Enhancing the Social Issues Components in our

Computing Curriculum: Computing for the Social Good

Mikey Goldweber Joyce Currie Little Gerry Cross
Xavier University Towson University Mount Royal University
Cincinnati, Ohio USA Baltimore, Maryland USA Calgary, Alberta Canada
mikeyg@[Link] jclittle@[Link] gcross@[Link]

Renzo Davoli Charles Riedesel Brian R. von Konsky

University of Bologna University of Nebraska, Lincoln Curtin University
Bologna, Italy Lincoln, Nebraska USA Perth Australia
renzo@[Link] riedesel@[Link] [Link]@[Link]

Henry Walker
Grinnell College
Grinnell, Iowa USA
walker@[Link]

ABSTRACT General Terms

The acceptance and integration of social issues into computing
curricula is still a work in progress twenty years after it was first Human Factors, Legal Aspects, Reliability, Security.
incorporated into the ACM Computing Curricula. Through an
international survey of computing instructors, this paper Keywords
corroborates prior work showing that most institutions include the Societal impact, ethics, curriculum, professional societies.
societal impact of ICT in their programs. However, topics often
concentrate on computer history, codes of ethics and intellectual
property, while neglecting broader issues of societal impact. This
1. INTRODUCTION AND MOTIVATION
Most academic programs in Information and Communications
paper explores how these neglected topics can be better developed
Technology (ICT)1 expect that graduates will be prepared for
through a subtle change of focus to the significant role that ICT
practice as emerging professionals in their discipline [1, 2]. In
plays in addressing the needs of the community. Drawing on the
addition to possessing significant technical skills and knowledge,
survey and a set of implementation cases, the paper provides
guidance by means of examples and resources to empower graduates should be able to assess the societal impact of their
teaching teams to engage students in the application of ICT to work, be prepared to commit to standards of professional ethics,
and have the life skills necessary to undertake on-going
bring about positive social outcomes – computing for the social
professional development in their discipline. The development of
good.
these professional skills is not a new component in international
computing curricula. The ACM/IEEE Joint Task Force
Categories and Subject Descriptors Computing Curricula 91 articulated these goals nearly 20 years
K.3.2 [Computers and Education]: Computer and Information ago:
Science Education – curriculum, accreditation.
K4 [Computers and Society] Undergraduates also need to understand the basic
K5 [Legal Aspects of Computing] cultural, social, legal, and ethical issues inherent in the
K.7.4 [The Computing Profession]: Professional Ethics discipline of computing. They should understand where
the discipline has been, where it is, and where it is
heading. They should also understand their individual
roles in this process, as well as appreciate the
philosophical questions, technical problems, and aesthetic
values that play an important part in the development of
the discipline.

1
We use ICT as a broad term that encompasses a range of
computing disciplines including computer science, software
engineering, information technology, information systems and
computer engineering.
 Students also need to develop the ability to ask serious information systems, even though they may not be the policy
questions about the social impact of computing and to makers.
evaluate proposed answers to those questions. Future
practitioners must be able to anticipate the impact of Some aspects of societal impact are well established in many ICT
introducing a given product into a given environment. academic programs [14]. These include the history of computing,
professional ethics, computer crime, security, and intellectual
Will that product enhance or degrade the quality of life?
What will the impact be upon individuals, groups, and property. Other aspects of societal impact are often not included
institutions? or are given minimal treatment. These include cultural issues,
accessibility issues, the impact of the free-open source software
Finally, students need to be aware of the basic legal rights movement, computing and public policy, green computing, and
of software and hardware vendors and users, and they computing for sustainability. Incorporating these other aspects
also need to appreciate the ethical values that are the into the curriculum would open up many new opportunities to
basis for those rights. Future practitioners must inspire students with the social relevance of computing.
understand the responsibility that they will bear, and the
possible consequences of failure. They must understand More specifically, academic programs have a unique opportunity
their own limitations as well as the limitations of their to position ICT as a force for positive world change by developing
tools. All practitioners must make a long-term graduates who produce products and provide services that are of
commitment to remaining current in their chosen value to the community. Examples might include the development
specialties and in the discipline of computing as a whole. of free-open source software, software for humanitarian purposes,
Computing curricula 1991 [3] software contributing to the solution of pressing social problems
such as global warming, leveraging social networking tools to
Applications of computing and communications technologies help overcome the digital divide, the creation of computer art,
have changed the world in profound ways and have generated music, and poetry, and assisting indigenous peoples to maintain
complex social issues related to their use [4]. For example, their cultural identify.
computing technologies have facilitated:
A curricular focus on the societal impact of ICT has the potential
• improved healthcare arising from medical imaging and to attract a larger cohort of students and to improve retention
health informatics [5], rates, as students begin to appreciate the tangible and practical
• business continuity and access to news and information social impact of ICT. For example, Buckley, Nordlinger and
following emergencies caused by natural disasters and acts Subramanian [15] argue that the “4x rate of graduation in Social
of terrorism [6], Sciences as compared to Computer Sciences is due at least in part
• applications of Global Positioning System (GPS) such as because of students’ desire to have a societal impact.”
surveying and navigation,
• genome research leading to medical advances and specific This suggests that academic institutions should strive to
pharmacology, and demonstrate to prospective and current students that ICT
• many other scientific advances that would have been professionals contribute to an international community by
difficult or impossible to achieve without high performance cooperatively working towards solving problems of global and
computing and computer-based simulation and international significance. To attract prospective students who
visualization. want to make a contribution to society, academic institutions
should promote and publicize the success of graduates who are
Computing technology has also had an impact on fundamental employed on IT-related projects at the local hospital or for non-
rights in the modern world: profit organizations like the International Red Cross, Greenpeace,
• informed democratic engagement as a result of public or the World Wildlife Fund. When prospective students choose to
access to information, virtual town meetings and Internet study ICT, they should find opportunities to explore the societal
voting [7], impact of ICT emphasized at least to the extent recommended by
• creation and maintenance of a neutral Internet that provides the ACM Computing Curricula. Where possible, opportunities to
a democratic means of communication, even for people work on capstone projects that serve the public good should be
under totalitarian regimes [8-10], and favored over projects with a strictly commercial focus, provided
• creation of independent, international, cultural common they develop equivalent technical and professional outcomes. In
grounds both through free software and collaborative this spirit, this paper provides guidance on how institutions can
applications such as Wikipedia [11-13]. introduce or enhance their treatment of societal impact issues.
While system developers may envision positive goals for their
products, these new systems also introduce new societal and 2. BACKGROUND
cultural challenges as system designers attempt to strike a balance After the ACM/IEEE Curricula 1991 report recommended that
between competing aspects of privacy, security, and usability. social issues be included in the curriculum, a National Science
For example, storing the medical history of patients on-line can Foundation grant entitled Project ImpactCS supported the work of
improve the quality of health care, particularly when multiple a large team to produce detailed instructional resources for use in
health care providers are involved. However, personal information computer science departments. Huff and Martin [16] articulated
on genetic predispositions for developing inherited diseases could the importance of these topics in an article that described some of
have negative financial consequences for patients if this the dramatic impacts of computing. A later report documented the
information were to become available to insurance companies. recommendations of the project ImpactCS group, which included
Ensuring the security and appropriate use of private data is a stronger emphasis on social issues in the curriculum [17].
inherently the responsibility of those designing and implementing
The ITiCSE conferences of the ACM provided opportunities for attributes and capabilities, holistic course design and
collaborative endeavors in an international setting, and in 1997 an implementation, and stated program objectives. For example, the
ITiCSE working group produced an array of exercises that could ACS recommends that Australian educational programs adopt
be used to incorporate social issues as modules within computing recognized international curricula to develop the necessary skills
courses [18]. Other ITiCSE working groups followed: historical and knowledge for a specific ICT discipline. This is on top of the
perspectives on the computing curricula [19]; a report offering ACS’s Core Body of Knowledge that includes professionalism,
ways to incorporate professional issues [1]; and, incorporating ethics, and societal and legal issues that the ACS deems to be
cultural issues [20]. common to all ICT disciplines [26].
The following subsections describe the state of the teaching of
social issues today by considering the professionalism, societal 2.2 The ACM Curricula
responsibility and ethical conduct expectations placed on The ACM defines five computing curricula for bachelor-level
practicing ICT professionals by accrediting bodies, the ACM degree programs (CC-2005) [27]. These are curricula for
curricula recommendations for the inclusion of societal issues, computer science (CS-2008) [28, 29], information technology
and prior work surveying how these recommendations have been [30], information systems (IS-2010) [31], software engineering
implemented. [32], and computer engineering [33].
