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2.15. Society, Ethics, and the Profession (SEP)

The ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct states: "Computing professionals' actions change the world. To act responsibly, they should reflect upon the wider impacts of their work, consistently supporting the public good.'' The IEEE Code of Ethics starts by recognizing "the importance of our technologies in affecting the quality of life throughout the world.'' The AAAI Code of Professional Ethics and Conduct begins with "Computing professionals, and in particular, AI professionals' actions change the world. To act responsibly, they should reflect upon the wider impacts of their work, consistently supporting the public good.''

While technical issues dominate the computing curriculum, they do not constitute a complete educational program in the broader context. It is more evident today than ever that students must also be exposed to the larger societal context of computing to develop an understanding of the critical and relevant social, ethical, legal, and professional issues and responsibilities at hand. This need to incorporate the study of these non-technical issues into the ACM curriculum was formally recognized in 1991.

Computer science educators may opt to deliver the material in this knowledge area within the contexts of traditional technical and theoretical courses, in dedicated courses, and as part of capstone, project, and professional practice courses. The material in this knowledge area is best covered through a combination of all the above.

The ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, the IEEE Code of Ethics, and the AAAI Code of Professional Ethics and Conduct provide guidance that serve as the basis for the conduct of all computing professionals in their work. The ACM Code emphasizes that ethical reasoning is not an algorithm to be followed, and computer professionals are expected to consider how their work impacts the public good as the primary consideration.

A computer science student must not graduate without understanding how society and ethics influence the computing profession. Nor should it be possible to complete a computer science degree without learning how computing professionals influence society, the ethical considerations involved in shaping that impact, and the student-turned-graduate's role in these relationships, as both computing professionals and members of society.

Knowledge Area (KA)	CS Core	KA Core
2.15.1 Social Impact and AI	2	1
2.15.2 Digital Equity and Accessibility	2	1
2.15.3 Ethical Foundations and Frameworks	2	1
2.15.4 Ethical Analysis Methods and Tools	1	1
2.15.5 Professional Values, Nature and Continuing Development	1	1
2.15.6 Ethics Codes and Legal Accountability	1	1
2.15.7 Professional Responsibility and Public Policy	1	1
2.15.8 Ethical Dissent and Cultural Context	1	1
2.15.9 Workplace Ethics	1	1
2.15.10 Intellectual Property Foundations	1	1
2.15.11 Licensing, Plagiarism and Authorship	1	1
2.15.12 Digital IP Rights and Copyright	1	1
2.15.13 Open Source, Piracy and DRM	1	1
2.15.14 Data, Surveillance and Privacy Technology	1	1
2.15.15 Privacy Philosophical Foundations and Legislation	1	1
2.15.16 Civil Liberties and Expression	1	1
2.15.17 Technical and Professional Communication	1	1
2.15.18 Team Communication and Culture	1	1
2.15.19 Environmental Footprint of Computing Systems	1	1
2.15.20 Systemic Effects and Social Context	1	1
2.15.21 Sustainable Design and Pervasive Computing	1	1
2.15.22 Foundations and Early History of Computing	1	1
2.15.23 Modern History: PC, Internet and AI	1	1
2.15.24 Economic Models and Strategies		1
2.15.25 Automation, AI and Economic Ethics		1
2.15.26 Computer Crimes and Attacks	1	1
2.15.27 Security Laws, Policies and Responsibility	1	1
2.15.28 Identity and Diversity in Computing	1	1
2.15.29 DEIA Historical and Cross-Cultural Context	1	1
2.15.30 Inclusion and Computing Practices	1	1
2.15.31 Accessible Design	1	1

2.15.1. SEP/Social Impact and AI  (CS Core: 2 hrs, KA Core: 1 hr) ↑ Back to top

Social Context provides the foundation for all other knowledge units in SEP, particularly Professional Ethics. It covers the social implications of computing in a hyper-networked world, the impact of computing applications on individual well-being and safety, the consequences of involving computing technologies in civic life, and how deficits in diversity and accessibility in computing affect society.
Topics:
Core

• Social implications (e.g., political and cultural ideologies) in a hyper-networked world where the capabilities and impact of social media, artificial intelligence, and computing in general are rapidly evolving.
• Impact of computing applications (e.g., social media, artificial intelligence applications) on individual well-being, and safety of all kinds (e.g., physical, emotional, economic).
• Consequences of involving computing technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, biometric technologies, and algorithmic decision-making systems, in civic life (e.g., facial recognition technology, biometric tags, resource distribution algorithms, policing software) and how human agency and oversight is crucial.
• Growth and control of the internet, data, computing, and artificial intelligence.

