the ethi{CS} project

The Benefits

Since its inception, hundreds of students have graduated from Phillips Academy with a deep understanding of the ethical implications of computer science. The ethi{CS} project has prepared them to enter a workforce with a competency often neglected in the computer science field. The ethi{CS} project exemplifies Phillips Academy’s mission, not only leading the advancement of teaching and learning at the Academy but also around the world.

The Challenges

Computer science teachers rarely teach topics of ethics. To overcome this differentiation, the ethi{CS} project’s open access platform offers teachers from around the world an opportunity to collaborate on integration and capacity building for the teaching of ethics. In addition, because many computer science teachers are first-time ethicists, a careful bottom-up approach to building capacity is central to the ethi{CS} project.

Takeaways & Best Practices

Students see their teachers engaging ethical issues in computer science. Because students see their computer science teachers engaging in ethics topics, Andover students are more likely to consider ethics and computer science as inherently linked.

Open access and collaborative space are available for experimentation and optimization. Currently, the ethi{CS} project uses Github to store and make available its curriculums and pedagogy. By doing so, the project is reaching a wide range of students and teachers.

The ethi{CS} project is having a positive impact on Andover students. Bhardwaj and Zufelt have integrated ethics into their AP course, Computer Science A. Because of this integration, students report being able to think more about the ethical implications of their choices as coders.

Bottom Line

Phillips Academy students engage with the ethi{CS} project curricula in a way that ensures students move into computer science careers with a relevant and advanced understanding of the ethical implications of computer science.