Reshaping ICT engineering identities: ethical insights from cross-professional analogies

Abstract

University education develops professional identities by instilling knowledge, skills, and attitudes. In engineering, this process often prioritizes technical expertise over societal considerations, fostering a narrow view of the “good engineer.” However, the growing need for ethics literacy - understanding and integrating technology's societal impacts into their professional practice - requires a broader perspective, particularly in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), where ethical compliance is also increasingly mandated by regulatory frameworks. This study explores whether the medical profession's wellestablished social contract, which balances specialized knowledge with societal responsibility, can serve as an effective model for integrating ethics into engineering identities. Using qualitative analysis, it investigates how exposing ICT engineering students to this analogy reshapes their perceptions of their professional roles. Results suggest that the medical analogy encourages students to expand their understanding of engineering as a socially impactful profession, emphasizing societal welfare alongside technical competence. This approach demonstrates the potential of analogies to foster ethical literacy and reshape professional identities, contributing to discussions on ethical literacy and professional identity formation in engineering education.