Facing the challenges of teaching IT ethics

Abstract

Faculty members teaching a discussion-intensive course in Information Technology ethics often face a number of challenges. In order to make the class effective, students must be sufficiently prepared to participate in class discussions. Students must feel comfortable and safe enough to openly share their opinions. Grading both discussion participation and papers can be daunting to those of us accustomed to objectively grading a tangible product, such as a program or a project. Finally, students must view the ethical scenarios as relevant to them and their careers. This paper describes techniques used in an introductory course in IT ethics to address these challenges. Copyright 2006 ACM.