Abstract
This article proposes the Information Ethics Curriculum Model, a university-level educational heuristic aimed at promoting safe, responsible, and advantageous information use in multicultural settings across Southern Africa. The Model is designed to raise awareness of the ethical challenges posed by modern information and communication technologies (ICTs) amongst inhabitants of the Southern African region. It also seeks to equip students with the knowledge, understanding, and skills needed in their search for and use of information critical to their own and others’ empowerment. The article describes the Model’s theoretical and conceptual foundation and provides basic guidelines for applying the Model at undergraduate and graduate levels.
Highlights
Human use of information is typically affected by the extent to which individuals and groups regard information as trustworthy, credible, and true
These elements constitute the fundamentals of Information Ethics, which UNESCO grounds in the universal human rights of freedom of expression, access to information, and the right to education, privacy, and participation in cultural life (UNESCO, n.d.)
This paper proposes the Information Ethics Curriculum Model aimed at addressing this question in the context of university level education in Southern African countries
Summary
Human use of information is typically affected by the extent to which individuals and groups regard information as trustworthy, credible, and true. In an age dominated by networked digital technology, information use is affected by factors related to information access and ownership, as well as user ability to obtain and comprehend the information they need. These elements constitute the fundamentals of Information Ethics, which UNESCO grounds in the universal human rights of freedom of expression, access to information, and the right to education, privacy, and participation in cultural life (UNESCO, n.d.). Responsible, and advantageous use of information, culturally responsive training is necessary at multiple levels of societal engagement. The Information Ethics Curriculum Model is discussed in both conceptual and practical terms, offering a general survey of the larger issues it seeks to address, as well as details on how the Model might be applied in specific educational settings
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