Final experiences with the course "Computer Ethics" on under-

graduate level

Mirjana Ivanović, Zoran Putnik

Agenda

• Introduction

• Course content

• Exam results

• Feedback(s) from students

• Conclusion

Intro

• Coursework:

– students of the first year

– business informatics curriculum

• Coursework:

– lectures and exercises

– both including discussions on presented subjects

– presentation of a part of the material by selected students.

Intro

• Coursework:

– presented material is available on the web-site of a Chair for the Computer Science (DMI – PMF - UNS) or http://perun.im.ns.ac.yu/courses

– In accordance with the Bologna processes the course employs continual assessment of students.

Agenda

• Introduction

• Course content

• Exam results

• Feedback(s) from students

• Conclusion

Basics - What

• Curriculum for the first year of business informatics has a course “Ethical Aspects of Informatics”.

• Course is obligatory for the first-year students, consists of 2 hours of lectures, and 1 hour of exercises.

• Course is elective for students of higher years.

• Number of students:– 2005/06 the course had 48 students enrolled (9 elective)– 2006/07, there was 60 students enrolled (15 elective)– 2007/08, there was 59 students enrolled (16 elective)

Basics - Why

• Curriculum guidelines from the professional organizations such as:– Association for Computing Machinery (ACM),

– Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), or

– Computer Science Accreditation Commission [CSAC],

• claim the need for introduction of “computer ethics and social issues” into a computer science undergraduate program.

ContentTopics - Lectures:

– History of Ethics.– Human-computer Interaction.– Internet and Web Ethics.– Professional Ethics in Informatics.– Copyright and Protection of Intellectual Property.– Indecency, Censorship and Privacy.– Software piracy.– Viruses.– Viruses and Hackers.– Business Ethics.– Information Security.– Relationship Employee – Employer.– Women in Computer Science.

Content

Topics - Exercises:– History and examples of software risks,– History and examples of software crimes, – Elementary ethics choices, – Moral responsibility in informatics society, – Copyright and piracy, – Sociological aspects of informatics, – Laws of cyberspace, – Strategies for price determination, – Medical records, – Monopoly, – Differences in access to information resources, – Rules of professional behavior, and– Rules of digital bon-ton

Web support

• Categories and Courses

Web support

• Lectures and Exercises

Web support

• Lectures and Exercises

Agenda

• Introduction

• Course content

• Exam results

• Feedback(s) from students

• Conclusion

Exam results

• Requirements:– Attendance:

• >= 50% lectures + • >= 70% exercises. (½ point per attendance);

– Tests: • pass at least one of the tests, + • gain at least 40% of the points at each;

– Points for presenting parts of the material (and writing a seminar paper), instead of a test;

Exam results

• Student has to acquire min 30 points to qualify for the oral part of the exam.

• At the oral part:– offered a grade based on gained points,

– given a set of questions if number of points is close to a grade margin, or

– given a set of questions if not satisfied with their grade.

Exam results• Grades distribution

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Nu

mb

er o

f st

ud

ents

10 9 8 7 6 5

Grades

Distribution of grades

2005/06

2006/07

2007/08

Exam results

• Number of students not passing is lower, than presented on a given graph. Namely:

– 2005/06, 9 students haven’t passed the exam, BUT 6 of them actually dropped out of the faculty,

– 2006/07, 19 students haven’t passed the exam, but: • 5 students left the faculty, • 3 students do not have to take the exam, they

just need a signature confirming attendance,

– 2007/08, 6 students haven’t passed the exam, BUT 5 of them dropped out of the course

Agenda

• Introduction

• Course content

• Exam results

• Feedback(s) from students

• Conclusion

FeedbackQuestion 2005/06 2006/

07

Course material good 2.97 4.00

Course organization good 3.94 4.24

Quantity of material appropriate

3.59 4.14

Continual assessment motivating

4.44 4.14

Assignments motivating 3.31 3.55

Lectures and exercises well coordinated

3.58 4.19

Course useful 3.71 3.81

Overall course quality 3.83 4.19

Feedback

Question 2005/06 2006/07Lect. Assist

.Lect. Assist

.

