In this paper, I critically examine the process of the introduction and operation of the Engineering Ethics Education(EEE) in Korean universities, as a requirement of the ABEEK(Accreditation Board for Engineering Education for Korea) which was founded in 1999. The purpose of this examination is to identify serious problems and limitations of the current EEE and to come up with suggestions for its improvement, particularly in the context of Christian universities in Korea.
As the influence of ABEEK increased, more universities in Korea wanted to be considered for its accreditation. As a result, great number of EEE courses were created without enough preparation. Many problems were revealed in the design and operation of EEE. Most of EEE courses were developed in isolation, without any organic connection with other general education courses. Particularly in Christian universities, when EEE courses are taught without a tight connection with the educational goal of the institution, the founding principles of the universities can be neglected or challenged. Because it has been more than 10 years since the introduction of EEE in Korean universities, it is now necessary to redesign the EEE.
In this paper, I survey the history of the introduction of EEE in Korea briefly.
Then, I examine the theoretical debates about the necessity and definition of Engineering Ethics. The argument for the necessity of EEE, and the goal and content of EEE will be followed. Next, I will describe the problems and the limitations of the EEE. And I will conclude this paper with a proposal for the improvement of EEE in the context of the Christian universities in Korea.
The most important arguments of this paper can be summarized as follows.
The limitations of the EEE so far: (1)Focused on the micro-level ethics, (2) No organic relationship with other general education courses, (3)Not aware of the ethical issues in the ABEEK system itself.