Challenges and Success in Teaching Legal, Ethical, Social and Professional Issues to Computing Undergraduates

This paper discusses issues around the teaching of legal, ethical, social and professional issues (LESPI) to computing undergraduates. The inclusion of the above topics is mandatory for courses which seek accreditation from professional bodies in the UK such as the BCS and the Institution of Engineering and Technology. Coverage of these issues is important to create a generation of engineers who see how their profession impacts society and the responsibilities that society places on them. In the UK and abroad the rise of e-crime and the invasion of privacy have attracted the attention of the media which has brought these issues to the forefront. These issues in the past have been sidelined in core computing curricula. The challenge lies in delivering these topics to students on computing programmes who may not immediately see the relevance despite their higher profile. We will discuss the role professional bodies can play in highlighting these issues and raising the profile of the professional engineer.

Citation:
Malik, G. and Kretsis, M. (2010) ‘Challenges and Success in Teaching Legal, Ethical, Social and Professional Issues to Computing Undergraduates’, In: Proceedings of the 15th Annual INSPIRE conference, 31st of March 2010, BCS London, London, UK..