The core ACM curriculum for computer science identifies a total
2.1 Accreditation and Professional Obligation of 16 hours related to social and professional issues as follows
The International Professional Practice Partnership (IP3) initiative [29]: history of computing (1 hour), social context (3 hours),
of the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) analytical tools (2 hours), professional ethics (3 hours), risks (2
is committed to fostering a global IT profession based on hours), intellectual property (3 hours), and privacy and civil
standards and local regulation. Program partners share the liberties (2 hours). The curriculum recommendations also define
expectation that IT professionals have the skills and knowledge elective bodies of knowledge in security operations, computer
necessary to operate with a high level of autonomy and crime, economics of computing, and philosophical frameworks.
responsibility, remain current in their discipline through on-going The core and elective topics are described briefly in Appendix A.
professional development, and adhere to an established code of
ethics. In part, the intention is that this will lead to enhanced Similar recommendations are found in the ACM computing
levels of service, a high level of public confidence, and IT curricula for other ICT disciplines [30-33].
practitioners who are more socially responsible [21, 22]. In an analysis of the ACM curricula, the Joint Task Force used a
Similarly, the Seoul Accord is a multi-lateral agreement among six-point scale to compare the emphasis placed on knowledge
organizations responsible for the accreditation of ICT programs in areas in the ICT disciplines. The scale ranges between 0 (lowest
various jurisdictions [23]. Signatories demonstrate the emphasis) and 5 (highest emphasis) [27]. The emphasis on
equivalency of the programs that they accredit, including in the professional, legal, ethical, and societal issues in computer
development of graduate attributes related to professional engineering, information systems, and software engineering was
responsibilities to society, ethics, and lifelong learning. In deemed to be between a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 5. In
particular, graduates must be able to: computer science and information technology, the minimum was
2 and the maximum 4. These values represent the minimum
• understand and assess societal, health, safety, legal, specified in the curriculum recommendations and the maximum
and cultural issues within local and global contexts, and that could be expected in a program that follows the
the consequential responsibilities relevant to recommendations. Thus, the ACM computing curricula places
professional computing practice, strong emphasis on professional, legal, ethical, and societal issues
• understand and commit to professional ethics, as a core knowledge area in each of the five ICT disciplines [26,
responsibilities, and norms of professional computing 27].
practice, and
• recognize the need, and have the ability, to engage in
independent learning for continual development as a 2.3 Implementing the ACM Curricula
computing professional. There is no clear consensus on how professional and societal
Seoul Accord [24] issues should be implemented in the curriculum.

Seoul Accord signatories currently include the Accreditation For information systems, IS-2010 includes professional issues in
Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) in the United the Information Systems knowledge area. This knowledge area
States, the Accreditation Board for Engineering Education of encompasses the societal context of computing, legal issues,
Korea (ABEEK) in the Republic of Korea, the British Computer intellectual property, and privacy. These topics are covered in a
Society (BCS) in the United Kingdom, the Hong Kong Institute of range of courses including Foundations of Information Systems,
Engineering (HKIE) in Hong Kong, China, the Institute of IS Project Management, Systems Analysis and Design, Innovation
Engineering Education Taiwan (IEET) in Taipei, the Australian and New Technologies, and IT Security and Risk Management.
Computer Society (ACS), the Canadian Information Processing The CS-2008 computer science curriculum recommends a single
Society (CIPS), and the Japan Accreditation Board for course on professional, ethical, and societal issues, plus
Engineering Education (JABEE) [25]. complementary modules that integrate these topics into technical
Accrediting bodies generally do not define curricula. Instead, their courses as appropriate. The report describes a trade-off regarding
role may be better characterized as providing a quality assurance where the standalone course should be positioned within the
check to ensure coherence amongst recognized professional program structure:
 Having the course at the lower level cohort size, that a majority of U.S. computer science programs
1. Allows for coverage of methods and tools of analysis… included professional, societal, and ethical issues (87%, n=220)
prior to analyzing ethical issues in the context of [14]. In institutions with larger student numbers, 28.5% (n=95)
different technical areas. used only a standalone course and 36.8% used a standalone course
in combination with modules integrating professional and societal
2. Assures that students who drop out early to enter the content across the program. Of those institutions with a standalone
workforce will still be introduced to some professional course, 17.9% offered it during the first or second year of study,
and ethical issues. and 78.6% offered it in the third or fourth year.
On the other hand, placing the course too early may lead to Spradling, Soh, and Ansorge also found that institutions with
the following problems:
fewer contact hours devoted to professional and societal content
1. Lower-level students may not have the technical or those with smaller enrollments were more likely to distribute
knowledge and intellectual maturity to support in-depth professional and societal content across courses in their program
ethical analysis. Without basic understanding of [14]. To some extent, this finding reflects the view of Martin [36]
technical alternatives, it is difficult to consider their who recommends adopting an integrated solution for teaching
ethical implications. professional and societal issues in those cases where a program
2. Students need a certain level of maturity and must be constrained to a single approach. That recommendation
sophistication to appreciate the background and issues was based on the argument that doing so best emphasizes the
involved… interrelationship between the technical, ethical, and social aspects
CS-2008 [29] of computing.
Institutions that do not teach professional and societal issues tend
2.4 Prior Surveys on Implementation to have smaller enrollments [37]. Their most cited reasons were
In an attempt to characterize how departments implement no room in the curriculum or the lack of staff qualified to teach
curricula recommendations and address accreditation professional and societal topics.
requirements for professional, ethical, societal, privacy, and
discipline impact issues, Homkes and Strikwerda [34] conducted
an analysis of ABET accredited undergraduate programs in
3. SURVEY RESULTS
information technology, computer science, and information In June 2010, prior to the ITiCSE 2010 Conference, the authors
systems. The analysis utilized a keyword search using a set of published a link to a short survey on the SIGCSE members
descriptors on the web pages available for each university in the ListServe, with the intent of obtaining a rough idea of the state of
sample. Findings showed that all programs incorporated the teaching of social issues in undergraduate ICT programs. 86 of
professional, legal, privacy, social, and discipline impact issues in the 1057 ListServe recipients responded.
situ in a number of technical courses. While this is a better than expected response rate from this venue,
All of the nine randomly sampled computer science programs the sampling is certainly not scientific and few, if any,
included a standalone course, with seven of these taught within conclusions can be drawn from the results. It is assumed that the
the department and two by an outside entity. One computer respondents over-represent computer science programs compared
science program placed the course in the second year of study, six to other ICT disciplines and that they have an interest in teaching
programs placed it in the third year, and two programs placed it in social issues. Most respondents are from American institutions,
the fourth year. with only about half a dozen from other countries. Nevertheless,
the results corroborate commonly held assumptions. In particular,
Only two of the nine information systems programs in the sample they are consistent with the survey of Spradling, Soh, and
included a standalone course. The survey’s authors suggest that Ansorge. In view of the limited and non-representative data, all
this was influenced by the IS curriculum recommendations percentages are rounded to the nearest 5%.
positioning professional and societal issues in the context of other
IS subjects. The two IS programs in the study with a standalone
course placed it in the final year of study. The same course was
3.1 Summary Results
Nearly all respondents (95%) indicated their schools offered a
also required of computer science majors at those institutions.
computer science major. Around 25% of the respondents reported
Of the nine information technology programs in the study, four other majors such as computer engineering or information
included a required standalone course and one had two elective systems. The sizes of programs represented a good spread from
courses. very small to large. The survey included a question related to
demographics involving women. Findings relating percentages of
Barroso and Melara [35] conducted a similar study, but based women and various other factors are generally consistent with
their analysis on a survey of academic staff, predominantly from more detailed studies done elsewhere.
the California state universities. In a sample of 69 academics, over
40% reported being in computer science, almost 30% in another Only a few schools (5%) do not cover social, ethical, and/or
ICT field, and the remainder were engineers. Just over 82% professional issues. Of those that do something, about 55%
reported that they were involved in teaching ethics to some extent. recognize some connections with ACM/IEEE guidelines, but 30%
Of these, 54.4% taught computer ethics in a standalone course and of the respondents reported they were not very familiar with these
just over 20% taught it in the context of another technical subject. guidelines. The most common topics discussed include (in
descending order of popularity) professional ethics, social context,
A more comprehensive survey conducted by Spradling, Soh, and history, intellectual property, privacy and civil liberties, risks, and
Ansorge in 2005 found, in a large sample stratified by region and computer crime. Of the respondents who reported being familiar
with the ACM/IEEE guidelines, 75% felt the guidelines specify an • The very smallest and very largest institutions are more
appropriate level of coverage of social issues and the remainder likely to expose students to social issues inside the
was split, either believing it is too little or too much. department.
• There is a negative correlation between size and formally
For schools that reported including this material, the courses assessing students on social issues.
involved were more likely to be offered within the department
• The smallest institutions are most likely to provide a
itself, but connections with other departments and courses were combination of standalone and integrated components.
not uncommon. Also, somewhat more schools reported using a • The respondents at the smallest institutions were more likely
mix of standalone courses and topics integrated with technical to rate their own knowledge of social issues as moderate or
courses than schools that use either approach by itself. About high.
85% of the respondents believe that computing faculty should be
involved in teaching social issues, but about 35% also believe that
faculty outside computing should be involved as well. 3.2.2 Cross-tabulation by Percentage of Women
Another cross-tabulation was done for number of female students.
Substantial variation was reported regarding the level at which In addition to again showing the tendency of small institutions to
students encounter this material, even within a single institution. graduate a higher percentage of women, there are the following
Some reported that students study it several times at differing patterns. Respondents at institutions with a higher percentage of
levels of their undergraduate experience. women tend to:
Of those institutions that reported covering social issues, roughly • cover social issues in a combination of standalone and
35% have no mechanism for assessment of this material, while integrated components,
about 45% have formal assessment procedures (e.g. with grades) • prefer less involvement by other departments,
on at least most of the work. The remaining 20% are assessed on • include social issues in their own teaching,
only portions of the work. • have higher confidence in their ability to teach social issues,
and
In presenting social topics, a traditional format involving lectures
• rank their knowledge of social issues as moderate and high.
was found to be more common than various active-learning
formats.
3.2.3 Cross-tabulation by Knowledge of Respondent
While 65% of those responding to the survey believe students Cross-tabulating by the respondents’ knowledge of social and
should have a good understanding of the ACM Code of Ethics, ethical issues in computing yielded a few interesting and expected
even more want students to actively engage with this material, results. The most knowledgeable respondents:
including through activities such as writing impact statements or
articulating potential consequences of proposed systems. • tend to come from the smallest institutions, and tend to
cover social context, risks, intellectual property, privacy,
Respondents to this survey had considerable experience teaching civil liberties, computer crime, and philosophical
about the social issues of computing. 70% had included these frameworks more than less knowledgeable respondents,
topics in their courses, 85% had high or moderate confidence that • also are most likely to believe social issues should be taught
they could teach this material, and faculty currently teaching it inside the department, have done so themselves, have the
were more confident than those who were not. highest confidence, and are the primary instructor in their
departments, and
Many faculty indicated an interest in having additional case
• tend to endorse having the most extensive objectives related
studies and discussion starters to enhance their teaching of this
to teaching social issues, and are least likely to advocate
material. At a lower level of interest, faculty also mentioned
limited objectives or no coverage at all.
videos and outside speakers as desired resources to further
enhance their courses.
3.2.4 Cross-tabulation by Degree of Assessment
In addition to again showing more formal assessment in smaller
3.2 Cross-tabulation Results programs, the cross-tabulation by degree of assessment yielded
The data were cross-tabulated by program size, percentage of the following:
women, knowledge of the respondent, and degree of assessment.
Only results that showed a significant correlation are presented • Students taught inside the department tend to be assessed
here. Because of the lack of confidence in the results, no the most.
percentages are given. • There is little or no correlation between the degree of
assessment and the percentage of women or effect of the
enrollment downturn.
3.2.1 Cross-tabulation by Program Size • Assessment is more likely for the topics of analytical tools,
When cross-tabulated by program size, some patterns emerge: intellectual property, privacy, civil liberties, computer
• Institutions graduating fewer than 25 per year tend to have a crime, and philosophical frameworks.
higher percentage of women than institutions graduating • The degree of student assessment is expectedly high in
more than 50. standalone courses compared to integrated and embedded
• The smallest institutions with fewer than 10 graduates per approaches.
year were impacted more severely by the recent downturn in • Experiential and collaborative learning experience also
enrollments and are least likely to be recovering. tended to be assessed.
 • The degree of student assessment is high when the if more time is spent on an existing topic, what other topic might
respondent's confidence in teaching is high, and also when be diminished in coverage? Or can all or part of a course be
the respondent's knowledge of social issues is high. reformulated so that coverage of social issues can be integrated
with the other topics?
3.3 Survey Conclusions When considering strategies for incorporating the coverage of
While many of these individual results may be more or less social issues into an ICT curriculum, several approaches are
interesting, they may not be very relevant to this paper. However, possible:
taken as a whole, the survey shows that there is still much
uncertainty in what social issues include, how they relate to Standalone course(s): In this approach the traditional ICT
computing, what pedagogies to use, and where and when they can technical content courses remain unchanged and all coverage of
best be presented. There is an impression that the infrastructure is social and professional issues is segregated into a separate course
not mature, lacking adequate texts, supporting materials, and or courses. While potentially simple to implement, there is the risk
interest organizations with publications. There appears to be that students will perceive these topics as being orthogonal to their
general acknowledgement that social issues are an important primary discipline-based studies.
component of the curriculum, but lack of confidence in how they Integrated Modules: Essentially, what could have been a
can be incorporated and taught. One can demonstrate the relative standalone course is distributed across many modules throughout
state of maturity by selecting random technical topics from the the ICT curriculum. An advantage of this approach is that the
ACM Computing Body of Knowledge, and compare what most relevance of social and professional issues is repeated throughout
can say about them to what they can say about any of the social the students' academic careers. Furthermore, unlike with the
issues topics. standalone course, this approach requires a commitment to
teaching social and professional issues by a wide cross-section of
4. GETTING STARTED AND GOING the ICT instructors.
FURTHER: INITIATING AND Embedded: This approach, which is orthogonal to the above,
ENHANCING THE TEACHING OF SOCIAL attempts to weave the coverage of social and professional issues
throughout the ICT curriculum by means of judicious use of
ISSUES examples and case studies. Three examples of this approach
In this section, the report shifts to strategies and resources for follow.
incorporating social issues in computing into the curriculum. It
contains suggestions that will be of use for instructors who are • In an operating systems course, the Morris Worm case at
teaching social issues for the first time, as well as for those who Cornell University [38, 39] can be used as an example of
are at any stage of implementation and would like to do more. inter-process communication. This 1988 event illustrates
Special attention is given towards the goal of fostering computing many important technical matters, but also can be used to
for the social good. Appendix B expands upon this discussion by discuss social impact and professional responsibility.
describing how social issues have been incorporated into existing • In a software engineering course, reverse engineering of
and new courses at several colleges and universities. proprietary software and the free-open source philosophy
can be discussed.
• In a database course, instead of using a banking or airline
4.1 Three Starting Questions reservation system, one might consider a disaster relief
When considering how to begin or expand the coverage of social management application. As with either banking or airline
issues, one needs to consider three key questions: reservation systems, this example application can be
1. Where can new material be inserted or existing material initially conveyed in a simple form and can grow in
refined? Computing courses typically cover large amounts complexity as needed for topic coverage. Furthermore, this
of material, so an instructor or department will likely need example allows one to cover important professional issues
to re-conceptualize the existing content in order to add such as data security, privacy, and ethical behavior by those
components on social issues. with data access. One can essentially "embed" a short
2. Where can resources be found and support gathered? conversation related to one or more social or professional
If an instructor feels isolated in initiating or expanding concerns with almost any technical concept.
coverage of social issues, finding support inside or outside In these cases, the instructor has a choice regarding what
the institution can be especially beneficial. examples to use and can introduce social issues into the course by
3. How can students be actively engaged in the material? choosing examples that illustrate the broader context. However,
Throughout their education students have heard that they unlike integrated modules and standalone courses, in which
should help others and act responsibly, but theory often is
societal impact is an explicit part of the assessment objectives,
disconnected from action, and the objective in teaching topics covered via an embedded strategy present challenges for
social issues is to affect the behavior of students in their assessment as goals for social issues are merged with other
careers. learning outcomes.

4.2 Where Might New Material Fit? Experiential: Another popular strategy involves “learning by
doing” and sometimes is called service learning.
One approach is to assess the impact of proposed curriculum
changes on stakeholders such as students and computing faculty, • Instead of a summer cooperative internship experience,
and its impact on prerequisites for other courses, major programs, consider encouraging students to spend a summer working
accreditation, industry, and the community. If a topic is added or
 on a Humanitarian-Free and Open Source Software (H- 4.4 Resources and Support
FOSS) project at one of the H-FOSS summer institutes [40]. The process of adding, expanding, or refining material on social
• A project-based software engineering course could develop issues can seem daunting without help. Assistance can come from
a project to aid a non-profit community-based partner at least two sources: people and materials.
instead of a fictitious project or one for a university office or
local industry partner. Service learning in computing is Support from people can come from one’s own department, from
another experiential option: e.g. having students teach other departments, or from outside the institution. Within an
graphical programming using Alice or Scratch to institution, one strategy is to simply make known what you want
disadvantaged youth. to do. By broadcasting your interests, a colleague with similar
• All software projects, including those with a commercial interests might contact you. As a second strategy, you might be
focus, can utilize Software Development Impact Statements more proactive and contact promising departments such as
(SoDIS) to assess the societal impact of a software project philosophy, education, or sociology. Outside the institution, there
on stakeholders and to mitigate potential negative are people in the community who would be pleased to give guest
consequences [41]. Similar to an environmental impact lectures. There is also a group of SIGCSE members with a strong
statement, SoDIS provides an ethical framework in which interest in social issues.
project teams work to identify stakeholders, the risks that
Alternatively, one might seek out others who have relevant
the project presents to them, and potential mitigating
experience. These individuals may be ICT colleagues or local
strategies.
colleagues from other departments. Also many institutions have
The above approaches are neither exhaustive nor independent. dedicated support units to assist faculty in using experiential
One may choose an embedded approach to cover the history of learning or engaging with community partners.
computing or security concerns, while selecting an integrated
Materials can be relatively informal or highly structured. Some
module to cover professional ethics or professional codes of
places to look for resources on social issues related to computing
conduct.
are:
Finally, change need not be revolutionary. An evolutionary • the bibliography of this working group report;
approach can yield meaningful benefits with a modest time • news articles [42-44];
commitment and marginal impact on other topics. • articles to provide some depth in an issue, such as privacy or
security [45-47];
4.3 Implementation Cases • case studies such as the Morris Worm case at Cornell
Pragmatically, many ICT departments have already incorporated University in an operating systems course [38, 39];
social issues in computing into existing and new courses. • structured readings (using a textbook is easier than
Appendix B provides examples for a variety of institutional types. integrating miscellaneous readings) [4].
In particular, the appendix describes seven approaches and Other valuable resources are:
settings with the following characteristics:
• Special Interest Group on Computers and Society
1. A large department at a large public university seeking to (SIGCAS) - an ACM-sponsored special interest group on
fulfill requirements for accreditation. (Towson University) Computers and Society. The professional and ethical aspects
2. A large department at a large public university wishing to of computing are particular strengths of this group [48].
improve on the professionalism of its graduates. (Curtin • Humanitarian Free and Open Source Software (H-FOSS) -
University) an organization for involving undergraduate students in
3. A small department at a small private college wanting to building free and open source software that benefits the
connect with its liberal arts mission. (Grinnell College) community. In addition to running summer institutes for
4. A small department at a medium sized private university interested students and faculty mentors, the organization has
that implements an experiential learning opportunity by an active member base to assist those who wish to utilize an
connecting students at the introductory level with H-FOSS project in their curriculum [40, 49, 50].
economically disadvantaged students in the community. • Socially Relevant Computing (SRC) - a new initiative being
(John Carroll) introduced by Microsoft Research in conjunction with two
5. A large department at a large public university utilizing the academic partners (University at Buffalo and Rice
Bologna Agreement approach to create multiple curricular University). While at the time of this report SRC has no
student paths. (The University of Melbourne) resources or programming to offer, one hopes that this
6. A medium sized department at a medium sized private initiative will soon grow in value [51].
university with an experiential learning opportunity that has • Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR) -
students acting as consultants with local non-profit a public interest alliance of computer scientists and others
community partners. (Carnegie Mellon) promoting the responsible use of computer technology [52,
7. A large department at a large public university with a 53].
specialized graduate program focusing on computing for the • The Risks Digest – a forum of ICT risks to the public. The
social good. (University of Bologna) Forum on Risks to the Public in Computers and Related
The Appendix B narrative is by no means exhaustive, but it does Systems arose from the Association for Computing
illustrate a variety of approaches that have been tried at a range of Machinery's Committee on Computers and Public Policy,
institutions and that can provide insights for new or revised under the direction and continuing guidance of Dr. Peter G.
implementations. Neumann, Moderator. This resource provides the public
with a place to submit information about problems that have
 arisen in computing. The Risks Forum is a moderated pedagogies, in developing rubrics for assessing student papers and
digest, with a USENET equivalent as [Link]. This other in-class activities such as debates on social issues, and in
resource can be used in educational settings to provide links developing experiential learning opportunities. Campus resources
to information about computer-related social and ethical such as workshops offered by teaching development centers,
problems and concerns [54]. education faculty or the library are often available to meet some
• IEEE Technology and Society Magazine – a publication of of these needs. As well, opportunities for professional
the IEEE on topics related to technology and society [55]. development can be found at regional meetings and conferences
of organizations such as SIGCSE and SIGCAS.
4.5 Engaging Students
Students learn the expected responses regarding human behavior 4.7 Acceptance for Tenure, Promotion, and
during the early years of their education. Since they know what Merit Pay
they are supposed to say in many settings, an instructor is unlikely At any institution, rethinking courses and adding content on social
to have much impact by simply restating these principles for issues will be considered for tenure, promotion and merit pay, but
computing applications. Rather, students need to be challenged to the value will vary. Experiential learning opportunities off
see the impact of computing from different perspectives, campus, in particular, require significant time investments to both
confronted with complexities that they have not considered initiate and maintain. If applicable, a faculty member should
previously, and engaged in situations having unexpected discuss these issues with the department chair, the dean and
consequences or undesired behavior. For example, in an members of the tenure and promotion committee.
introductory programming course, students may consider integer
overflow to be inconsequential because programs that do not
protect against it will work in most cases. Their thinking might 5. CONCLUSIONS
change if they knew that integer overflow in a database caused the Nearly 20 years ago the ACM articulated the need to include
cancellation of flights for about 30,000 Comair passengers in coverage of both professional and social issues in ICT curricula.
December 2004 [56]. An (embedded) discussion of social issues, Through efforts such as ImpactCS, SIGCAS, and the reports of
or better yet, an experiential learning component provides three previous ITiCSE-based working groups, many ICT
excellent opportunities for engaging and challenging students, and programs now include some coverage of these issues. In fact, the
need not be more of the predictable moralizing they likely have results of the admittedly non-scientific survey conducted by this
heard regularly for the past decade or more. working group in 2010 corroborate previous findings that almost
95% of the surveyed ICT programs provide some coverage of
The efficacy of strategies for introducing professional and social social, professional and ethical issues.
issues into the curriculum is not well understood. Students may be
able to recite a professional society code of ethics and write an What is also clear from these surveys, including the one we are
essay on how it would inform the decision-making process in the reporting on, is that much more needs to be done. In particular,
context of a hypothetical case study. However, do they actually there is a need for greater coverage of cultural issues, accessibility
employ this framework in practice as an emerging professional? issues, the digital divide, the impact of the FOSS movement, and
Do they consider professional and societal aspects of the computing and public policy, among others. To assist in this the
curriculum to be an integral part of their discipline, or merely an authors provide not only a set of resources and strategies to
orthogonal component required either for accreditation purposes consider, but a set of implementation showcases, each of which
or to satisfy an individual professor’s focus? provides a detailed description of how a particular institution is
trying to meet this challenge.
As suggested by Buckley (2008) student engagement, in addition
to retention and participation by women and minorities, may be Our intention is for the implementation showcases to not only aid
improved the more students perceive the professional and societal those wishing to enhance the coverage of social issues in their
aspects as part of the fabric of being an ICT professional. Indeed, curriculum, but especially to foster the growing realization of the
as computing for the social good permeates ICT curricula, advantages of computing for the social good. There is evidence to
students may elect to study ICT out of a desire to have a societal suggest that students do not believe an ICT career path will allow
impact. one to have a positive societal impact and, therefore, do not
pursue an ICT major. In particular, some believe that this is
especially true for women. Hence, the implementation showcases
4.6 Professional Development provided highlight programs that give specific emphasis on
As instructors expand coverage of social issues in their courses, computing for the social good.
they may need to use unfamiliar pedagogy. Active learning
techniques are often used to engage students in social issues. There are a number of future directions suggested by this work.
Lectures, group discussions, cases studies, and readings are other The first is a more exhaustive, scientific, international survey to
popular pedagogies for introducing social issues into the gain a better understanding of which professional and social
computing curricula [14, 35]. Specific learning experiences that issues are being adequately covered in ICT curricula and which
develop professionalism, social issues and ethics are well are not. This survey may potentially be able to highlight best
documented in the literature [18, 57-59]. In particular, project practices in this area as well. The other direction suggested by this
work is often suggested as a means to highlight social issues [1, work involves strategies for repositioning people's views,
15, 41, 60]. including ICT departments themselves, of both ICT degrees and
ICT career paths with respect to societal impact: computing for
Academic staff in computing departments may require the social good. A goal of this direction may one day be a
professional development assistance in applying some of these freshman cohort where a majority of the students indicate that
they selected an ICT major not to become a games programmer, 12. Williams, S., Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's
to be rich, or because they like computers, but because they were crusade for free software. 2002, Sebastopol, CA:
mathematically/technically oriented problem solvers who wanted O'Reilly & Associates.
to have a positive impact on society. 13. Giles, J., Internet encyclopedias go head to head.
Nature, 2005. 438(7070): p. 900-901.
6. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 14. Spradling, C., L.-K. Soh, and C.J. Ansorge, A
comprehensive survey on the status of social and
We wish to acknowledge the cooperation of Raj Gopalan (Curtin
professional issues in United States undergraduate
University), Tele Tan (Curtin University), Janet Davis (Grinnell
computer science programs and recommendations.
College), Alistair Moffat (University of Melbourne), Joe Mertz
Computer science education, 2009. 19(3): p. 137-153.
(Carnegie Mellon), and Linda Seiter (John Carroll University) for
15. Buckley, M., J. Nordlinger, and D. Subramanian,
providing the implementation cases found in Appendix B.
Socially relevant computing, in Proceedings of the 39th
Additionally, we wish to acknowledge Randy Connelly (Mount
SIGCSE technical symposium on computer science
Royal University) who also provided an implementation write-up,
education. 2008, ACM: Portland, OR, USA. p. 347-351.
which due to space constraints could not be included in the
16. Huff, C. and C.D. Martin, Computing consequences: a
Appendix. We also thank Lisa C. Kaczmarczyk for her assistance
framework for teaching ethical computing. Commun.
with designing the survey. Finally, we wish to acknowledge
ACM, 1995. 38(12): p. 75-84.
Donald Joyce (Unitec) who initially proposed this working group
17. Martin, C.D., et al., Implementing a tenth strand in the
and without whose dedication to the ideals expressed in this report
CS curriculum. Commun. ACM, 1996. 39(12): p. 75-84.
it would not have been possible.
18. Granger, M.J., et al., Using information technology to
integrate social and ethical issues into the computer
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Appendix A. 5. Risks is a core component with a minimum class time of 2
hours. Awareness of historical system failures, limitations
Social and Professional Issues Elaboration of testing, approaches to managing risks, and the role of
risk management are topics that are covered by this
component. An important skill is the ability to analyze
There are eleven components of social and professional issues
costs and benefits of differing levels of risk acceptance.
that are recognized by the ACM/IEEE Body of Knowledge.
6. Security Operations is an elective component. It deals
This list should not be considered comprehensive or static, but is
with physical security including physical and personnel
representative of what is commonly encountered in education
access, recovery, etc. Finding weak points, designing
and in practice. This section contains an elaboration of what
security measures, and intrusion detection are some of the
these components mean. They are identified as either core or
topics that can be taught.
elective, and include the CS-2008 recommended minimum
7. Intellectual Property is a core component with a minimum
number of class-time hours if they are core. Not included in
these hours is time for homework and other outside activities. class time of 3 hours. Rights to “intellectual property,” i.e.
copyright, patent, trademarks, including legal aspects and
international considerations, licensing of software,
1. History of Computing is a core component with a problems of license violations such that unauthorized
minimum class time of 1 hour. Learning about the copies or inclusion of copyleft software in proprietary
pioneers, current leaders, and evolution of computer products including impact on software development, and
technologies provides students with a context for the historical context are aspects of this component.
understanding the increasing impacts and roles of Additional aspects include understanding patents, trade
computation today and in the future. Included are the secrets, and the open source software movement with its
historical roots and confluence of theory, industrial impacts and implications for continued software and
automation, and communications in the development of hardware development. Students should also understand
computers; the driving forces from shipping, war, and the various licensing options and their implications.
economic competition; and continuing trends of rapid 8. Privacy and Civil Liberties is a core component with a
evolution with implications of various sectors being out of minimum class time of 2 hours. Understanding the legal
synchronization. bases, recognizing where the threats may arise, dealing
2. Social Context is a core component with a minimum class with tradeoffs between access to information and possible
time of 3 hours. It deals with the use and misuse of loss of privacy, and technological ways of dealing with the
computers in society, and effects on communication and problems are topics that may arise in this component.
culture. The focus is on the effect of computing on how Additional topics are the extension of civil rights to
people interact between themselves, governments, cyberspace including international differences and
business, and other social institutions. It also considers impacts, the effects of technology on the ability to regulate
the other direction, namely the effect of culture and human such rights, and likely future trends.
institutions on the acceptance and uses of computing. 9. Computer Crime is an elective component. In addition to
Included are the effects on gender and cultural disparities the expected topics of hacking, viruses and their ilk,
such as the gender gap in computing education, identity theft, and techniques for their detection,
understanding and acceptance of computing permeating all prevention, and recovery, all of which non-computing
aspects of life as in electronic voting and robotic servants, professionals should be cognizant of, it is important that
and the effect on governments in monitoring and computing professionals consider their roles and
controlling their populations and use of computers in responsibilities when developing systems. Also included
cyberwarfare. are the relative roles of government, industry, and the
3. Analytical Tools is a core component with a minimum individual in managing the risk and assuming
class time of 2 hours. Rather than pertaining directly to responsibility for losses.
social impacts of computing, this component addresses the 10. Economics of Computing is an elective component.
ability to reason about these issues, to form arguments and Outsourcing, skilled labor supply, access to computing
analyze them for fallacies, to consider the motivations of facilities and the Internet including geographical and
stakeholders, and evaluate ethical tradeoffs. It is cultural differences, software pricing strategies,
fundamentally the logical analysis of ethical issues. monopolies, and the concept of green computing would all
4. Professional Ethics is a core component with a minimum fall under this category.
class time of 3 hours. As one of the most accepted and 11. Philosophical Frameworks is an elective component.
taught components, this introduces students to There are various ethical theories that philosophers deal
professional codes of ethics and practice, and to other with, including utilitarianism and deontological theories.
aspects of the role of a professional in industry and They identify different ways that people can measure
academia. Considerations of whistle-blowing, “good” and “bad”. Understanding the differences in
ergonomics, discrimination, ethical concerns of computing scientific and philosophical approaches would be part of
system development are examples of topics. Also this component.
included are understanding what the law says about ethical
issues, the ability to analyze the intent, uses of,
effectiveness, and “rightness” of the codes and laws, and
ways of dealing with ethical violations.
Appendix B – Implementation Cases The one-credit course is taught in a hybrid manner, meeting both
in-classroom and online. This course is moving to become an
online course. It emphasizes the use of scenarios and cases and
Implementation cases demonstrating how societal impact issues requires students to perform case analysis, resulting in the
have been addressed at various institutions are presented below. writing of summaries of actions taken, or actions that should be
This includes a liberal arts school (Grinnell College: integrated taken, by stakeholders.
modules and embedded), a private university (John Carroll
University and Carnegie Mellon: experiential), large public What content is prescribed; in particular, what learning
universities (Curtin University and Towson University: outcomes are desired? Topics of study in the course include:
standalone courses; The University of Melbourne: integrated introduction to evolution of computing devices and machines,
modules) and finally a program (graduate) whose whole intellectual property, electronic theft and piracy, electronic
curriculum is formed around the coverage of social issues privacy, malicious software such as viruses and worms,
(University of Bologna: embedded). Each description lists a set evaluation of risks and probabilities of error and failure,
of contributors. Interested readers are invited to contact a professional responsibility, professional concerns of computing
contributor with questions. and information technology workers, codes of ethics of
behavior, standards for good practice, computer forensics and
security, qualifications of workers, and certification and
B1. Towson University licensing of personnel.
The goals in this course are designed to help the student be able
Contributor: Joyce Currie Little to: describe some of the ethical and societal problems that have
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, USA arisen due to computer usage in several different disciplines,
Institution type: Metropolitan including privacy, equity of access, and intellectual property;
Program being documented: Bachelor’s Degree describe some of the societal problems and the risks that may
Curricular model: ACM Computer Science (CS) arise from the design, development, and implementation of
Accreditation body: Accreditation Board for Engineering and software; describe and interpret some of the major ethical
Technology (ABET), using Computing Accreditation theories for classifying cases and events; explain some of the
Commission (CAC), lead society Computing Sciences effects of computerization on the human condition in society;
Accreditation Board (CSAB), for the Computer Science identify some major issues related to intellectual property rights
program; IS and IT programs not yet accredited but applications involving hardware and software; identify some major concerns
for both are being planned, to the same accreditation body. related to the individual right to privacy; analyze a workplace or
Institutional program review is done every five years. societal situation to establish its ethical boundaries and impact;
explain the purpose of, and give examples of the use of,
At what level is the impact of CS/IT on society addressed?
professional codes of ethics in the workplace; explain some of
Undergraduate bachelor’s degree in Computer Science (CS),
Information Systems (IS), and Information Technology (IT). the non-traditional ways computer professionals prepare for the
workplace by means of certification examinations and
Is the content spread across many courses or concentrated in trade/vocational schools; express some arguments for, and
one or two? There are two courses in the undergraduate CS against, professionalism of computer/computing professionals;
major: COSC418 Societal and Ethical Concerns for Computer explain how to protect against, and describe some ways to
Scientists (three credits); and COSC480 Senior Seminar (one prevent, some of the types of malicious behavior that interferes
credit). To complement those, some required computing courses with responsible computer usage; describe some of the ethical
include modules of topics that provide social issues and impact and societal problems that have arisen due to computer usage in
using examples and cases appropriate to the course. This several different disciplines, including privacy, equity of access,
integration of topics provides additional enhancement that and intellectual property; describe some of the societal problems
connects the content in more depth, and to the appropriate and the risks that may arise from the design, development, and
subject matter. implementation of software; describe and interpret some of the
Are the courses compulsory or elective? All computing major ethical theories for classifying cases and events; explain
majors (CS, IS, and IT) must take either the three-credit course some of the effects of computerization on the human condition
or the one-credit course. The course is available also for in society; identify some major issues related to intellectual
students in other majors, for whom their home department property rights involving hardware and software; identify some
recognizes it as a substitute for their own course in ethical and major concerns related to the individual right to privacy; analyze
social issues. a workplace or societal situation to establish its ethical
boundaries and impact; explain the purpose of, and give
How is the learning of social impacts facilitated in the examples of the use of, professional codes of ethics in the
course(s)? In the three-credit course, students participate in a workplace; explain some of the non-traditional ways computer
team research project to study one area of impact of computing professionals prepare for the workplace by means of
on society, such as GPS, mobile phone, medical databases, for certification examinations and trade/vocational schools; express
example. They prepare a professional paper and give a team some arguments for, and against, professionalism of
presentation. Assignments during the semester include study computer/computing professionals; explain how to protect
followed by online and in-class discussion groups, using topics against, and describe some ways to prevent, some of the types of
such as the USA PATRIOT Act, for example. Short written malicious behavior that interferes with responsible computer
assignments are required, with citations and analysis. Students usage.
give presentations of historic cases (such as the Therac-25
Radiation Machine Case, for example). Two exams are given.
B2. Curtin University achieve defined goals and the means to measure their
attainment; and to be a cooperative and contributing team
Contributors: Raj Gopalan, Tele Tan, and Brian R. von Konsky member, planning and tracking personal work that leads to the
Condensed by: Mikey Goldweber delivery of a quality product. The capstone project units are
Location: Perth, Western Australia team-based projects of significant scope, undertaken in
Institution type: Metropolitan conjunction with an industry partner, and therefore offer great
Program being documented: Bachelor’s Degree work placement experience.
Curricular model: ACM Computer Science (CS) Reference:
Accreditation body: Australian Computer Society
Curtin University. (2010). Teaching and Learning – Curtin
Graduate Attributes. Retrieved 18 June 2010 from
At what level is the impact of CS/IT on society addressed? [Link]
Professionalism, societal impact, and ethics are addressed in all
von Konsky, B.R., and Ivins, J. (2008) Assessing the Capability
undergraduate programs: the three-year Bachelor of Science
and Maturity of Capstone Software Engineering Projects, 10th
degree in Computer Science (CS), Information Technology (IT),
Australasian Computing Education Conference (ACE 2008), in
and Software Engineering (SE). The Australian Computer
conjunction with the Australasian Computer Science Week
Society has accredited all of these programs.
(ACSW 2008), Wollongong, 22-25 January, 2008, Conferences
Is the content spread across many courses or concentrated in in Research and Practice in Information Technology, Vol. 78,
one or two? Social and ethical issues are concentrated in Simon and Margaret Hamilton, Eds.,
Project Design and Management (PDM351). Professionalism in
ICT is concentrated in PDM351 and Software Engineering
Project capstone units (SEP401/402 and 451/452). B3. Grinnell College
Are the courses compulsory or elective? PDM 351 is Contributors: Janet Davis, Henry Walker
compulsory for all CS majors, for IT, and SE majors. The Condensed by: Joyce Currie Little
Software Engineering Projects units are compulsory for all SE Location: Grinnell, Iowa, USA
majors. Institution type: Liberal Arts College
How is the learning of social impacts facilitated in the Program being documented: Bachelor of Arts
course(s)? PD351 has three guest lectures of one hour each Curricular model: ACM/IEEE Computer Science (CS)
done by the University Chaplain. Assessments include a student Curricula 2001, 2008, & Liberal Arts Computer Science
debate and an essay. Consortium (Bruce [Link]. 2010, Liberal Arts Consort. 2007,
PDM 351 also introduces students to professionalism and the Walker and Keleman 2010)
roles and responsibilities of IT professionals working on CS/IT Accreditation Body: None
software teams. This is facilitated through additional lectures
that introduce topics on the Personal Software Process (PSP), At what level is the impact of CS/IT on society addressed?
risk management, and earned value. Assessments associated Undergraduate, both CS majors and non-majors
with this portion of the unit include the design, planning, and
implementation of a proof of concept project. This is Is the content spread across many courses or concentrated in
undertaken as a team, and has traditionally been sponsored by one or two? The content is spread over a number of courses.
the University’s IT Services area. For non-majors, the course CSC105 The Digital Age provides
both technical content and social issues. All incoming students
In addition, Software Engineering students are assigned a take a First Year Tutorial; when offered by CS faculty, many
leadership role as a member of a software development team on sections include social and ethical issues of computing.
a large project of significant scope in the Software Engineering Computer Science majors may take courses that include aspects
Project capstone units. These roles include Team Leader, of societal issues of computing: CSC232 Human-Computer
Development Manager, Quality Manager, and Support Manager. Interaction; CSC 261 Artificial Intelligence; CSC323 Software
Collectively, students manage project risks, quality, scope, time Design, CSC325 Databases and Web Application Design;
and schedule, each in the context of defined leadership goals and CSC341 Theory of Computation, and CSC364 Computer
responsibilities (von Konsky & Ivins, 2008). Outcomes from Networks. Special Topics courses often are offered, such as one
project management roles are presented in an end–of-semester on Women in Computing, and another in Socio-Technical Issues
poster presentation. in Computer Networks.
What content is prescribed; in particular, what learning Are the courses compulsory or elective? The Computer
outcomes are desired? Learning Outcomes for PDM351 Science major requires two of the courses: CSC341, CSC323 or
include the ability to appraise relevant professional and ethical CSC325.
issues as they relate to the computing and software industries.
Professionalism outcomes from PDM351 include an ability to How is the learning of social impacts facilitated in the
demonstrate excellent time management skills and understand course(s)? For non-majors, some of the content in CSC105 The
the application of the personal software process for time Digital Age offered for non-majors was influenced by the
management and effort estimation purposes. “information fluency” movement (Comm. Information Tech.
1999). Some of the sections of the course use articles from the
Professionalism outcomes from Software Engineering Project literature; others may introduce new technical topics and discuss
capstone units include the ability to manage a project team on a their impact; some faculty have developed materials for social
software project of significant scope, with the ability to set and
and ethical issues work (Walker 2005). Majors are exposed to At what level(s) is the impact of CS/IT on society addressed?
social issues as an on-going theme through numerous courses, Bachelor's
including CSC 341, CSC 323, and CSC 325. For example, Is the content spread across many courses or concentrated in
lectures include social impact as part of the discussion of one or two? The program is supported by three faculty
applications, readings cover social and ethical issues, members. One faculty member incorporates social issues
discussions of design and implementation include consequences content in all her courses. The other two faculty members limit
of decisions, and theoretical limitations are connected with their coverage to their software engineering courses.
potential policy considerations and algorithmic problem solving.
Are the courses compulsory or elective? Yes. All students
What content is prescribed: in particular, what learning must take two software engineering courses in addition to a Web
outcomes are desired? Social issues are presented in a variety Design course. The Web Design course is always taught by the
of ways, with a liberal arts approach for all students in faculty member who incorporates social issues in her courses.
computing courses, including the Computer Science majors.
This approach often emphasizes assigned readings, How is the learning of social impacts facilitated in the
interpretations, discussions, specific writing assignments, and course(s)? Each course with a social impacts component
independent research. Topics of particular relevance include: requires interconnected components to facilitate
accessibility for people with disabilities, persuasive technology, content/learning.
privacy, security, and intellectual property. Learning outcomes - Required readings. This can include books as well as
include these: understand roles of computers in today’s society; articles.
have ability to apply relevant principles in the solving of some - Experiential learning. In the introductory CS courses,
common problems; collaborate on team-based projects; students are initially taught Alice/Scratch. Students, then,
understand the importance of attribution when using the works working in pairs, go off into the community and teach
and ideas of others; understand that programs don’t exist in disadvantaged students Alice/Scratch computer
isolation but have an impact on society; analyze social and programming. The target audiences are 5-9 grade students
ethical implications of both existing and potential technologies. working in local community centers.
For a more extensive treatment of computing within the For the Web Design and Software Engineering courses, student
framework of a liberal arts institution, see (Walker & Kelemen groups work on projects for local community non-profit
2010). organizations/partners.
- Journals. All students are required to keep a journal of
References: their experiences when they either act as programming
instructors or as a "consultant" for a community partner
Bruce, Kim B. Cupper, Robert D., Drysdale, Robert L Scott. (Web Design and/or Software Engineering)
ACM Transactions on Computing Education (TOCE) , A
History of the Liberal Arts Curriculum and its Model Curricula, What content is prescribed; in particular, what learning
Volume 10, Issue 1, Article 3, March 2010. outcomes are desired?
Introductory CS course(s): The primary content is a focus on our
Liberal Arts Computer Science Consortium, A 2007 Model digital society and the digital divide. In particular there is a
Curriculum for a Liberal Arts Degree in Computer Science, focus on the impediments some communities face entering
JERIC, Volume 7, Issue 2, Article 2, June 2007. technology fields, social inequities that technology creates,
Committee on Information Technology Literacy, National maintains or exasperates, and the concept of social justice. Not
Research Council, National Academies Press.. Being fluent in only does teaching students programming help them learn
Information Technology 1999. programming, but it also allows students to focus on goes into
Walker, Henry M., The Tao of Computing, Jones & Bartlett, programming/technology fields and who is discouraged from
2005. entering these fields.

Walker, Henry M. and Charles Kelemen, "Computer Science Web Design/Software Engineering: While one key learning
and the Liberal Arts: A Philosophical Examination", ACM outcome is the value of technology to the operation of non-
Transactions on Computing Education (TOCE), volume 10, profits, the primary learning outcome is the importance of the
Issue 1, Article 2, March 2010. open source movement to their success. The hope is that even
though most students will have the opportunity to earn
substantial incomes, post graduation, that they should consider
continuing to volunteer some time to the open source movement.
B4. John Carroll
Contributor: Linda Seiter
Condensed by: Mikey Goldweber
B5. The University of Melbourne
Location: Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Institution type: Comprehensive University Contributors: Brian von Konsky, Alistair Moffat
Highest degree offered in CS/IT: Bachelor Condensed by: Mikey Goldweber
Curricular model employed/followed: ACM models consulted Location: Melbourne, Australia
CS/IT Accreditation body: none Institution type: University
Highest degree offered in CS/IT: Ph.D.
Curricular model employed/followed: Melbourne model
CS/IT Accreditation body: Engineers Australia and the
Australian Computer Society subjects that complement a major are intended to provide
students with broad educational choices. The goal is to provide a
At what level(s) is the impact of CS/IT on society addressed? solid foundation for subsequent employment or further study
This implementation case describes how professionalism, the leading to a professional qualification in a chosen discipline.
societal impact of software-based systems, and ethical issues are Effectively, the Melbourne Model caters to two different kinds
addressed in the Master of Engineering (Software) degree at the of students: those that want technical depth in a specialized area
University of Melbourne (University of Melbourne, 2010b). via a five year “3+2” degree sequence, and those that want a
broad interdisciplinary learning experience. Additionally,
This degree was introduced in 2008 and has received provisional subjects are designed to be engaging in order to retain students
accreditation at the professional level from Engineers Australia. throughout the program. Students in four of the five other
This is the highest level of accreditation available to a new Melbourne Model undergraduate degrees are able to take IT
program. Following completion of the first sizable cohort, subjects as their “breadth” study.
Engineers Australia will be invited to review the program once
again and confirm full professional accreditation. The degrees How do you persuade colleagues and committees that
are also accredited by the Australian Computer Society. societal impacts should be addressed in "regular computing
courses"? Engineers Australia accredits engineering programs
The program is based on the “Melbourne Model”, which in Australia. To qualify for accreditation, an institution must
incorporates a three-year generalist undergraduate degree, demonstrate that the program produces graduates that have
potentially followed by a two-year postgraduate specialization. attained the stage 1 competencies of a professional engineer. In
The undergraduate degree structure includes a major to provide particular, these competencies include an:
depth from a structured sequence of subjects, plus breadth
subjects from complementary disciplines. Students completing ... Understanding of social, cultural, global, and
the “new generation” Bachelor of Science with a major in environmental responsibilities and the need to
Software Systems are eligible for direct entry into the second employ principles of sustainable development
year of the three year Masters of Engineering (Software) a. Appreciation of the interactions between technical
(University of Melbourne, 2010b). Students from other systems and the social, cultural, environmental,
undergraduate majors may also be eligible to enter the economic and political context in which they
ME(Software), and will be granted between zero and one and a operate, and the relationships between these
half years of credit. An alternative two-year specialization is factors
provided by the MSc(Computer Science), a research-training b. Appreciation of the imperatives of safety and of
pathway. sustainability, and approaches to developing and
Prior to 2010, students wanting an engineering qualification in maintaining safe and sustainable systems
software engineering undertook the four-year Bachelor of c. Ability to interact with people in other disciplines
Engineering (Software) degree. As of 2011, the BE will be fully and professions to broaden knowledge, achieve
replaced by the combination of the three-year Bachelor of multidisciplinary outcomes, and ensure that the
Science degree with a major in Software Systems followed by engineering contribution is properly integrated
the last two years of the Master of Engineer (Software) program. into the total project
Is the content spread across many courses or concentrated in d. Appreciation of the nature of risk, both of a
one or two? Students entering the Masters of Engineering technical kind and in relation to clients, users, the
(Software) via the Bachelor of Science (Software Systems) community and the environment
pathway have societal impact and ethics concentrated in two
undergraduate subjects entitled Engineering Systems Design 1 (Engineers Australia, 2010)
and 2. Students from non-major backgrounds entering the The Stage 1 competencies further include an expectation that
Master of Engineering (Software) see equivalent material in a professional engineers demonstrate an:
subject entitled Engineering Communication.
… Understanding of professional and ethical
Professionalism in ICT is a key focus of two year-long projects responsibilities, and commitment to them
that occupy a quarter of both the second and third year of the
Masters of Engineering (Software). a. Familiarity with Engineers Australia’s Code of
Ethics, and any other compatible codes of ethics
Are the courses compulsory or elective? These subjects are relevant to the engineering discipline and field of
compulsory. practice, and commitment to their tenets
How was the “what issues to address” question(s) decided? b. Awareness of legislation and statutory
Issues to be addressed are determined at the discretion of the requirements relevant to the discipline and field of
lecturer. practice
How is the learning of social impacts facilitated in the c. Awareness of standards and codes of practice
course(s)? Learning is facilitated through a mix of design relevant to the discipline and field of practice
projects, interactive workshops and lectures. Wherever possible,
(Engineers Australia, 2010)
guest lectures from industry practitioners are used – for
example, by experts who have given evidence in court cases. The University of Melbourne expects its programs to produce
graduates that work sustainably in their discipline, and in a
Describe any special efforts to attract/involve/retain "techie"
culturally aware, socially responsible, and ethical manner
students? Generalist undergraduate degrees with breadth
(University of Melbourne, 2010a).
