The eLearning Center for Jacob's The eLearning Centre

Overview

Many organizations, particularly smaller businesses, do not have a written set of standards to provide guidance to their employees on ethical matters related to their job duties. While each job title, company and industry deals with unique circumstances, there are some standards of professional conduct for engineers that are considered the norm across a broad range of job titles, companies and even industries. In matters such as conflicts of interest, use and protection of employer's assets, and disclosure of proprietary information, there are universal standards of accepted conduct for engineers working for employers based in developed countries (although the detailed policies may vary between companies).

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has developed a document titled "Standards of Professional Conduct" for its members. In addition to the aforementioned examples of ethical issues, the ASCE's standards cover issues such as maintaining accurate and complete records, outside employment/activities, acceptance of bribes or kickbacks and whistle blowing. The ASCE's standards serve as an excellent model for companies seeking to provide guidance to engineers on ethical matters related to their position and the performance of their work tasks. It also provides a universal set of principles to guide individual engineers on ethical matters in the absence of an employer policy.

In this course, the student will be directed to ASCE's website to review the ASCE document titled "Standards of Professional Conduct".

The student must take a multiple-choice quiz consisting of fifteen questions at the end of this course to earn PDH credits.

Specific Knowledge or Skill Attained

This course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills:

  · Dealing with conflicts of interest
  · An engineer's obligation to ensure legal compliance, maintain workplace and public safety and provide a productive work environment.
  · Use and protection of an employer's assets, including computers and the internet.
  · The importance of maintaining accurate and complete records.
  · Policies regarding the giving and acceptance of gifts, meals, services, entertainment, bribes and kickbacks.
  · Preserving an employers confidential or proprietary information.
  · Policies regarding outside employment/activities.
  · Guidance on purchases of goods and services.
  · Guidance on relationships with clients, consultants and competitors
  · The importance of environmental compliance
  · The protections afforded by (and the limitations of) whistle blowing laws

State Board Acceptance

This course can be used by professional engineers to fulfill PDH requirements mandated by state and provincial licensing boards. Decatur Professional Development is an approved provider of continuing education in all states that pre-approve course providers. In all other states that mandate continuing education for engineers, it is the individual engineer's responsibility to determine the suitability of activities for PDH credit. The state boards typically accept online* courses that cover technical, managerial** or ethical content and which are relevant to the practice of engineering. The course must have a clear purpose or objective with a content that will maintain, improve or expand the skills and knowledge of the licensee's field of practice. For questions about your mandatory PDH requirements, visit the website of your state licensing board.

*Online courses are accepted by all state licensing boards that mandate continuing education. Other than New York (which limits online courses to 18 PDH) and Iowa (which limits online courses to 6 PDH), there are no limits placed by other states on the number of hours that can be earned through online continuing education. Consult with your state licensing board if you have any questions about the acceptability of online courses.

**The New York State Board of Engineers does not accept general office management courses, but will accept project management courses that are offered by an approved provider and that are technical in nature and contribute to the engineer's professional practice.

Please Note: Continuing Education credits for this course are awarded as PDH (Professional Development Hour Credits).