P ac ice Pape
Recommended ci a ion: Le Duc, I., Daniel, S., Josa, I., Lan Hing Ting, K., Saad,
R., Rossi, V., & T uslo e, J. (2025). Re lec i e Tools and Good P ac ices o
Rein o ce E hics, Responsibili y and Sus ainabili y in Enginee ing Educa ion. In
Kangaslampi, R., Langie, G., Jä inen, H.-M., & Nagy, B. (Eds.), SEFI 53 d Annual
Con e ence. Eu opean Socie y o Enginee ing Educa ion (SEFI), Tampe e,
Finland. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17631299.
This Con e ence Pape is b ough o you o open access by he 53 d Annual Con e ence
o he Eu opean Socie y o Enginee ing Educa ion (SEFI) a Tampe e Uni e si y in
Tampe e, Finland. This wo k is licensed unde a C ea i e Commons
A ibu ion-NonComme cial-Sha e Alike 4.0 In e na ional License.
REFLECTIVE TOOLS AND GOOD PRACTICES TO REINFORCE
ETHICS, RESPONSIBILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY IN ENGINEERING
EDUCATION
Ing id Le Duc a,1, Sco Daniel b, I ene Josa c,
Ka ine Lan Hing Ting d, Valen ina Rossi e, Rola Saad
a Ecole Poly echnique Fédé ale de Lausanne (EPFL), Swi ze land, o cid.o g/0000-
0002-0816-6123
b Uni e si y o Technology Sydney, o cid.o g/0000-0002-7528-9713
c The Ba le School o Sus ainable Cons uc ion, Uni e si y College London (UCL),
d Sec e a ia Gene al, Eu opean Uni e si y o Technology, F ance, Eu opean Union,
e Ecole Poly echnique Fédé ale de Lausanne (EPFL), Swi ze land
School o Elec ical and Elec onic Enginee ing, The Uni e si y o She ield,
o cid.o g/0000-0002-3312-2106
Con e ence Key A eas: Dialogue be ween enginee ing and socie y – e ec s on
educa ion; Sus ainabili y and socie y in enginee ing
Keywo ds: A chimedean oa h, cha e , global esponsibili y, eaching scena ios,
e hics in enginee ing educa ion
ABSTRACT
In his pape , we e iew se e al e lec i e p ac ices o oa hs, cha e s and codes o
conduc ha suppo e hics and sus ainabili y in enginee ing educa ion in Eu ope and
Aus alia. We ind simila conce ns o he impo ance o espec ing e hical dilemmas
and sus ainabili y in enginee ing educa ion. Di e en p ac ices sha e global
esponsibili y as a ecu en conce n. This pape explo es conside a ions abou
whe he i is possible o ans e good p ac ices in e hics and sus ainabili y om
enginee ing educa ion in o p o essional p ac ice.
1 Co esponding Au ho
I.Le Duc
Ing id.leduc@ep l.ch
1 INTRODUCTION
Enginee ing, as a discipline, ex ends a beyond he ealm o echnical expe ise; i is
a p o ession ha p o oundly in luences he ab ic o socie y, sus ainabili y, and he
ajec o y o human li es. Consequen ly, a obus e hical amewo k is no me ely a
desi able a ibu e bu a undamen al necessi y o ensu ing ha enginee ing
endea ou s a e conduc ed esponsibly and con ibu e posi i ely o he global
communi y.
T adi ionally, p o essional oa hs and codes o conduc ha e se ed as o mal and
public a icula ions o he e hical p inciples and esponsibili ies ha guide enginee s in
hei p o essional p ac ice. These documen s ac as co ne s ones, ein o cing
s anda ds o conduc and p omo ing he p io i isa ion o public good in all enginee ing
ac i i ies.
The exis ence o o malised e hical commi men s ac oss a spec um o p o essions,
including law, medicine, and public se ice, shows a widesp ead ecogni ion o he
c i ical need o such amewo ks in ields whe e us and esponsibili y a e
pa amoun . Enginee ing, wi h i s di ec and o en subs an ial impac on sa e y,
in as uc u e, and o e all well-being, logically aligns wi h his need o a o mal e hics
guide (Ha is e al., 2019). Beyond simply ou lining expec ed beha iou s, oa hs and
codes can cul i a e a deepe sense o du y and in eg i y among p o essionals. This
in e nal commi men can se e as a powe ul and in insic mo i a o o e hical
beha iou , ex ending beyond me e adhe ence o ex e nal egula ions and guidelines.
