Teaching UbiComp With an Integrated Ethics and Societal Implications Twist

How can we integrate thinking about ethics and societal implications of technology into computing and engineering education? To have an impact, this kind of thinking needs to be trained and normalized. This can be achieved by integrating such considerations into standard courses taught by faculty, who thereby act as a role model. Yet most faculty feel unprepared to do so, as they do not feel they are experts on this. I argue that we should not rely on coteachers from philosophy and ethics to dare to address such topics. I share my experiences of teaching a “Ubiquitous Computing” course in a computer science context, which not only addresses the human–computer interaction perspective of designing “good experiences” but also fosters students’ reflection on potential negative impacts and on values in design.