Students Explore the Ethics of Their Work at the Fifth Annual Experiential Ethics Showcase
The Office of Experiential Learning (OEL) hosted the 2024 Experiential Ethics Student Project Showcase on September 10 in Lobby 13. The showcase featured dozens of student projects from the Experiential Ethics class. The class, which just completed its fifth year, consists of discussion sections and independent work throughout the summer and culminates with a final project in early fall.
Over five years, the primary goal of the class has persisted: to empower students to identify and understand the ethical dimensions of their work. However, the curriculum and pedagogy have evolved each year in response to student feedback and the new insights from the new teaching team members. Changes have included introducing a more in-depth 6-unit alternative to the original 3-unit format, adding assignments focused on communication and advocacy, and increasing the emphasis on social context and justice. The iterative approach to the course syllabus is one of its strengths, according to both the instructional team and the students. Postdocs and graduate students teaching the class get to try their hand at curriculum design, and the students see that their feedback is taken seriously.
The fall showcase has also undergone a series of changes, the most recent being the introduction of a keynote speaker mid-way through the event. The 2024 showcase featured Dr. Nikki Stevens, whose charismatic account of their journey from software engineer to researcher investigating the social dimensions of technology resonated with the Experiential Ethics students. The students also benefited from an engaged audience of fellow students, staff, faculty, and community members who came to see the projects, asking thoughtful questions and in a few cases, sharing contact information to follow up with opportunities to collaborate or further amplify the students’ work.
Recruitment for students and graduate Teaching Aides for Experiential Ethics 2025 will begin in spring 2025, with the class running from June to September. Learn more at https://elo.mit.edu/academic-courses/.
— Kate Weishaar, OEL