In this report we have attempted to make a strong case for an integrated and progressive implementation of the content area of ethics and social impact across the CS curriculum in most, if not all, computer sciences courses. The strategy chosen by a particular program to implement this new subject area should be pedagogically driven. This content should fit into the rest of the program in an integrated fashion so that the relationship between the knowledge units in this area and the rest of the curriculum is apparent to students. We recognize that the approach we have proposed will require considerable effort on the part of computer science faculty to plan and implement such an across-the-board curricula change. However, an additional benefit to be considered when deciding whether to expend the effort is that the ethics and social impact modules could also be used as a vehicle for implementing increased written and oral communications across the curriculum[4]. Thus, in one integrated effort it is possible to incorporate the written, oral and ethical principles and skills into the curriculum that are called for by the accrediting bodies[6].

Through the release of three reports, the Steering Committee for the ImpactCS Project has provided a model for operationalizing the imperative in computer science education to equip computer science students with both the skills and the expertise to wrestle with complex ethical situations that will result in responsible action on their part. "Societal and technical aspects of computing are interdependent. … Far from detracting from the students’ learning of technical information, including societal aspects in the computer science curriculum can enhance students’ learning, increase their motivation, and deepen their understanding [21, p. 37]." These students may not only be called upon to design the systems and software of the future, but they may also be called upon to testify before governmental hearings and to participate in the governance of the virtual worlds they will create.

The ImpactCS Project has provided a coherent and integrated approach to teaching a well-defined set of social and ethical analysis skills to computer science students, which will sharpen their general thinking and problem-solving skills and give them a more holistic view of their profession and their own professional responsibility. It is our hope that this new definition of the subject area will also become part of the standards in the accreditation process for computer science programs in the future. All of the effort of the ImpactCS Project has been aimed at making a positive impact on the teaching and practice of computer science and is intended to be preliminary work for the next major review of the computer science curriculum to prepare for the new millennium.