Consequences of Computing:
A Framework for Teaching
Conclusion - Page 33 of 36
Conclusion
We believe that this report provides a useful and coherent conceptual framework for the presentation of ethical and social issues in computing to students of computer science. It provides instructors and students with a context for considering these issues. This context allows the issues to be studied as not simply a few rules to learn (e.g. don't copy that floppy) but as important and long-lived ethical and social issues they will need to grapple with for the rest of their careers. It integrates both the literature on the "impact" of computing on society and the ethics literature into a package that helps each approach illuminate the other while providing balance and perspective. Finally, it provides an organized menu of topics for instructors to select from, and suggests how those topics are related to each other.This report also provides a set of clear, consensual, and learnable principles and skills. Although experts may disagree on the precise nature of property rights, most computer scientists and ethicists can agree that "ethical choices cannot be avoided" or that "ethical claims must be defended with reasons." And although there may be disagreement about the propriety of participatory design, most computer scientists and social scientists can agree that "technology embodies value decisions made by designers" or that "populations are always diverse." These principles are clearly fundamental in nature. The skills we suggest are practical in their application. "Identifying ethical principles and stakeholders" and "interpreting the social context of a particular implementation" are skills that can be taught and can be practiced regularly. These and the other skills we list will make more thoughtful, more careful, and simply put, better computer scientists than ones who lack these skills. The principles and skills we list provide a foundation for further thinking and practice in the undergraduate, graduate, and business world. The approach to ethical and social issues in computing presented in this report can invigorate the teaching of these topics at the undergraduate level. It makes clear the important context, principles, and skills necessary for students and suggests that this clearly is a rigorous and relevant portion of the undergraduate computer science curriculum.
