Peer Reviewed Journal via three different mandatory reviewing processes, since 2006, and, from September 2020, a fourth mandatory peer-editing has been added.
This article describes an action research project conducted
at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to resolve a
problem with the ability of licensed and/or certified
engineers to obtain the ethics-related professional
development units or hours (PDUs or PDHs) needed to
maintain their credentials. Because of the recurring
requirement and the static nature of the information, an
initial, in-depth training followed by annually updated
refresher training was proposed. A case model approach,
with online delivery, was selected as the optimal
pedagogical model for the refresher training. In the first
two years, the only data that was collected was throughput
and information retention. Response rates indicated that the
approach was effective in helping licensed professional
engineers obtain the needed PDUs. The rates of correct
responses suggested that knowledge transfer regarding
ethical reasoning had occurred in the initial training and had
been retained in the refresher. In FY13, after completing the
refresher, learners received a survey asking their opinion of
the effectiveness and utility of the course, as well as their
impressions of the case study format vs. the typical
presentation format. Results indicate that the courses have
been favorably received and that the case study method
supports most of the pedagogical needs of adult learners as
well as, if not better than, presentation-based instruction.
Future plans for improvement are focused on identifying
and evaluating methods for enriching online delivery of the
engineering ethics cases.
