Ethical issues involving the Internet

ABSTRACT

During the 90's, the “Information Superhighway” has received widespread publicity. Many campuses have participated in this drive to an information based society by becoming participating nodes on the Internet. As an information provider, the Internet has the potential to change the college experience in many ways, both good and bad. It also poses a number of problems for college students in areas such as privacy, access, and honesty. It provides professors with a dynamic information storage and retrieval tool that offers the opportunity to modernize both curriculum experiences and pedagogical approaches. On some campuses, Internet access and capability has become so important that course modules and whole courses are being built. The panelists will each discuss a different issue involved with making the Internet more integral to the collegiate environment.The first panelist will consider risks and threats that an institution of higher learning must consider as it approaches Internet use will be presented. The steps an institution took to build policies and deal with “inevitable incidents” that will occur as the Internet is opened to full use by both students and faculty.The second panelist will present four computer ethics modules. Each module uses the abundance and dynamism of Internet information to provide challenging “Ethics in the Computer Workplace” experiences that could not easily be done by traditional means.The third panelist will discuss a course module that explores both the positive and negative potential of the Internet. The costs and ease of Internet access, as well as normally available Internet tools, are also presented. This module has been used in a course called “Ethical and Social Issues in Computer Science” and will be used in a general-education course to be offered beginning in 1994–95.

REFERENCES

• 1: D. G. Kay, A course in computer law, Proceedings of the twenty-third SIGCSE technical symposium on Computer science education, p.252-254, March 05-06, 1992, Kansas City, Missouri, United States
• 2: Thomas J. Scott , Richard B. Voss , Cherri M. Pancake, Teaching an ethics component to computer science majors (abstract), Proceedings of the twenty-fourth SIGCSE technical symposium on Computer science education, p.304, February 18-19, 1993, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
• 3: Scott, Thomas J. and R.B. Voss "Teaching Computer Ethics Electronically" Proceedings, Computers on Campus Conference, Myrtle Beach, S.C., Nov., 1993.
• 4: Ernest A. Kallman , John P. Grillo, Teaching ethics in IS courses (abstract): everything you always wanted to know but were afraid to ask, Proceedings of the twenty-fifth SIGCSE symposium on Computer science education, p.389, March 10-12, 1994, Phoenix, Arizona, United States

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.7 THE COMPUTING PROFESSION
      K.7.m Miscellaneous
          Subjects: Ethics**

Additional Classification:
  C. Computer Systems Organization
  C.2 COMPUTER-COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
      C.2.1 Network Architecture and Design

          Nouns: Internet

  K. Computing Milieux
  K.3 COMPUTERS AND EDUCATION
      K.3.2 Computer and Information Science Education
          Subjects: Curriculum
  K.4 COMPUTERS AND SOCIETY
      K.4.1 Public Policy Issues
          Subjects: Privacy
      K.4.2 Social Issues
          Subjects: Abuse and crime involving computers**

General Terms:
Human Factors