BENG404 

Module Name Engineering Ethics and Professional Practice 
 Module Code BENG404 
Level Four 
 Credits 15 

  

  

Module Description and General Aims 

Engineering Professional Practice helps students prepare for the professional practices in engineering field. The profession of engineering is defined by ethical and legal obligations, and engineers need to understand the regulations and principles governing their work to effectively serve the public. Students who take this course become acquainted with the philosophy, law, and contemporary issues underpinning engineering practice. 

Course will present the core competencies of Partial Chartered Engineers and their responsibility to guard the public’s health, welfare, and safety. In that context, competing ideologies will be identified that creates conflicts in choice. Several case histories will be explored to identify conflicting ideologies. Students are asked to develop their own personal development and professional goals. 

This course introduces students to the Engineering Council’s competencies for Partial Chartered Engineer. Topics include codes of ethics, agreements and contracts, ethical and legal considerations, professional liability, public protection issues, environmental regulations, and environmental sustainability considerations. It prepares students to think critically while working with complex engineering and environmental issues. 

  

Learning Outcomes 

On successful completion of this Module, students are expected to be able to: 

  1. Investigate, research, report and reflect on engineering professional practice in the workplace 
    Bloom’s Level 4 
  1. Explore the nature of professional responsibilities and challenges faced by Partial Chartered Engineers and document them in the reflective journal 
    Bloom’s Level 4 
  1. Review and reflect on the role of Partial Chartered Engineers, codes of ethics and standards of professional engineering bodies. 
    Bloom’s Level 2 
  1. Evaluate the importance of community engagement, continued professional development and lifelong learning for an engineering career. 
    Bloom’s Level 2 
  1. Evaluate and reflect on issues relating to diversity, inclusivity, including intercultural and indigenous issues. 
    Bloom’s Level 5 

Student Assessment 

Assessment Type When assessed Weighting (% of total module marks) Learning Outcomes Assessed 
Assessment 1 Type: Proctored Test Duration: 1 hour (Proctored via Moodle and IRIS) Students will undertake a 1-hour proctored test under exam conditions, at a specified time. Example Topics: 1, 2, 3 After Topic 3 20% 1, 2 
Assessment 2 – Presentation Type: Presentation Length: 10 minutes recorded Example Topics: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 After Topic 7 30% 1, 2, 3, 4 
Assessment 3 Type: Case Study Project Length: No more than 10 pages 
(Turn-it-in)  Example Topics: all  		After Topic 12 45% 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 
Tutorial Attendance  Continuous 5% 
   		– 

  

  

Prescribed and Recommended Readings 

Textbooks 

  • Engineering Ethics Fourth Edition, by Charles B. Fleddermann. Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, 2012. ISBN-13: 978-0-13-214521-3 
  • The Ethical Engineer: Contemporary Concepts and Cases, by Robert McGinn. Princeton University Press, 2018. ISBN – 9781400889105 

Reference Materials 

• The Making of an Expert Engineer 1st Edition by James Trevelyan 
• IEEE referencing guide 
 

  

Module Content 

  

Topic 1 

Becoming an engineer 

  1. The role of an engineer 
  1. Core skills and attributes of an engineer 
  1. Impacts of engineering on society 
  1. Professionalism, certification, and registration for professional practice. 
  1. Key engineering professional bodies 

  

Topic 2 

Engineering in the society 

  1. What are the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)? 
  1. Role of engineers in SDG 
  1. Strategies for practicing sustainable engineering 
  1. Environmentally sustainable engineering 
  1. Socially sustainable engineering 
  1. Intergenerational and intragenerational equity 
  1. Community consultation and communication 
  1. Climate change and engineering 

  

Topic 3 

Professional responsibility and ethics 

  1. Professional responsibility: standards and professional liability 
  1. Work health and safety (WHS) and personal liability 
  1. Engineering ethics 
  1. Professional accountability 

  

Topic 4 

Professional Skills 

1. Self-management and professionalism 
2. Engineer’s personality and attitudes 
3. Sources of inspiration 
4. Developing an inquiring mind 
5. Developing goals and strategies 
6. Lifelong learning and reflective practice 

7. Knowledge frameworks 

  

Topic 5 

Collaborating with others 

  1. Understanding different personality styles 
  1. Emotional intelligence  
  1. Working in groups 
  1. Cross functional and cross discipline teams  
  1. Fundamentals of an effective group 
  1. The lifecycle of a team 
  1. Benefits of working with others 
  1. Virtual and distributed teams 
  1. Role of technology in collaboration 

  

Topic 6 

Communication skills for engineers 

1. Understanding communication 
2. Communication theories and models 
3. Characteristics of communicators 

4. Digital communications 

5. Communication methods and roles 

6. Verbal and written communication skills 

7. Visual communications 

  

Topic 7 

Applying the engineering methods 

  1. Data, information and knowledge 
  1. Identifying information needs 
  1. Idea Generation and Systems Thinking 
  1. Investigative questioning 
  1. Locating and retrieving information 
  1. Evaluating information and information sources 

  

Topic 8 

Engineering design process 

1. Key ideas in the design process 
2. Socio-ecological thinking 
3. Whole system design goals 
4. Generating alternative solutions 
5. Lateral and parallel thinking 
6. Six thinking hats 
7. Transforming design through biomimetic thinking and design 
 

 Topic 9 

Evaluating engineering solutions and decision making 

1. Economical evaluation of solutions 
2. Technical feasibility 
3. Mathematical modelling in design 
4. Engineering decision making 

5. Team-based decision making 

6. Decision support systems, tools, and techniques 

  

Topic 10 

 Information management 

1. Understanding authentic and reliable sources of information 

2. Locating and utilizing information 

3. Awareness of discipline specific engineering standards 

4. Document identification, tracking and version control 

5. Cyber security and data management 

  

Topic 11 

Communicating and writing information 

1. Using the PCR model to create an effective communication 
2. Developing a communication plan for an engineering project 
3. Writing in the engineering workplace 
4. Risk management documentation 

5. Technical presentations 

6. Drawings, plans, and sketches 

7. Using virtual techniques to communicate the complex operations 

  

Topic 12 

 Your engineering future 

1. Engineering to meet future global challenges 
2. Engineering and globalization 
3. Futuristic engineering: emerging fields 
4. Different types of organizations 
5. Efficiency and respect in the workplace 

6. Continuing professional development (CPD) 

  

Software/Hardware Used 

Software 

  • (Suggested) Loom or Open Broadcaster Software (for homework presentation recordings)   
  • (Suggested) Microsoft Planner, Word, and PowerPoint online via office.com (student account login) 

Hardware 

  • N/A