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Describe the different ways that computer technology (networks, mobile computing, artificial intelligence) mediates social interaction at the personal and collective levels [Describe]
2. Interpret the social context of a given design and its implementation [Interpret]
3. Analyze the efficacy of a given design and implementation using empirical data [Analyze]
4. Understand the implications of technology use (e.g., social media) for different identities, cultures, and communities [Explain]
5. Describe the internet's role in facilitating communication between citizens, governments, and each other [Describe]
6. Analyze the effects of reliance on computing in the implementation of democracy (e.g., delivery of social services, electronic voting) [Analyze]
7. Describe the impact of a lack of appropriate representation of people from historically minoritized populations in the computing profession (e.g., industry culture, product diversity) [Describe]

2.15.2. SEP/Digital Equity and Accessibility  (CS Core: 2 hrs, KA Core: 1 hr) ↑ Back to top

Topics:
Core

• How deficits in diversity and accessibility in computing affect society and what steps can be taken to improve equity in computing.
• Often referred to as the digital divide, differences in access to digital technology resources and its resulting ramifications for gender, class, ethnicity, geography, and/or developing countries, including consideration of responsibility to those who might be less wealthy, under threat, or who would struggle to have their voices heard.
• Accessibility issues, including legal requirements such as Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21).
• Context-aware computing.

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Identify developers' assumptions and values embedded in hardware and software design, especially as they pertain to usability for diverse populations including under-served and those with disabilities [Analyze]
2. Discuss the implications of context awareness in ubiquitous computing systems [Debate]
3. Express how access to the internet and computing technologies affect different societies [Explain]
4. Identify why/how internet access can be viewed as a human right [Analyze]

2.15.3. SEP/Ethical Foundations and Frameworks  (CS Core: 2 hrs, KA Core: 1 hr) ↑ Back to top

Ethical theories and principles are the foundations of ethical analysis because they are the viewpoints which can provide guidance along the pathway to a decision. Each theory emphasizes different assumptions and methods for determining the ethicality of a given action. It is important for students to recognize that decisions in different contexts may require different ethical theories (including combinations) to arrive at ethically acceptable outcomes, and what constitutes `acceptable' depends on a variety of factors such as cultural context. Applying methods for ethical analysis requires both an understanding of the underlying principles and assumptions guiding a given tool and an awareness of the social context for that decision. Traditional ethical frameworks as provided by western philosophy can be useful, but they are not all-inclusive. Effort must be taken to include decolonial, indigenous, and historically marginalized ethical perspectives whenever possible.
Topics:
Core

• Avoiding fallacies and misrepresentation in argumentation.
• Ethical theories and decision-making (philosophical and social frameworks, e.g. [1]).
• Recognition of the role culture plays in our understanding, adoption, design, and use of computing technology.
• Why ethics is important in computing, and how ethics is similar to, and different from, laws and social norms.
• Introduction to ethical frameworks (e.g., consequentialism such as utilitarianism, non-consequentialism such as duty, rights, or justice, agent-centered such as virtue or feminism, contractarianism, ethics of care) and their use for analyzing an ethical dilemma.

