Preparing To Teach Computer Ethics: Results From The Dolce Project

The Developing On/Off-line Computer Ethics (DOLCE) is an NSF sponsored project which held three summer workshops for university faculty members. DOLCE has created web-based materials for teaching computer ethics to undergraduate computer science majors. The materials are closely integrated with the third edition of Computer Ethics, by Deborah Johnson, and are designed to be used in undergraduate computer science classes or modules. The materials emphasize computer ethics theory and analytical skills, societal issues in computing and telecommunication, and professional ethics. Gender issues in computer ethics are a specific focus. The participating faculty members completed pre and post assessments before and after the summer workshops. Many of the participating faculty members' students were also evaluated using pre and post assessments before and after completing their computer ethics courses or modules. This paper presents the design of the DOLCE workshops and the results of our assessment efforts.