Abstract
Ethics is considered an essential aspect of tertiary computer science and engineering education and forms a core part of professional accreditation for degree providers. The authors have been unable to locate a study in New Zealand on computer science and engineering students’ ethical beliefs, making this study an important exploration in this field. This study investigates the incoming first-year cohort’s beliefs and understanding of ethical issues across three areas: students, future employees and members of society. We conducted the study over two consecutive years to investigate cohort beliefs. For most questions, the students provided high ethical responses, except in the areas of “software piracy and copyright” and “misuse of computer resources”. In one year a small but significant number of female students indicated very low agreement that plagiarism is unethical. This research identified the importance of gaining an insight into student ethical beliefs as cohorts can differ in opinions. The findings challenge the common practice of teaching the same material over multiple years with the recommendation that teaching is adapted to address differences in students’ ethical beliefs.
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