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Describe how a given cultural context impacts decision making [Describe]
2. Express the use of example and analogy in ethical argument [Analyze]
3. Analyze (and avoid) basic logical fallacies in an argument [Analyze]
4. Analyze an argument to identify premises and conclusion [Analyze]
5. Evaluate how and why ethics is so important in computing and how it relates to cultural norms, values, and law [Evaluate]
6. Justify a decision made on ethical grounds [Justify]
7. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of traditional ethical frameworks [Debate]
8. Analyze ethical dilemmas related to the creation and use of technology from multiple perspectives using ethical frameworks [Analyze]

2.15.4. SEP/Ethical Analysis Methods and Tools  (CS Core: 1 hr, KA Core: 1 hr) ↑ Back to top

Topics:
Core

• Professional checklists.
• Evaluation rubrics.
• Stakeholder analysis.
• Standpoint theory.

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Distinguish all stakeholder positions in relation to their cultural context in a given situation [Distinguish]
2. Analyze the potential for introducing or perpetuating ethical debt (deferred consideration of ethical impacts or implications) in technical decisions [Analyze]

2.15.5. SEP/Professional Values, Nature and Continuing Development  (CS Core: 1 hr, KA Core: 1 hr) ↑ Back to top

Computing professionals have responsibilities beyond their technical skills. This unit explores the community values and legal frameworks that guide the profession, the nature of professionalism (including care, discipline, and mentoring), and the professional's responsibility to remain current in a constantly evolving field.
Topics:
Core

• Community values and the laws by which we live.
• The nature of being a professional including care, attention, discipline, fiduciary responsibility, and mentoring.
• Keeping up to date as a computing professional in terms of familiarity, tools, skills, legal and professional frameworks as well as the ability and responsibility to self-assess and progress in the computing field.

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Identify ethical issues that arise in software design, development practices, and software deployment [Analyze]
2. Discuss how to address ethical issues in specific situations [Debate]
3. Describe the mechanisms that typically exist for a professional to keep up to date in ethical matters [Describe]

2.15.6. SEP/Ethics Codes and Legal Accountability  (CS Core: 1 hr, KA Core: 1 hr) ↑ Back to top

Professional ethics codes from organizations such as ACM, IEEE, and AAAI define standards of conduct and responsibility in computing. This unit examines professional certification, relevant ethics codes, and the legal and ethical dimensions of software accountability, including correctness, reliability, and security.
Topics:
Core

• Professional certification, codes of ethics, conduct, and practice, such as the ACM, IEEE, AAAI, and other international societies.
• Accountability, responsibility, and liability (e.g., software correctness, reliability and safety, warranty, negligence, strict liability, ethical approaches to security vulnerability disclosures) including whether a product/service should be built, not just doing so because it is technically possible.

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Express the ethical responsibility of ensuring software correctness, reliability and safety including from where this responsibility arises (e.g., ACM/IEEE/AAAI Codes of Ethics, laws and regulations, organizational policies) [Analyze]
2. Describe the strengths and weaknesses of relevant professional codes as expressions of being a professional and guides to decision-making [Describe]

2.15.7. SEP/Professional Responsibility and Public Policy  (CS Core: 1 hr, KA Core: 1 hr) ↑ Back to top

Computing professionals operate within complex social, legal, and cultural frameworks. This unit examines theories that explain how humans create and use technology—including decolonial and social justice approaches—and explores professionals' responsibilities to recognize, report, and maintain awareness of the ethical consequences of their work, including their participation in public policy.
Topics:
Core

• Introduction to theories describing the human creation and use of technology including instrumentalism, sociology of technological systems, disability justice, neutrality thesis, pragmatism, and decolonial models, including developing and using technology to right wrongs and do good.
• Strategies for recognizing and reporting designs, systems, software, and professional conduct (or their outcomes) that may violate law or professional codes of ethics.
• The role of the computing professional and professional societies in public policy.
• Maintaining awareness of consequences.

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Analyze a global computing issue, observing the role of professionals and government officials in managing this problem [Analyze]
2. Describe ways in which professionals and professional organizations may contribute to public policy [Describe]
3. Describe the consequences of inappropriate professional behavior [Describe]

2.15.8. SEP/Ethical Dissent and Cultural Context  (CS Core: 1 hr, KA Core: 1 hr) ↑ Back to top

Ethical dissent is a critical component of responsible professional conduct. This unit addresses whistleblowing as an accountability mechanism, and explores how regional cultural context shapes understanding and response to ethical dilemmas in the computing profession.
Topics:
Core

• Ethical dissent and whistleblowing.
• The relationship between regional culture and ethical dilemmas.

