ethi{CS} Professional Learning Program
The ethi{CS} project is based at Phillips Academy and supported by the Tang Institute. It is led by Andover ethicist Kiran Bhardwaj and computer science teacher Nicholas Zufelt, who have been developing pedagogies with their own students and sharing methods with fellow teachers nationwide.
During the 2022–2023 school year, the ethi{CS} project is offering a sequence of six professional learning workshops. If taken as a course, these workshops prepare teachers to develop and teach a computer science curriculum that simultaneously builds students’ applied ethical skills. Teachers who complete the course will be eligible for ethi{CS} Pedagogical Certification.
Please direct questions to [email protected].
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
November 1, 6:30*–8:30pm 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.
- Teachers who participated in the ethi{CS} Workshops held on August 17 or October 20 may join at 7:00pm EST.
- This content will also be offered asynchronously.
Workshop 3: Ethics Basics
- An asynchronous workshop, delivered from November–January.
- Designed for teachers who want to know more about both how those in the discipline frame ethical conversations and dilemmas, as well as applied content or contexts in CS courses.
Workshop 4: Ethics in Your Courses
February 6, 6:30*–8:30pm EST
- Designed as a workshopping opportunity for teachers to debrief on or plan possible lessons, assignments, or similar in their own courses.
- Teachers who have been able to engage with the content of all Workshops 1–3 may join at 7:00pm EST.
- This content will NOT be offered asynchronously.
Workshop 5: Roadblocks for Bringing Ethics into the Classroom (Part 2)
March 6, 7:00–8:30pm EST
- Designed for teachers who are interested in how to, on-the-spot, handle some of the trickiest kinds of conversations we have about ethics. Bring your own difficult cases!
- There will not be an early start, as in other sessions in the series, as the Session 4 materials do not require review.
- This content will NOT be offered asynchronously.
Workshop 6: Quality of Ethical Thinking and Review
April 24, 7:00-8:30pm EST
- This content will be offered asynchronously as well.
- The session from 7:00-7:45 will be designed for those interested in how to assess the quality of students’ ethical thinking.
- The remainder of the session is designed for participants for the full Professional Learning course as a workshopping opportunity.