Videos from IPRO -497-226 Improving the Ethics Codes Collection

After winning their track on IPRO Day, we wanted to share some of what our amazing students got up to this semester.  Charged with producing videos that documented how different types of users will interact with the Ethics Codes Collection, these are the final results of the four teams.

Professional Users Video

Nonusers Video

Nonprofessional Users Video

Owners Video

This class came up with innovative new ideas to reimagine the Ethics Codes Collection into a resource that is not only a great asset for ethics code owners and professionals of all disciplines, but is also a great for students and any new users discovering ethics for the first time. With funding from the MacArthur Foundation, our class began the work to improve it by using a user-centered design approach. User-centered approach means we put the user in the center of our research process and conducted qualitative methods to identify their unmet needs and desires and redesign the collection according to user needs. The students created four videos documenting their findings on how different groups of users are likely to approach the site, and came up with a list of resources that the redesigned site will adopt as part of its new interface and expanded collection. The success of this semester will set us up for next semester, when we will building the prototype of the Ethics Codes Collection!

Congratulations to IPRO 497-226!

Congratulations to IPRO 497-226!winning your IPRO Day Track, Improving the Student Experience!

This class came up with innovative new ideas to reimagine the Ethics Codes Collection into a resource that is not only a great asset for ethics code owners and professionals of all disciplines, but is also a great for students and any new users discovering ethics for the first time. With funding from the MacArthur Foundation, our class began the work to improve it by using a user-centered design approach. User-centered approach means we put the user in the center of our research process and conducted qualitative methods to identify their unmet needs and desires and redesign the collection according to user needs. The students created four videos documenting their findings on how different groups of users are likely to approach the site, and came up with a list of resources that the redesigned site will adopt as part of its new interface and expanded collection. The success of this semester will set us up for next semester, when we will building the prototype of the Ethics Codes Collection!

Ethics Center Conference Brings Philosophy to 21st-Century Neuroscience

Over the weekend, the Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions hosted 19 speakers who were gathered to discuss whether we can learn anything about morality by studying the way the human brain makes moral decisions. The symposium—called Does Neuroscience Have Normative Implications?—attracted graduate students, junior faculty members, and full professors from philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience departments across the country. The proceedings of the symposium are to be collected and published as a collected volume, edited by Ethics Center Director Elisabeth Hildt and postdoctoral research fellow Geoff Holtzman. The conference, and the publication of its proceedings, present an opportunity for IIT to expand its reach into the growing field of neuroethics. 

Thanks to all of the participants for making this conference an incredible success!

New Journal Article by CSEP: "Twenty-Five Years of Ethics Across the Curriculum - An Assessment" in Teaching Ethics Journal

"Twenty-Five Years of Ethics Across the Curriculum - An Assessment"

Michael Davis; Elisabeth Hildt; Kelly Laas

Twenty-Five Years of Ethics Across the Curriculum - An AssessmentAfter twenty-five years of integrating ethics across the curriculum at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), the Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions conducted a survey of full-time faculty to investigate: a) what ethical topics faculty thought students from their discipline should be aware of when they graduate, b) how widely ethics is currently being taught at the undergraduate and graduate level, c) what ethical topics are being covered in these courses, and d) what teaching methods are being used. The survey found that while progress spreading ethics across the curriculum has been substantial, it remains incomplete. The faculty think more should be done. From these findings we draw six lessons for ethics centers engaged in encouraging ethics across the curriculum

Symposium: Does Neuroethics have Normative Implications? Abstracts Now Online

Join us on April 15th and 16th for the symposium "Does Neuroethics Have Normative Implications?" in Hermann Hall on IIT's main campus. 

Neuroscience seeks to understand the biological systems that guide human behavior and cognition. Normative ethics, on the other hand, seeks to understand the system of abstract moral principles dictating how people ought to behave. Can neuroscience provide insight into normative ethics, and help us better understand which human actions and judgments are right, and which are wrong?

Invited speakers include James Giordano (Georgetown University), Eddy Nahmias (Georgia State University) and Kurt Gray (University of North Carolina).

You can download a copy of the schedule and abstracts, or visit the symposium web site for more information. 

Hope to see you there!

Schedule for "Does Neuroscience Have Normative Implications" released.

The schedule for the symposium "Does Neuroscience Have Normative Implications?" is up! You can view it below, or visit the symposium website.

Research Fellow Opening at Ethics Center at Illinois Institute of Technology

The Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions at Illinois Institute of Technology is looking for a research fellow to assist in enhancing its Ethics Code Collection and to explore the current and future roles of ethics codes within society, business, and technological innovation. The Ethics Codes Collection (http://ethics.iit.edu/ecodes/) is a unique resource, comprising a curated collection of over 4,000 ethics codes and guidelines across a range of disciplines for over 40 years. With this project funded by the MacArthur Foundation, the collection will serve as a more dynamic global resource for informing ethical decision making in professional, entrepreneurial, scientific, and technological fields, and inform critical research into the advancement of ethical practices in a rapidly changing world.

The research fellow will work with members of the Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions to develop a collection plan for the resource, build connections with research institutions and professional associations, and conduct research on the societal role of ethics codes.

Core qualifications for this position include a Master’s degree in philosophy and/or extensive experience in the fields of applied or professional ethics and an excellent record of quality scholarship and research. Experience in developing digital educational resources is a plus.

This is a two-year, part time position. Annual salary: $20,500

Deadline to submit applications: March 25, 2016

Please send a cover letter, curriculum vitae, writing sample, and three references to laas@iit.edu. Inquiries may be sent to Kelly Laas, Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions, Illinois Institute of Technology, 3241 S. Federal Street, Chicago IL, 60616. Email: laas@iit.edu.

Illinois Institute of Technology is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/Section 504/ADA/ADEA employer committed to enhancing equity, inclusion and diversity within its community.  It actively seeks applications from women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, veterans and other underrepresented groups.  All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment.