From Awareness to Action - Page 12 of 20

3.2.1 Core Courses: Issues and Decision-Making

Students typically take a series of required computer science core courses during their sophomore and junior years. In those courses it is important to reinforce the importance of the social and ethical context of computing by continuing to evoke discussion, analysis and even decision-making about the issues related to each course. Since the foundation has already been carefully laid for such discussion, the particular order in which such courses are offered does not matter. Examples of modules for the CS core courses can be found in Appendix B.

During the junior and senior year, students take a set of elective courses to give them depth in some area of computer science. In those courses it is essential that the focus of the ethics and social impact component be on responsible action. This means that the emphasis should be to encourage students to think about how particular technical decisions are closely connected to consequences that may have social or ethical implications. It is also important to refer to the various professional codes of ethics during such discussion to reinforce the idea that they are preparing to enter a profession guided by high ethical standards that will require ongoing ethical reflection and responsible action on their part [2]. Appendix C offers examples of activities and pedagogical strategies to accomplish the learning objectives within the elective courses.