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Be familiar with whistleblowing and have access to the knowledge to guide one through an incident [Assess]
2. Identify examples of how regional culture interplays with ethical dilemmas [Analyze]

2.15.9. SEP/Workplace Ethics  (CS Core: 1 hr, KA Core: 1 hr) ↑ Back to top

Topics:
Core

• Dealing with harassment and discrimination.
• Forms of professional credentialing.
• Ergonomics and healthy computing environments.
• Time-to-market and cost considerations versus quality professional standards.

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Describe forms of harassment and discrimination and avenues of assistance [Describe]
2. Assess various forms of professional credentialing [Assess]
3. State the relationship between ergonomics in computing environments and people's health [State]
4. Describe issues associated with industries' push to focus on time-to-market versus enforcing quality professional standards [Describe]

2.15.10. SEP/Intellectual Property Foundations  (CS Core: 1 hr, KA Core: 1 hr) ↑ Back to top

Intellectual property refers to a range of intangible rights of ownership in any product of human intellect, such as a software program. Laws, which vary by locality, provide different methods for protecting these rights of ownership based on their type. Ideally, intellectual property laws balance the interests of creators and users of the property. There are four types of intellectual property rights relevant to software: patents, copyrights, trade secrets, and trademarks. Moreover, property rights are often protected by user licenses. Each affords a different type of legal protection.
Topics:
Core

• Intellectual property rights.
• Legal foundations for intellectual property protection.
• Philosophical foundations of intellectual property.
• Forms of intellectual property (e.g., copyrights, patents, trade secrets, trademarks) and the rights they protect.

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Defend legal and ethical uses of copyrighted materials [Defend]
2. Discuss the philosophical bases of intellectual property in an appropriate context (e.g., country) [Debate]
3. Contrast the protections and obligations of copyright, patent, trade secret, and trademarks [Contrast]
4. Describe the rationale for the legal protection of intellectual property in the appropriate context (e.g., country) [Describe]

2.15.11. SEP/Licensing, Plagiarism and Authorship  (CS Core: 1 hr, KA Core: 1 hr) ↑ Back to top

Topics:
Core

• Common software licenses (e.g., MIT, GPL and its variants, Apache, Mozilla, Creative Commons).
• Plagiarism and authorship.

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Select an appropriate software license for a given project [Analyze]
2. Interpret the intent and implementation of software licensing [Interpret]
3. Analyze the ethical issues inherent in various plagiarism detection mechanisms [Analyze]
4. Identify multiple forms of plagiarism beyond verbatim copying of text or software (e.g., intentional paraphrasing, authorship misrepresentation, and improper attribution) [Analyze]

2.15.12. SEP/Digital IP Rights and Copyright  (CS Core: 1 hr, KA Core: 1 hr) ↑ Back to top

Topics:
Core

• Intangible digital intellectual property (IDIP).
• Limitations on copyright protections, including fair use and the first sale doctrine.
• Intellectual property laws and treaties that impact the enforcement of copyrights.

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Describe and critique legislation and precedent aimed at digital copyright infringements [Describe]
2. Identify contemporary examples of intangible digital intellectual property [Analyze]
3. Discuss whether a use of copyrighted material is likely to be fair use [Debate]
4. Analyze the use of copyrighted work under the concepts of fair use and the first sale doctrine [Analyze]
5. Discuss the nature of anti-circumvention laws in the context of copyright protection [Debate]

2.15.13. SEP/Open Source, Piracy and DRM  (CS Core: 1 hr, KA Core: 1 hr) ↑ Back to top

Topics:
Core

• Software piracy and technical methods for enforcing intellectual property rights, such as digital rights management and closed source software as a trade secret.
• Moral and legal foundations of the open-source movement.
• Systems that use others' data (e.g., large language models).

