Ethics: making it real for information technology students

  • Authors:
  • Cherie Ann Sherman

  • Affiliations:
  • Ramapo College of New Jersey

  • Venue:
  • Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges
  • Year:
  • 2007

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Abstract

Typical textbook ethics case studies for information technology (IT) students may focus, for example, on insider trading, a corporation intentionally exceeding the legal pollution limit, or bribing a purchasing agent [1]. These are situations which very few, if any, students attending an ethics class are likely to have already encountered. Furthermore, many students will not personally have to deal with this kind of issue at any point in their entire careers. Undeniably, such issues have importance for students in their role as corporate citizens, as well as in their personal roles as voters and responsible societal participants. Nevertheless, for many students, case studies which deal with issues closer to home, issues with which they have personal experience, may prove to be more interesting and relevant. Therefore, a compelling question for IT educators is, what type of ethical issues do students normally face, particularly on the job, and how can this information be effectively incorporated into an ethics class for IT students?