EESE: Collaborative Research: Understanding and Preparing Future Computer Professionals for the Ethical Complexities of a Diverse World

计算机专业人员是否为他们在日益全球化和跨学科的工作场所所面临的道德挑战做好了充分的准备？在这个多机构研究/教育项目中，pi将调查对道德计算专业人员的需求与研究生计算课程中出现的道德学习之间的差距。然后，他们将运用这些见解来发展和传播研究生道德教育的最佳实践。混合方法研究结合了调查、访谈、焦点小组、内容分析和实验设计，并将与ACM的SIGCAS和IEEE的SSIT合作进行。该项目将首先对四所不同机构的计算机项目和课程进行调查：一所传统研究型大学、一所农村理工学院、一所城市文理学院和一所领先的在线教育机构。这些网站的研究生计算机伦理教育的现有目标和策略是什么？涉及哪些道德问题？使用什么教学方法和材料？教师和学生将接受调查和访谈，了解他们对计算机伦理教育的看法。项目团队和评估团队将在每个机构对课程的教学道德进行观察。调查将以上述四所院校的基准数据为基础，向主要专业协会的成员进行调查，以评估行业实践和利益与专上院校提供的道德教育是否相符。最后，专家小组将完善一套计算机科学伦理教育的最佳实践和教学建议，并传播他们的研究结果以及适用于各种机构环境的教材示例。具体要解决的研究问题包括：1。计算机科学教师目前正在教授哪些具体的伦理问题？研究生水平的计算机课程目前正在使用哪些教学法？不同院校的课程中涉及的计算机伦理问题有何异同？在课堂上使用什么材料（文本，阅读，视频，模拟，社交媒体等）？专业人士怎么能呢？计算机行业的经验丰富了有关职场道德挑战的教学。计算机专业人士认为学生在进入工作场所之前应该了解哪些道德知识？计算机专业人士认为如何最好地传达这些信息？如何改进计算机伦理教育？c .计算机科学专业的学生需要学习哪些他们目前没有学习的伦理知识？教给学生这些思想的最佳教学方法是什么？项目成果将包括一份关于计算机科学/技术研究生的道德教育状况的报告、一份关于行业对具有道德知识的劳动力的需求的报告，以及一份关于研究生教育和工作场所有效的道德教育最佳实践的建议。该项目最终将使计算机专业人员更能适应他们对公众的道德责任，从而产生更可靠的计算系统。更广泛的影响：这项工作将填补研究文献中关于教学方法的适当性和有效性的重要空白，这些教学方法目前用于提高计算机研究生对与他们将在工作场所面临的挑战相关的伦理问题的认识。这项研究的结果将基于并适用于研究生计算机伦理教育的广泛利益相关者，从而可以改变专业协会（如ACM和IEEE）颁布的课程标准。这种创新的混合方法不仅适用于本研究，也可以应用于其他领域的未来研究。

Are computing professionals adequately prepared for the ethical challenges that they will face in an increasingly global and interdisciplinary workplace? In this multi-institutional research/education project, the PIs will investigate the gap between the need for ethical computing professionals and the ethical learning that occurs in graduate computing programs. They will then apply these insights to develop and disseminate best practices in graduate ethics education. The mixed-method research combines surveys, interviews, focus groups, content analysis, and experimental design, and will be conducted in partnership with ACM's SIGCAS and the IEEE's SSIT. The project will begin with an investigation of computing programs and courses at four diverse institutions: a traditional research 1 university, a rural polytechnic, an urban liberal arts college, and a leading institution for online education. What are the existing goals and strategies used in graduate computing ethics education at these sites? What ethical issues are covered? What pedagogical approaches and materials are used? Faculty and students will be surveyed and interviewed about their perspectives on computing ethics education. Observations of teaching ethics across the courses will be conducted at each institution by the project team and the evaluation team. With baseline data from these four institutions, the PIs will survey members of leading professional associations to gauge alignment between industry practice and interests and the education in ethics provided by postsecondary institutions. Finally, the PIs will refine a set of best practices and pedagogical recommendations for CS ethics education, and disseminate their findings along with examples of teaching materials designed to be applicable across a range of institutional settings. Specific research questions to be addressed include:1. What specific ethical issues are CS instructors currently teaching and what pedagogies are currently being used in graduate-level computing courses?a. What are the similarities and differences in computing ethics issues covered within curricula across different institutions?b. What materials (texts, readings, videos, simulations, social media, etc.) are used in classes?2. How can professionals? experience in the computing industry enrich teaching about ethical challenges in the workplace?a. What do computer professionals think students should know about ethics before entering the workplace?b. How do computer professionals think this information can best be conveyed?3. How can computing ethics education be improved?a. What do CS students need to learn about ethics that they are not currently learning?b. What are the best pedagogical approaches for teaching students these ideas?Project outcomes will include a report on the state of ethics education in graduate computer science/technology, a report on industry needs for an ethically knowledgeable workforce, and recommendations for best practices in ethics education effective in graduate education and the workplace. The project will ultimately result in computing professionals who are more attuned to their ethical responsibilities to the public, leading to more reliable computing systems.Broader Impacts: This work will fill an important gap in the research literature about the appropriateness and effectiveness of pedagogical approaches currently used to increase graduate computing students' awareness of ethical issues relative to the challenges that they will face in the workplace. Results of the study will be based on, and thus applicable to, a broad range of stakeholders in graduate computing ethics education, and thus could transform curricular standards promulgated by professional societies such as the ACM and IEEE. The innovative mixed-method approach that will be used has merit not only for this study but could also be applied to future studies in other domains.