Lecturer/Assistant well prepared

4.44 4.44

4.06

4.67

Delivery method appropriate

4.47 4.61

3.86

4.62

Learned enough with lectures/exercises

3.44 3.67

3.83

4.10

Lecturer/Assistant willing to help

4.44 4.61

4.02

4.55

Speed of lectures appropriate

4.06 4.23

3.86

4.36

Overall satisfaction with Lecturer/Assistant

4.09 4.50

3.93

4.62

Feedback for accreditation

Question 2007/08

Pre-knowledge was enough 3.78

Material well-structured and understandable

3.90

Material interesting 3.50

Material modern 3.80

Material applicable 3.00

Available electronic literature adequate

4.60

Overall grade for the course 3.30

Feedback

Question 2007/08Lect. Assist.

Teaching clear and understandable 3.80 4.80

Teaching interesting 3.50 4.50

Fair relationship 4.03 4.70

Teaching well prepared 4.00 4.40

Willing to answer questions 4.58 4.90

Objective at the exam 4.33 4.53

Overall grade 4.05 4.55

Analysis

• Statistics including all of the students also includes those who:– either missed most of the lectures and exercises, or – students claiming that they invested 0 – 0.0001 minute

per week into the course.

• This data is not too useful – we can hardly expect an important and valuable suggestion about the course from a person who wasn’t attending it!

• Assessment given by the students who attended most of the presentations and missed <= three of both lectures and exercises are as follows:

Analysis

• Assessment given by the students who attended most of the presentations and missed <= three of both lectures and exercises are as follows:

– Course useful – 4.00– Overall course quality – 4.44– Satisfied with the lecturer – 4.07– Satisfied with the assistant – 4.96– Hours per week needed – 2.67– Hours per week invested – 2.22

Agenda

• Introduction

• Course content

• Exam results

• Feedback(s) from students

• Conclusion

Conclusion

• After years of discussions about the issue of “what is computer literacy”, two main directions segregated:

– Computer literacy assumes knowledge of programming, i.e. knowledge of how to manage and rule computers, or

– Computer literacy assumes usage of computer applications, i.e. knowledge of how to employ computers in everyday life

• We wanted more!

Conclusion

• No matter which of the approaches is chosen, knowledge of some ethical, sociological, or psychological issues concerning computer usage is obligatory!

• Computers became too big subject in everyday life both for professionals and ordinary people that its influence is too great to be neglected.

Conclusion

• Possible harms and risks, but also improvements and benefits computers brought, ask for additional knowledge in the fields that were previously ignored and uncared for.

• By presenting selected topics from the field of computer ethics, we try to extend the computer literacy of future computer professionals in the direction we think is very valuable.

Conclusion

• Mood among students changed as the course went on.– At the beginning, there were doubts about the need for

such a course, because “we know all that by ourselves”, “these issues are not relevant, important, nor needed”.

• As the course progressed, students became much more excited and interested. – Examples and stories from real life changed attitudes

from “that is just a game” towards “wow – I had no idea that it costs/hurts/destroys that much”.

Conclusion

• Considering this course, two papers have been published during the last year:

– Putnik, Z., Ivanović, M., Budimac, Z.: "Extending The Notion of Computing Literacy “4th International Conference “Informatics, Educational Technology and New Media in Education”, (Sombor, Serbia), pp. 167 - 179, 2007.

– Putnik, Z., Ivanović, M., Budimac, Z: “Ethical Aspects of Informatics”International Conference on Computer Systems and Technologies – CompSysTech ‘07, (Rousse, Bulgaria), IV.24, 2007.

Conclusion

• At the end, let us boast with a note given in an anonymous questionnaire about the course:

– “One of the better courses on the Department. It is very useful, especially for those who come with a little or no knowledge about the threats brought by the usage of computers and the Internet. All in all, a great course.”

Happy lecturer