Discover the impacts of engineering failures as you uncover historical cases and the key factors that led to disastrous results. Explore unique case studies in engineering ethics. On this four-week course, you’ll examine different historical case studies and understand how they led to classic engineering failures.
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Though each case is unique and has a distinct context, they all share common themes; a backstory, a disastrous event, a post-event with ramifications, and outcomes.
For each case, you’ll watch and hear video lectures and explore foundational literature. You’ll also have the opportunity to discuss the case in detail and check your knowledge through quizzes and reflections on your understanding of the case. This format will help you develop a working knowledge of ethical foundations.
Delve into several case studies, including the VW emissions scandal
You’ll examine four case studies; the VW emissions scandal, the failure of the Denver airport baggage system, the fatal case of the Therac 25 radiation machine, and the software failure of the Ariane 5 rocket launch.
With each case, you’ll identify key aspects that led to the engineering failures and discuss the outcomes of the failures.
You’ll also explore the significance of each case and how they led to corrective actions.
Develop your knowledge of engineering alongside experts in the industry
The course will help you reflect on engineering as a design discipline and its impact on humans.
You’ll be guided by Dr David Chesney, an expert in both industry and academics with 20 years of experience at General Motors Corporation and 20 years working at the University of Michigan. Dr. Chesney’s background is in Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and Computer Science and he is the Toby Teorey Collegiate Lecturer in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan College of Engineering.
Syllabus
Week 1: The Volkswagen (VW) Emissions Scandal
Week 2: The Denver International Airport (DIA) Baggage Handling System
Week 3: The Therac 25 Radiation Machine Malfunction
Week 4: The Ariane 5 Rocket Launch Disaster
Learning on this course
You can take this self-guided course and learn at your own pace. On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...
- Describe multiple historical cases of classic engineering failures
- Identify key aspects that led to these classic engineering failures
- Discuss the causes and the outcomes of these classic engineering failures
- Reflect on the significance of these cases of classic engineering failures, with respect to corresponding applications of corrective actions
- Develop a working knowledge of ethical foundations
- Reflect on the utility of engineering as a design discipline and on its impact on humans
Who is the course for?
This course is designed for anyone interested in the underlying causes of engineering failures.
It will be particularly useful for engineering students and professionals, although no prior experience is required.
