Perspectives from Academics and Practitioners on the Integration of DEI in Engineering Codes of Ethics

This full research paper explores how academics and engineering professionals view the incorporation of DEI into engineering ethics codes. Engineering professional societies have integrated DEI explicitly or implicitly into their codes of ethics. Yet, DEI is contested and even banned in many institutions of higher education in the US. Thus, there is a need to understand the relationship between ethics and DEI in engineering, including how engineering practitioners and scholars view DEI should be canonized in the profession. In this study, we addressed two research questions: (1) “To what extent and in what ways did participants view it to be important to incorporate DEI into an engineering ethics code?” and (2) “How do participants view the incorporation of DEI into the IEEE code of ethics?” The research methodology included a qualitative analysis of interview responses from engineering academics and practicing engineers regarding the integration of DEI into engineering codes of ethics, as well as their perceptions of IEEE's current code of ethics. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 25 engineering faculty members and 25 engineering practitioners between June 2022 and April 2023. During interviews, we shared the IEEE code of ethics and asked participants to share their perspectives of the code. Participants felt that embedding DEI principles into engineering ethics codes was important to ensure equitable treatment, access, and representation across all levels of the profession. Many participants felt that ethics codes should have a more concerted focus on DEI and DEI principles, whereas some participants questioned whether DEI should be within an engineering ethics code at all. Findings from this study can inform future innovations at the nexus of ethics and DEI. We specifically hope this work will encourage professional societies to continue integrating DEI within engineering codes of ethics with the undergirding confidence that many stakeholders across both engineering and academic communities are supportive of such integration.