1.1 Global esponsibili y in enginee ing
Global esponsibili y is a e m ha has been gaining momen um in enginee ing,
encompassing c ucial a eas such as di e si y, equi y and inclusion (DEI), sus ainabili y
and e hics (T uslo e e al., 2021). Global esponsibili y is achie ed by balancing he
needs o all people wi hin he limi s o ou plane . This goes beyond me ely social
esponsibili y, in ha i equi es c i ically e lec ing on he ole o enginee ing in socie y
as well as conside ing i s social, en i onmen al and economic impac s bo h locally,
whe e solu ions a e implemen ed, and globally, h ough supply chains and ope a ions.
The need o enginee s o emb ace global esponsibili y has long been ecognised
(Kamp, 2020), unde sco ing he need o c i ical e lec ion on he ole o enginee ing
in socie y and i s e ec s on people’s well-being and ecological s abili y. Ye co e age
o sus ainabili y, inclusion and e hics ac oss enginee ing deg ees emains
insubs an ial and inconsis en . Fo example, a 2022 su ey o 667 s uden s e ealed
ha only a ound 30% had so a encoun e ed he UN's Sus ainable De elopmen
Goals (SDGs) in hei educa ion (Siemens, 2023). Fu he , indus y and p o essional
bodies in ecen yea s ha e s a ed ha ‘enginee ing deg ees a e no i o pu pose’
(Flaig, 2022).
In his pape we p esen a se ies o s a egies o help enginee ing deg ees align wi h
cu en e hics and sus ainabili y goals, s a ing wi h he A chimedean Oa h.
1.2 The A chimedean Oa h
The A chimedean Oa h was p oposed in he 1990s by ou physics s uden s a he
École Poly echnique Fédé ale de Lausanne (EPFL). Inspi ed by he e hical p inciples
embodied in he Hippoc a ic Oa h o medical p o essionals, i add esses undamen al
e hical conce ns ac oss di e se scien i ic and echnical domains. I s ini ial mo i a ion
emphasized he commi men o g adua ing enginee s o bo h hei academic ins i u ion
and hei b oade global esponsibili ies. This dual ocus ecognized ha enginee s,
upon g adua ion, ansi ion in o oles whe e hei ac ions ha e implica ions ha ex end
beyond hei immedia e p o essional ci cles.
Recen ly, a g owing awa eness o e ol ing socie al and en i onmen al eali ies has
p omp ed a e-e alua ion and upda ing o he A chimedean Oa h. The need o add ess
con empo a y challenges, no only in he speci ic wo ding bu also in he b oade
scope o he oa h, has become inc easingly appa en . Fo example, he main s uden
associa ion ecen ly e ised he ex o be e align wi h cu en conce ns e hical
conce ns such as clima e change. This e ision p ocess highligh s he ongoing
engagemen o s uden s in shaping hei lea ning expe ience. I s cu en ex explici ly
acknowledges he expanding esponsibili y o enginee s, as scien is s owa ds na u e
and humani y, alongside he e hical dilemmas ha a ise om he de elopmen and
applica ion o echnology. This e olu ion signi ies a commi men o ensu ing ha he
e hical amewo k guiding enginee s emains ele an and esponsi e o he p essing
issues o ou ime.
In ligh o he abo e, his a icle aims o explo e al e na i e complemen a y app oaches
o he adi ional use o he A chimedean Oa h, such as he use o cha e s, case
s udies, and he EU + Alliance modula eaching. We a e speci ically examining how
such app oaches can unc ion as e lec i e ools wi hin enginee ing educa ion.
2 PRACTICAL SCENARIOS
2.1 Global esponsibili y a all le els o educa ional change
A p ominen d i e in ad oca ing o global esponsibili y in enginee ing, he Enginee s
Wi hou Bo de s UK mo emen s i es o place ‘global esponsibili y a he hea o
enginee ing’ o a sa e and jus u u e o all, by inspi ing, upskilling and d i ing change
wi hin enginee ing educa ion and p ac ice, h ough i s ou guiding p inciples:
esponsible, pu pose ul, inclusi e and egene a i e.