Moreover, Department of Computer Science and Software Human-Computer Interaction in the Developing World
Engineering staff members are known to have a shared sense of Are the courses compulsory or elective? They are not
responsibility and to be advocates for the safeguarding of digital compulsory. They count as computer science electives.
privacy and the security of on-line data.
How is the learning of social impacts facilitated in the
What content is prescribed; in particular, what learning course(s)? In TCinC, each student is assigned to work one-on-
outcomes are desired? Learning outcomes include: one in a local nonprofit organization, school, or municipal
• Understanding of social, cultural, global and environmental agency. They travel to the site each week for 3 hours to work
responsibilities and the need to employ principles of with staff. In class sessions, the instructors teach a capacity-
sustainable development building model of IT consulting, which the students play out
• Explain the importance of engineers and engineering in each week with their client. Most of the learning of the social
society; impact comes from this experience. The course teaches that all
• Discuss the differences between the key engineering IT systems live within social systems. We use an excellent
disciplines; documentary, The Waters of Ayole to get this idea across well.
• Explain the importance and principles of sustainable We teach a consulting model that has students broadly
development and safety; investigate the organization, and they consider the impacts of
• Identify problems and formulation solution strategies. alternative solutions to the problems they find when planning
their scope of work. They are required to document the
Describe the experiential component(s) if any. outcomes of their work in terms of these impacts, and at the end
Professionalism in Software Engineering is a key aspect of two of the semester we hold a reflective session in which we discuss
year long projects in the MEng(Software). more general societal impacts.
In TGD, students look at examples of what has and has not
References worked when employing IT for development.

Engineers Australia. (2010). Appendix B - Guide to assessment What content is prescribed; in particular, what learning
of eligibility for membership (Stage 1 competency). Retrieved outcomes are desired?
18 June 2010, 2010, from TCinC teaches students how to:
[Link] • Establish a professional working relationship
[Link]?file_uuid=0446A3D5-B812-B0F4-4B66- • Quickly assess a complex technical environment and
8AF85D4C337B&siteName=ieaust identify problem areas
University of Melbourne. (2010a). Graduate atrributes - The • Systematically bring structure to unstructured problems
University of Melbourne. Retrieved 18 June 2010, 2010, from • Communicate technical ideas to a non-technical audience
[Link] • Negotiate with a client acceptable deliverables for the
University of Melbourne. (2010b). Master of Engineering consulting period
(Software): The University of Melbourne. Retrieved 18 June • Develop and execute a work plan
2010, 2010, from • Use writing skills to maintain working documents that
[Link] describe, plan, persuade, and coordinate work with others
• Reflect and learn from their experience as well as the
experience of their colleagues
B6. Carnegie Mellon • Broaden their understanding of the relevance of computer
science and information systems
Contributor: Joe Mertz
Condensed by: Mikey Goldweber Various instances of TGD have had the general learning
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA outcomes of:
Institution type: University • Build affective interest in the topic of technology for
Highest degree offered in CS/IT: Ph.D. developing communities.
Curricular model employed/followed: ACM models consulted
CS/IT Accreditation body: none Students will be encouraged to break away from us/them
dichotomies to see the process of introducing technology
At what level(s) is the impact of CS/IT on society addressed? into developing communities as a partnership dynamic,
At all levels. At the bachelor’s and master’s level there are not a one-way street.
courses students can take. At the doctorate level there are a few • Be aware of the problems in developing communities.
faculty and research groups that are doing research specifically
Students will be aware of the breadth of problems, can
targeted toward impacting society with CS/IT.
critically define why a condition is a problem, are aware of
Is the content spread across many courses or concentrated in baseline measures, and can argue how a development
one or two? There is no single concentration; rather, there are intervention would impact that baseline state.
courses that address the impact of CS/IT on society. Some
Students understand strategies for building partnerships in
include:
developing communities in order to develop a richer
Technology Consulting in the Community (TCinC) understanding of the problems and together work toward
Technology and Global Development (TGD) locally-appropriate, sustainable solutions.
• Be literate in the ways that development has changed over • Understand related meta-issues
the past several decades Students are aware of the issues of intellectual property,
Students are aware of the historical path development has privacy, and open source vs. proprietary software and can
taken, they can make comparative statements of a discuss their relevance to development projects.
development program in terms of past development Students understand issues of intellectual property: what
programs, they understand best practice principles and can are advantages/disadvantages of using proprietary
critically evaluate a development program. technology (e.g., Monsanto seeds or Microsoft windows
• Be literate in the critical (both positive and negative) vs. "open source" technology).
literature on technology based development
Students understand that technology by itself cannot solve
social problems such as poverty, inequality, hunger or B7. University of Bologna
disease; that the introduction of new technologies often
require simultaneous adjustments in social, cultural, Contributor: Renzo Davoli
political, economic and legal realms; and that technology Condensed by: Mikey Goldweber
is not neutral and is imbued with cultural meaning. Location: Bologna, Italy
Institution type: University
• Be able to perform economic analysis of development Highest degree offered in CS/IT: Ph.D.
projects Curricular model employed/followed: Bologna agreement,
Students can itemize the types of economic benefits a with additional inspiration from the ACM?CS models
development program can provide and can do simple CS/IT Accreditation body: none
economic analysis of the costs and benefits of a
development program. At what level(s) is the impact of CS/IT on society addressed?
• Be aware of technology trends Bachelors and Masters. The Department offers a professional
Master in Science and Technology of Free Software.
Students are aware of technology trends and can use past
Is the content spread across many courses or concentrated in
and current innovations in order to propose new
one or two? There are no specific courses on social impact, but
applications to development problems (E.g. in fields such
the topic is included to some extent in all of the traditional
as robotics, artificial intelligence, human-computer
technical courses.
interaction and user interface design, networking, natural
language processing, sensing, medical diagnostics, Are the courses compulsory or elective? The social impact of
biotechnology, water filtration technologies, and energy computing is discussed in many of the compulsory courses.
production.) (e.g. operating systems, software engineering, database systems)
• Be able to design, propose, and implement a pilot Additionally, in both the bachelor’s program and the Master’s of
development project Free Software, there are compulsory courses on copyright
issues. There are also extra curricular short courses on
Students can synthesize their understanding of problems,
copyright(copyleft), free software, netiquette, and the
development best practices, economic analysis, and
department’s “Computer Use” rules. This last course is
technology trends in order to design, propose and
implement a pilot development project. compulsory whose final web-test is a prerequisite for access to
any of the departmental computing facilities.
Students observe the challenges of development-project
deployment. How is the learning of social impacts facilitated in the
course(s)? The Department has a strong commitment to the use
Students understand the pitfalls of trying to do of free software in education. All of the department’s
development without strong partnerships, and have an idea computing facilities are based on free software – a “de facto”
of how to go about building working partnerships with lecture itself regarding social issues.
developing communities.
The Free Software movement represents an important
• Develop cross-cultural competency philosophical perspective in the debate on the ownership of
Students will learn about attitudes to technology in information. As with public free-lending libraries, this
developing communities and why they may affect success movement advocates that all information should be freely
or failure of projects accessible to all. Hence the University’s computing programs
are based around the philosophy, and possibly more important,
Students will understand that not all developing the culture, that all the software that the students interact with
communities are the same--some are eager to gain access (e.g. operating systems, compilers, networks) are part an open
to new technologies, some are not. laboratory for students to learn in/from.
Students will be able to critically analyze dominant Furthermore, the Master’s of Free Software focuses on the
assumptions about, and approaches to, the role of process of creating free software.
technology in improving lives of people in developing
communities. What content is prescribed; in particular, what learning
outcomes are desired? The primary learning outcome is to
Students will be aware of the political dimensions of create good (Net) citizens who will strive to preserve their
development, especially by organizations like USAID and intellectual freedoms and hopefully use their creative talents to
Gates Foundation.
increase the body of free knowledge. A secondary learning
outcome is for students to become proficient in understanding
that information is power and how the control of information
can lead to unethical behavior. This includes understanding that
software is information and the unethical consequences when
that software is controlled (i.e. proprietary software).