethics was just the right amount. While the general feedback and comments by the students are encouraging, I believe that the following concerns must be looked into for further improvements:
(i) gathering/preparing of materials in professional ethics like contextualized case studies which consider Philippine setting and conditions
for engineering practice
(ii) designing and writing of examination questions which have ethical components
(iii) use of a variety of teaching methodologies aside from the traditional lecture type to make learning more effective and a lot more fun.
Over-all, this first attempt of integrating professional ethics into a technical course after attending the workshop is good and the endeavor is worth continuing. After a few more "experiments" , I believe I am ready to shared with my colleagues in our university and eventually with those from other universities.

Course Title : Mechanical Engineering Applications for Civil Engineers
Credit Unit   : 3.0 units
Textbook     : Mechanical and Electrical Equipment for Buildings, 8th ed. by Stein and Reynolds

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The course deals with the fundamental knowledge of mechanical engineering principles and their applications to the civil engineering field. The course includes basic theory, preliminary design guidelines, and detailed design procedures of mechanical equipment for buildings. It also includes basic design of some building requirements such as illumination, transportation, fire protection, water supply and waste disposal, and special topics.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
A. Cognitive: At the end of the term, the students should be able to understand the basic theory of mechanical equipment design for buildings; have been familiarized with the current design practices and procedures of mechanical equipment for buildings and other requirements; and, apply such theory, practices and procedures to a term project

B. Affective Value Aims: At the end of the term, the student must have acquired the following values: competence, integrity, respect for human life and the environment, fairness and discipline.

Course Outline Lecture Hours
1.   Introduction : Course Syllabus      1.5
2.   Energy Overview                        3.0
2.1   Energy Sources for Buildings
2.2   Comfort, Climate and Design Strategies
2.3   Sites and Resources
3.     Thermal Control                       6.0
3.1   Heat Flow
3.2   Designing for Cooling
3.3   Systems and Equipment for Cooling
3.4   Large Building HVAC Systems
        Quiz # 1 1.5