Ethical learning in higher education: The experience of the Technical University of Valencia

Abstract

Ethical learning is an educational proposal that aims to prepare students for their future working life by helping them to acquire skills that allow them to carry out their professions with autonomy and responsibility. In this paper, we reflect on the main characteristics of this educational proposal, on its connections with the European Higher Education Area, and on the experience gained at the Technical University of Valencia, which is based on that of a considerable number of teachers and researchers grouped under the Teaching Innovation Group for Ethical Learning in Scientific and Technical Studies (GREVOL). First, we describe the main characteristics of this research and action group and then give two examples of how we have introduced ethical learning into engineering lectures by means of two different approaches: one of these is a technical course, named “Industrial Sensors”, and the other is through two humanistic subjects, called “Introduction to Development Aid” and “Development Aid Projects”. Finally, we critically assess the advantages and disadvantages of these two approaches: humanistic courses versus engineering courses.

^†Presented at 28th Annual EAIR FORUM 2006, Rome, Italy.

Keywords:

• ethics competencies
• ethical learning
• social responsibility

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all the members of the GREVOL group and the Vice Chancellor of Studies and European Convergence for supporting the activities of GREVOL through the 06G1-032 PACE Project. We would like to thank the Foreign Language Coordination Office at the Technical University of Valencia for their help in revising this paper.

Notes

^†Presented at 28th Annual EAIR FORUM 2006, Rome, Italy.