Promoting Ethics in Engineering: An Approach Based on Student Competitions. Case of Ecuador

Education in ethics plays a fundamental role in the preparation of engineers, who must be prepared to face moral questions when making decisions in their professional practice. However, the lack of engineering ethics education persists in some countries, posing significant challenges i n the training of ethically responsible professionals. Therefore, this research describes a case study of an ethics competition as a pedagogical approach that combines the study of professional codes of ethics, analysis of case studies and oral debates. A quasi-experimental design with a nonequivalent control group is used to evaluate the effectiveness of the Engineering Ethics Competence, measured through a pre- and post-test questionnaire that assesses knowledge and commitment to professional ethics. Regarding the results, a significant improvement is observed in the participants' knowledge and commitment to ethics, specifically in their ability to apply ethical principles in practical engineering situations, in their awareness of the importance of ethics in their careers, the ability to recognize ethical dilemmas and the perception of the relevance of ethical codes.