Strategies for Character Development

Character development is often the “missing link” in technical education. While students master code and calculus, character traits are often left to chance. These seven strategies, derived from the research of Lamb, Brant, and Brooks [1], provide a framework for integrating character development into computing and engineering education. Use the search tag on our website to locate specific resources that align with these strategies

1. Habituation through Practice

Virtues are acquired through repeating appropriate thoughts and actions until they become second nature. In a technical context, this means embedding ethical checks and professional standards directly into the engineering workflow until they are performed as a matter of course. 

2. Reflection on Personal Experience

Reflection transforms raw experience into practical wisdom (phronesis), helping students discern the ethical dimensions of technical challenges. It connects abstract values to the concrete realities of the lab or workstation, allowing students to learn from both success and failure. 

3. Engagement with Virtuous Exemplars

Students learn by observing role models, like peers, mentors, or historical figures, who embody professional integrity in the face of technical dilemmas. When exemplars are similar to themselves, their stories provide proof that people like themselves can uphold ethical standards in real contexts, even when under significant pressure.  

4. Dialogue that Increases Virtue Literacy

Dialogue-based activities, such as structured peer discussions or open sessions with guest speakers, help students build a shared “moral grammar”. By articulating and debating professional qualities, students gain the vocabulary needed to evaluate and navigate the ethical nuances of modern engineering practice. 

5. Awareness of Situational Variables

This strategy helps students recognize external pressures, such as deadlines, power dynamics, or market incentives, that can subconsciously distort professional judgment. By “getting the word out” about these influences, faculty can help students learn to resist or compensate for them. 

6. Moral Reminders

Situational factors can lead students to morally disengage or justify questionable actions. Moral reminders, such as honor codes, speakers on related topics, and relevant discussions, provide timely prompts that promote self-awareness and reconnect students with community norms and their own values and commitments at key decision points. 

7. Mutual Accountability

Character development is fundamentally social; peer relationships provide a support system for “mutual correction” and a shared commitment to professional standards. These communities foster a culture where ethical excellence is expected and supported.