The Ethi{CS} Professional Learning Program

Ethi{CS} Professional Learning Program: Helping students think ethically through computer science

The Ethi{CS} Professional Learning Program is a series of six workshops that help high school computer science teachers to:

• recognize opportunities for ethical inquiry in any computer science curriculum
• design activities which prompt student to consider the ethical dimensions of their work

This program is designed for teachers who want to help students develop ethical thinking skills, but do not have a background in ethics and want support in adding an ethical dimension to their courses. The ethi{CS} pedagogy leverages opportunities for teaching ethics that are already embedded in computer science lessons. Teachers will emerge with strategies for engaging in ethical questioning and analysis with their students. Teachers from STEM and other technical disciplines are welcome, although conversations will focus primarily on applications in computer sciences.

The Ethi{CS} Professional Learning Program will be delivered over the 2022–2023 academic year with synchronous and asynchronous content. Teachers are welcome to participate in workshops individually or as a sequenced course for Ethi{CS} Pedagogical Certification. Certification indicates that teachers are prepared to develop and teach a computer science curriculum that builds students’ applied ethical skills. See below for more information about the Professional Learning series.

_____________

The third workshop, But what about MY interests? Unpacking the Puzzle of Partiality with Computer Science Students, will take place on Tuesday, February 21, 7:15–8:30 pm EST, via Zoom.

In this workshop, we will prepare you to take on a particularly tricky question with your students: To what extent is it appropriate for you to prioritize your own interests as you apply computer science?

Ethi{CS} Project leaders will:

• Help you facilitate conversations about ethics in your classes
• Provide resources that explore perspectives and deepen conversations
• Introduce sample assignments that engage these issues, and help you adapt your existing assignments
• Give guidance for providing feedback to students

Register for the workshop here.

If you are interested but unable to attend, we are happy to send you a recording after the event.

Please direct questions to [email protected].

The Ethi{CS} Project is supported by the Tang Institute at Phillips Academy. It is led by Andover ethicist Kiran Bhardwaj, computer scientist Nicholas Zufelt, and philosopher Ryan Ravanpak. Each has been developing pedagogies with their own students and sharing methods with fellow teachers nationwide.

_____________

2022–2023 ethi{CS} Professional Learning Program: Workshop Schedule

Workshop 1: ethi{CS} Project Pedagogical Practices

October 20, 7:00–8:30 pm EST

• An introduction for teachers who want to learn how the ethi{CS} project designs assignments to integrate ethics with technical work. Teachers will also receive an overview of basic pedagogy practices from the ethics classroom that can be borrowed by CS educators. This session will repeat material from the August 17 workshop.
• This content will also be offered asynchronously.

Workshop 2: Roadblocks for Bringing Ethics into the Classroom (Part 1)

November 9, 7:00–8:15pm EST

• Designed for those who are curious about common misconceptions about ethics and ethics pedagogy, and particularly for anyone who feels unsure or even vulnerable about teaching ethics in their own classrooms.
• This content will also be offered asynchronously.

Workshop 3: But what about MY interests? Unpacking the Puzzle of Partiality with Computer Science Students

February 21, 7:15–8:30pm EST

• In this workshop, we will prepare you to take on a particularly tricky question with your students: To what extent is it appropriate for you to prioritize your own interests as you apply computer science?

• If you are interested but unable to attend, we are happy to send you a recording after the event.