Na iga ing he complexi ies o educa ing he nex gene a ion is no easy ea . I o en
in ol es ques ioning ‘how’ and ‘why’ we each, and how o enginee wi h deep
conside a ion o he b oade impac s o enginee ing on people and he plane . In his
sense, Enginee s Wi hou Bo de s UK ha e na iga ed his landscape o change o
engage s akeholde s wi hin his sys em o meaning ully in eg a e global esponsibili y
in o enginee ing educa ion - wo king a he Module, P og amme/Facul y and Sys em-
Wide le els (T uslo e e al., 2025). This is in ecogni ion ha ans o ma i e change
which add esses mul iple le els o ac ion is essen ial wi hin complex sys ems such as
highe educa ion (Pu cell and Haddock-F ase , 2023). C ucially, he e is no one-size-
i s-all app oach o making change, o he ype o change ha ’s needed and/o ele an
o di e en o ganisa ions.
E ec i ely in eg a ing global esponsibili y in o enginee ing educa ion equi es mul iple
laye s o change. Speci ically o eaching scena ios, we enlis a ious pedagogical
s a egies.
One such s a egy in ol es exposing s uden s o he p o essional codes and
s anda ds ha go e n he enginee ing p o ession. This amilia isa ion helps s uden s
unde s and he e hical guidelines and esponsibili ies hey will be expec ed o uphold
in hei ca ee s, os e ing a sense o p o essional du y and e hical conduc .
Ano he s a egy ha may be used is he u ilisa ion o case s udies ha p esen eal-
wo ld e hical dilemmas, p omp ing s uden s o engage in discussions and apply e hical
p inciples o complex scena ios, he eby enhancing hei e hical easoning and
decision-making skills. Fu he mo e, educa o s can engage s uden s wi h e hical
heu is ics and explo e ounda ional p inciples o philosophical e hics o deepen hei
unde s anding o e hical heo ies and equip hem wi h he ools o c i ical analysis.
Inco po a ing discussions a ound Co po a e Social Responsibili y (CSR) p o ides
s uden s wi h a amewo k o unde s anding he b oade social and en i onmen al
impac s o enginee ing decisions wi hin o ganisa ional con ex s. Teaching ‘ ole e hics’,
which ocuses on he speci ic esponsibili ies associa ed wi h di e en p o essional
oles, can also p o ide s uden s wi h a mo e nuanced unde s anding o hei du ies
and po en ial e hical challenges.
Impo an ly, in eg a ing e hical conside a ions no as a sepa a e subjec bu alongside
he co e echnical cu iculum and wi hin he con ex o enginee ing p ojec s helps
s uden s ecognize he inhe en e hical dimensions o hei echnical wo k. In o de o
he e hical con en being augh o be ele an and ha e meaning, i needs o ela e o
he enginee ing discipline. Sec ion 3 o he Enginee ing E hics Educa ion Handbook
(Chance e al., 2025), which eme ged om he SEFI SIG on E hics, p esen s he many
ways ha e hics is applied, conside ed, and p ac iced in he a ious
sub ields/disciplines o enginee ing. Whe he e med ‘Enginee ing e hics’ o
‘Responsible enginee ing’, he p inciple is ha enginee s mus be augh o ake
esponsibili y o he implica ions o hei wo k.
The combina ion o hese di e se pedagogical s a egies is c ucial o os e ing a
comp ehensi e and endu ing unde s anding o global esponsibili y in u u e
enginee s.
2.2 Es ablishing a Cha e and class oom policies
The p e ious sec ions emphasized he essen ial ole o cha e s and codes o conduc
o cul i a e a deepe sense o du y and in eg i y among p o essionals du ing hei
enginee ing s udies. The ag eed commi men could become a powe ul and in insic
mo i a o o e hical beha iou o help ansla e egula ions and guidelines in o
p ac ice.
This sec ion b ie ly p esen s he wo k o es ablishing a cha e . He e, we e e o a
ini ia i e aiming o es ablish a cha e as a s a emen desc ibing he place he
subsc ibed pa icipan s aspi e o wo k and s udy wi hin; and which consequen ly
se es as guidance o e lec on an academic communi y’s alues. Las ly, a cha e
could inspi e class oom policies o s uden p ojec s and help build psychological
sa e y in he class oom.
