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The mission, values, and objectives of engineering programs worldwide include statements about social responsibility and commitment to the development of a better society. For example,
• To instill in students a discriminating way of thinking so that they act in responsible ways to meet the needs and requirements of our changing contemporary world
• To foster tolerance and commitment to civic duties and human rights
• To contribute to the improvement of public policies, communities, companies, and social organizations
• To contribute to the development of the country and the region
• To foster the ability and passion to work wisely, creatively, and effectively for the betterment of humankind
Competencies and learning outcomes for graduates in most engineering programs address ethics, integrity, social responsibility, compassion, and living a life with purpose.
Such outcomes are aligned with the CDIO Syllabus v2.0, particularly in CDIO 2.5.2 Ethics, Integrity, and Social Responsibility and CDIO 2.5.3 Proactive Vision and Intention in Life. While many engineering programs state objectives and learning outcomes in these areas, few have developed effective teaching and learning strategies that systemically address them. For the most part, engineering programs are not adequately addressing ethics, integrity, and social responsibility.
The central thesis of this paper is that we believe that young adults in our engineering classrooms want to live lives that matter. Although some might disagree, we believe that young adults want to contribute to the betterment of society through the pursuit of their careers. Sometimes, cultural factors present challenges to their pursuits. A culture of individualism, for example in the United States, emphasizes freedom, independence, and competition, often at the expense of others. In other cultures, for example in much of the Global South, the emphasis is less on independence and more on solidarity, collaboration, and social responsibility. In this paper, we examine the meaning and foundations of social responsibility and address ways in which engineering programs can help students to develop social responsibility. We identify key issues related to social responsibility and suggest learning outcomes and methods to address them with a new generation of university students. We begin with a description of this generation of young adults.