Helping computing students develop a personal ethical framework

The teaching of computer ethics has taken on a new focus and importance in Australia since the publication in 1997 of the Australian Computer Society's (ACS) body of knowledge for computing professionals. This includes the teaching of ethics in computing courses as mandatory for professional level accreditation of a tertiary degree. The ACS core body of knowledge states that computing students should be "encouraged to develop a personal ethical framework." In order to achieve this I believe it is essential to include the teaching of ethical theory in computer ethics courses as this knowledge gives students the means to analyze and resolve any ethical dilemma be it professional or personal. There are a number of different ways that computer ethics can be presented to students during a computing degree. Some of these are as a junior or senior stand alone course, as modules in other courses or integrated into the technical course. The course described is a senior stand-alone course.