Ethics in Computing Education: Challenges and Experience with Embedded Ethics

TL;DR

This paper discusses the importance of integrating ethics into computing education, highlighting challenges and sharing a case study of embedding ethics modules into a university curriculum to prepare students for ethical decision-making in technology.

Contribution

It provides insights into the challenges of teaching ethics in computing and presents a practical case study of embedding ethics modules into a university curriculum.

Findings

Identified key challenges in integrating ethics into computing education

Demonstrated a successful implementation of ethics modules at Colorado State University

Highlighted the importance of ethics education for future computing professionals

Abstract

The next generation of computer engineers and scientists must be proficient in not just the technical knowledge required to analyze, optimize, and create emerging microelectronics systems, but also with the skills required to make ethical decisions during design. Teaching computer ethics in computing curricula is therefore becoming an important requirement with significant ramifications for our increasingly connected and computing-reliant society. In this paper, we reflect on the many challenges and questions with effectively integrating ethics into modern computing curricula. We describe a case study of integrating ethics modules into the computer engineering curricula at Colorado State University.