We iden i ied simila i ies ac oss a a ie y o cha e s and codes o conduc in academic
con ex s. Fo example, in 2024 he Uni e si y o Edinbu gh published a beha iou al
cha e o ‘suppo con e sa ions a ound he impo ance o how we do ou job, as well
as wha we ha e achie ed’ (Uni e si y o Edinbu gh, 2024). Likewise, in 2023, he
Depa men o A chi ec u e a ETH-Zu ich (D-ARCH) de ines hei newly es ablished
code o conduc as ‘a decla a ion o in en … a egula o y ideal and a lea ning ool ha
helps us assess p oblema ic si ua ions and guide ou beha iou in case o con usion
o doub ’ (page1: P eamble).
Following his logic, he cha e ha would be p oduced by a small wo king g oup,
would be submi ed o wide consul a ion. The e o would hen be pu o consul a ion
o ensu e i is app op ia ed and seen as collec i e and ep esen a i e o sha ed alues.
In e es ingly, he e hical alue o his exe cise is wo old, ha ing a documen on one
side, and he collabo a i e ac i i ies building o i s inal d a on he o he . To no e, a
he ime o submi ing his pape we could only a o d o sha e insigh s on his
pa icipa i e p ocess as wo k is s ill ongoing.
Fi s , as p oposed by Enginee s Wi hou Bo de s UK, as a p e-p o essional exe cise,
i is impo an o in ol e s uden s o explo e easons o ha ing cha e s o codes o
conduc in addi ion o consul ing he adequacy o i s con en . Cha e s and codes o
conduc a e commonplace o enginee ing associa ions and ede a ions, as well as o
A chi ec s, such as he A chi ec s Regis a ion Boa d in he UK, o he In e na ional
Fede a ion o S uc u al Conc e e. Thus, a discussion on a cha e complies o he
legal amewo k and ins i u ional guidelines.
Second, as a pedagogical exe cise, es ablishing a cha e eaches abou o e coming
challenges and dealing wi h us a ion; wo essen ial ans e sal skills ha
complemen e hical decision-making. Fo ins ance, s uden s de elop skills acili a ing
con e sa ions abou alues such as espec , academic in eg i y, applica ion o heo y,
coope a ion and ime managemen .
Ideally, he cha e would apply a a ious laye s o a hie a chy, o example; be ween
supe iso and doc o al s uden s. To end, a cha e could inspi e guidelines o
es ablishing semes e -long eamwo k ag eemen s, as is he case o design s udios o
hands-on p ojec s.
2.3 Oa hs, cha e s and codes o conduc as e lec ion ools
A class oom s a egy ha could be used o engage s uden s wi h he e hical codes
men ioned abo e, be i he A chimedean Oa h, a code o conduc , a cha e o a case
s udy; is a e lec i e session in which s uden s e iew simila p ac ices om o he
p o essions, iden i y some conside a ions hey see as impo an o enginee ing o
cons uc hei e sion o i ; o hen inally compa e wi h he A chimedean Oa h and
o he e hical codes. This ac i i y could ce ainly i in any subjec ocused on
enginee ing in socie y (Daniel, 2022). Howe e , such con en should be mains eamed
o no isk he possibili y ha s uden s dis ega d o unde weigh i , whe e i i is no
p esen ed in a co e enginee ing uni i is hen miscons ued as no ‘ eal enginee ing’.
Ins ead, such social and e hical dimensions o enginee ing should be made isible
h oughou he cu iculum o ensu e hey a e pe cei ed as cen al o enginee ing and
o o e a clea pa hway h oughou which s uden s would de elop expe ise (Leydens
& Lucena, 2018). A d a lesson plan is p esen ed in he able below.
Table 1. Lesson plan o e lec ion on oa hs, codes o conduc and cha e s
Sec ion
Time
(min)
No es
In oduc ion
10’
In oducing he medical Hippoc a ic oa h - discussing i
and wha i migh look like o enginee ing.
