PENG9100 Engineering Science and Ethics Course description

The goal of this course is to help students reflect over ethical dilemmas so that they make sound ethical choices throughout their doctoral studies and future careers. This course gives the students insight via relevant example projects from the spectrum of disciplines within engineering science including mathematics, physics, computer science, eletrical engineering, built engineerng and product design. Students will reflect on key philosophical questions related the explicit and implicit premises within their field as they relate to epistemology, methodology, ethics and history. The examples will expose the students to the full complexity of engineering projects, where ethical dilemmas and sustainability issues form the planning and execution of the project as well as the final product.

The course will be offered once a year, provided 3 or more students sign up for the course. If less than 3 students sign up for a course, the course will be cancelled for that year.

Supervised individual written exam, combination of multiple choice and free text assignments, 4 hours.

Hematology is the study of blood and blood diseases. This is a basic hematology course, focusing on the blood cells’ morphology, development and function, and the most important blood diseases. The course will give students a foundation for analysing hematology and coagulation samples, and for quality assuring, interpreting and assessing test results.

Knowledge:

On successful completion of the course, the student:

• can account for the terminology and models related to ethics in engineering science
• has thorough knowledge of the requirements and standards for registration, processing, and storage of information about of participants in scientific research
• has a deep understanding of the role of scientific, societal and ethical values on their research.

Skills:

On successful completion of the course, the student can:

• present arguments and viewpoints relevant to ethical dilemmas prevalent in engineering science
• analyse and assess arguments relevant to ethics in engineering science in relation to their relevance and validity
• argue for solutions to ethical problems using theories and techniques relevant to engineering science
• deal with complex professional issues with an academic approach and reflect critically on established knowledge and practice in his/her own field in relation to sustainability, ethics and to other engineering disciplines
• reflect deeply on the nature of their research and its contribution to the production of knowledge

General competence:

On successful completion of the course, the student can:

• identify, discuss and reflect upon ethical and societal implications of his/her own research as well as of the applications they enable,
• reflect over values and ethical boundaries within engineering science

The student must have been admitted to the study programme.

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student

• has knowledge of the structure and function of the different blood cells
• can characterise blood cells in a non-pathological blood sample and describe the selected pathological cells/conditions
• can describe the principles for different methods of measuring selected hematology and coagulation analyses
• can describe the significance of different analyses for diagnosis and treatment
• can explain the principle for manual counting and differentiation of blood cells
• can explain different sources of error relating to hematological analyses and how the sources of error can affect the results
• can explain the hemostasis mechanism
• can describe some blood diseases

Skills

The student

• can carry out regular manual and automatic hematology and coagulation analyses
• can prepare blood smears and identify cells in blood
• can assess and assure the quality of sample materials and test results
• can assess and interpret scattergrams (plots) from automatic cell counters
• can interpret test results in conjunction with other parameters
• can use and maintain a selection of analytical automated devices

General competence

The student

• can make plans for and carry out own laboratory work by using relevant documents such as procedures, product information and method applications

Both the presentation of the case in Module 2 of the course and the reflection document in the practical training part of the course will form the basis for assessment.

Both exams must be passed in order to pass the course.

All support material is allowed. The reflection document as well as the presentation of a case in Module 2 will be subject of assessment. There will be no written or oral exam.

In order to be permitted to take the exam, the following must have been approved:

• a minimum of 90 per cent attendance in laboratory teaching

The presentation will be assessed by the course leader, whereas the reflection document will be assessed by the course leader together with an additional examiner. External examiner is used periodically.