Active Learning Strategies for Integrating the ACM Code of Ethics into CS Courses

Abstract

The ACM Code of Ethics provides a framework for ethical conduct within the computing industry. The Code describes ethical conduct for individuals and organizations, as well as the basic moral principles underlying these prescriptions. Principles defined in the Code include: Avoid harm; be fair and take action not to discriminate; respect privacy; ensure the public good is the central concern during all professional computing work. While these principles are intuitive in many situations, students, faculty, and industry professionals often struggle to apply these concepts to computing. It is not obvious how to apply the concepts of harm, privacy, or the public good in courses on Operating Systems or Programming Languages, so discussion of the Code is often restricted to specialized Ethical Issues in Computing or Software Engineering courses. We believe this approach misses an educational opportunity to build on moral sensitivity--the ability to detect a potential moral problem within a particular context--as a foundation. Integrating the Code throughout the CS curriculum provides an opportunity to increase students' exposure to subtle moral dilemmas and improve their moral sensitivity. In this birds-of-a-feather (BoF) session, we will discuss: Which topics can be used to introduce ethical discussions into core Computer Science courses? How do you write and facilitate case study discussions? What other active learning techniques can be used to examine ethical issues? What concerns would faculty have in introducing ethical discussions into technical courses? What portions of the Code might be difficult for students and future practitioners to uphold?