Possible a ia ions:
Oppo uni y o also compa e wi h Ku Vonnegu ’s
ex ension o he Hippoc a ic oa h - "The egimen I adop
shall be o he bene i o all li e on his plane , acco ding
o my own abili y and judgemen , and no o i s hu o
o any w ong. I will c ea e no deadly subs ance o
de ice, hough i be asked o me, no will I counsel such."
Think-pai -sha e abou any e lec ions on he Hippoc a ic
Oa h, compa ison wi h Vonnegu ’s Oa h, o applica ions
o enginee ing
Discussion o unpack how medical p ac ice as ideally
concep ualized is mo e han illing ou o ms, p esc ibing
medicine, keeping manage s happy, e c. Wha is
enginee ing ideally concep ualized as?
G oupwo k I
20’
Discussion p omp : Wha a e he alues, beha io s,
a i udes ha we would wan o see (o no see) in ea ly
ca ee p o essionals? Sha e in plena y (10+10 min.).
This could be suppo ed by o e ing s uden s an in en o y
o di e en alues, a i udes, e c., and ha ing hem pile
so o somehow p io i ize hem, and/o by ha ing
s uden s collabo a e on a sha ed documen (e.g. a slide
deck wi h one slide pe g oup) o acili a e collabo a ion
and sha e-back.
G oupwo k II
20’
Discussion p omp : How migh we cons uc an oa h o
ep esen hose alues, beha io s, a i udes? Sha e in
plena y (10+10 min).
Possibly sca olding wi h some sen ence s ems: “I
p omise o always x”, “I shall always p io i ize abc o e
xyz”, e c.
Example o an
e hical code
10’
In oduce he A chimedean oa h, i s his o y and i s ex .
Homewo k /
Addi ional
Discussion
TBC
Wi h he d a oa h ha each s uden g oup came up wi h,
s uden s espond o he ollowing p omp s:
How is i simila / di e en o he A chimedean oa h?
How is i simila / di e en o he peak body (e.g.
Enginee s Aus alia) Code o E hics?
Can you syn hesize hese in o an oa h you would wan o
ake a g adua ion?
2.4 Re isi ing echnological educa ion wi hin he EU + alliance
The Eu opean Uni e si y o Technology Alliance (EU +) is cu en ly suppo ing wo
essen ial objec i es in educa ion. Fi s , he Eu opean Deg ee in Enginee ing: A p oo
o concep ha p o ides a s a egic di ec ion in collabo a ion wi h ex e nal
s akeholde s (including acc edi a ion agencies and indus y pa ne s) and based on
he compe ency amewo k o he EU + Bachelo and Mas e o Enginee ing. Second,
he e is ac i e sha ing and de eloping o good p ac ices in echnological educa ion,
a icula ed a ound EU +’s mission s a emen and summa ized in he mo o “Eu opean
alues empowe ing echnology”.
Wi h i s ‘cascade’ model, whe e p ojec s inc emen ally build upon he expe ience and
esul s o p e ious ones, he Eu opean Cul u e and Technology Lab - ECT Lab+ has
i e complemen a y p ojec s ha examine new ways o add essing e hics and ecology
in echnological educa ion: E hiCo, Aes hiCo, EpiCO, ELEVATE, and EPISTEAM
The p ojec E hiCo (2020 – 2023), has se up he baseline o an e hical amewo k
om he wo k o con empo a y philosophy. Con i ming ha he applica ion o p e-
exis ing e hical amewo ks has been educed o he in oduc ion o e hics on o he
enginee ing deg ee p og ams, E hiCo de eloped speci ic me hodologies o e hics and
ecology, globally os e ing a echno di e se app oach wi hin highe educa ion (Pe ez
e al., 2022). Aes hiCo (2021 – 2025) ocused on Aes he ics o Ca e, in e p e ing
aes he ics as a p ocess o gene a e esponsible ac ions ha a e in o med by senso y
expe ience and en ail ca e o ou sel es, o he s and he plane . The p ojec adop s a
ansdisciplina y app oach o echnological educa ion o add ess he 21s cen u y
challenges. Ca e is encoded in he way we design, build, in e ac wi h, employ, o eel
owa ds echnology, so ha u u e echnologis s ha e conc e e e hical amewo ks o
wo k wi h. The p ojec de eloped an aes he ico-e hical amewo k a ailable o
educa o s as a modula oolki ha can be deployed in a a ie y o pedagogical se ings
(Pe ez e al., 2025). E en mo e, in e disciplina y educa ional modules o s uden s and
eache s ha e in e sec ed a , science, and sus ainable echnology ollowing he
model. Likewise, EpiCo’s (2023 - ongoing) holis ic app oach o echnology educa ion
is wo old: i p esen s ecological challenges and uses he lenses o he impac o
cul u e and socie y on echnological design. EpiCo’s epis emic analysis o
weaknesses and oppo uni ies, p esen s a wide ange o al e na i es o os e
sus ainable skills and c i ical hinking o eache s, aine s, educa o s, and s uden s
in echnological educa ion.
The h ee p ojec s desc ibed abo e use a 3-day In ensi e S udy P og amme (ISP) o
ac i i ies o es p elimina y esul s. Each p ojec de elops 2 ISPs: a Teache T aining
Module and a S uden T aining Module. Ex e nal eache s and s uden s om he
p ojec a e in i ed o pa icipa e, es , e alua e and co-c ea e he esul s o each
module. The idea is o e en ually explo e he i e basic b anches o philosophy
(me aphysics, epis emology, on ology, e hics and aes he ics) and o de elop
esou ces and aining o educa o s and s uden s which is accessible, use ul,
eplicable, and sus ainable. This aining ul ima ely aims o p omo e c i ical hinking
skills and compe ences o ace he socio- echno-ecological challenges o he 21s
cen u y. A ou h p ojec has been submi ed (ELEVATE) in 2025, ocusing on
esponsible inno a ion o digi al echnologies. In pa allel, he EPISTEAM p ojec (2023
– ongoing) explo es he impac o digi al echnology in di e en disciplines, anging
om bio-enginee ing and u ban planning o philosophy and a s.
3 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
This pape p esen ed se e al con as ing scena ios whe e s uden s and eache s
e lec on ela ed beha iou o e hics and sus ainabili y in becoming enginee s. The
scena ios included: Think-Pai -Sha e, building hei ision o an oa h, pa icipa o y
w i ing o class oom policies, a pedagogical oolki wi h an aes he ic-e hical amewo k,
and in e disciplina y educa ional modules o ain s uden s and educa o s.
These scena ios a e all designed o in eg a e e hics, global esponsibili y, and
sus ainabili y in o enginee ing educa ion, and highligh he alue o mo ing beyond
adi ional me hods—such as simply eci ing an oa h o eading e hical codes— o
mo e ac i e, e lec i e, and pa icipa o y p ac ices. Th ough he engagemen o
s uden s and educa o s in co-c ea ing e hical amewo ks, cha e s, and scena ios
g ounded in ealis ic p o essional dilemmas, enginee ing educa ion p og ams could
lead o a deepe e hical awa eness and cul i a e esponsible p o essional iden i ies.
The di e se scena ios p esen ed emphasise he signi icance o embedding e hical
e lec ion wi hin he enginee ing cu iculum a he han ea ing i as pe iphe al con en .
They aim o encou age s uden s o pe sonally iden i y wi h p o essional e hics,
b idging abs ac e hical p inciples wi h conc e e p o essional esponsibili ies.
Howe e , hese e lec i e ools should be embedded sys ema ically ac oss he
educa ional expe ience o ensu e ha e hics a e pe cei ed as in eg al o enginee ing,
no supplemen a y.
While he con ex o eaching and he demanding academic en i onmen could
ep esen an obs acle o applying an oa h, a cha e o a e lec i e in-class ac i i y, i
is impo an o no e ha hese s a egies ha e demons a ed p oo -o -concep , ha ing
al eady been applied in di e en con ex s by he au ho s.
Ul ima ely, in eg a ing he p ac ices and e lec ions discussed h oughou his pape
in o enginee ing educa ion could ha e signi ican implica ions. S uden s should be
be e posi ioned o c i ically assess hei mo i a ions, de elop an in e nalised
commi men o social and en i onmen al esponsibili y, and en ision he impac hei
ca ee s will ha e on socie y. Th ough delibe a e, e lec i e, and in e ac i e
app oaches, enginee ing educa ion can mo e e ec i ely p epa e p o essionals who
a e no only echnically p o icien bu e hically conscious, globally esponsible, and
commi ed o sus ainabili y.
4. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