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Distinguish the conflicting issues involved in securing software patents [Distinguish]
2. Identify the goals of the open-source movement and its impact on fields beyond computing, such as the right-to-repair movement [Analyze]
3. Summarize the global nature of software piracy [Summarize]
4. Criticize the use of technical measures of digital rights management (e.g., encryption, watermarking, copy restrictions, and region lockouts) from multiple stakeholder perspectives [Criticize]

2.15.14. SEP/Data, Surveillance and Privacy Technology  (CS Core: 1 hr, KA Core: 1 hr) ↑ Back to top

The massive collection of data in transactional systems, surveillance platforms, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence poses fundamental challenges for privacy. This unit examines the implications of these systems, conceptions of anonymity and pseudonymity, and technological solutions for protecting privacy, such as end-to-end encryption and differential privacy.
Topics:
Core

• Privacy implications of widespread data collection including but not limited to transactional databases, data warehouses, surveillance systems, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence.
• Conceptions of anonymity, pseudonymity, and identity.
• Technology-based solutions for privacy protection (e.g., end-to-end encryption and differential privacy).

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Evaluate solutions to privacy threats in transactional databases and data warehouses [Evaluate]
2. Describe the role of data collection in the implementation of pervasive surveillance systems (e.g., RFID, face recognition, toll collection, mobile computing) [Describe]
3. Distinguish the concepts and goals of anonymity and pseudonymity [Distinguish]
4. Describe the ramifications of technology-based privacy protections, including differential privacy and end-to-end encryption [Describe]

2.15.15. SEP/Privacy Philosophical Foundations and Legislation  (CS Core: 1 hr, KA Core: 1 hr) ↑ Back to top

The right to privacy has deep philosophical and legal roots that vary by cultural and legal context. This unit examines philosophical and legal conceptions of privacy, international legal frameworks such as GDPR, and sector-specific legislation such as HIPAA and the EU AI Act, critically evaluating their intent, value, and implementation.
Topics:
Core

• Philosophical and legal conceptions of the nature of privacy including the right to privacy.
• Legal foundations of privacy protection in relevant jurisdictions (e.g., GDPR in the EU).
• Privacy legislation in areas of practice (e.g., HIPAA in the US, AI Act in the EU).

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Discuss the philosophical basis for the legal protection of personal privacy in an appropriate context (e.g., country) [Debate]
2. Critique the intent, potential value, and implementation of various forms of privacy legislation and principles beyond what the law requires [Critique]

2.15.16. SEP/Civil Liberties and Expression  (CS Core: 1 hr, KA Core: 1 hr) ↑ Back to top

Topics:
Core

• Civil liberties, privacy rights, and cultural differences.
• Basic Principles of human-subjects research and principles beyond what the law requires (e.g., Belmont Report, UN Universal Declaration on Human Rights and how this relates to technology).
• Freedom of expression and its limitations.
• User-generated content, content moderation, and liability.

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Identify cultural differences regarding the nature and necessity of privacy and other civil liberties [Analyze]
2. Identify strategies to enable appropriate freedom of expression [Analyze]

2.15.17. SEP/Technical and Professional Communication  (CS Core: 1 hr, KA Core: 1 hr) ↑ Back to top

Computing is an inherently collaborative and social discipline making communication an essential aspect of the profession. Much but not all of this communication occurs in a professional setting where communication styles, expectations, and norms differ from other contexts where similar technology might be used. Both professional and informal communication conveys information to various audiences who may have different goals and needs for that information. Good communication is also necessary for transparency and trustworthiness. It is also important to note that computing professionals are not just communicators but are also listeners who must be able to hear and thoughtfully make use of feedback received from various stakeholders. Effective communication skills are not something one `just knows' - they are developed and can be learned. Communication skills are best taught in context throughout the undergraduate curriculum.
Topics:
Core

• Oral, written, and electronic team and group communication.
• Technical communication materials (e.g., source code, and documentation, tutorials, reference materials, API documentation).
• Communicating with different stakeholders such as customers, leadership, or the public.
• Tradeoffs in competing factors that affect communication channels and choices.

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Understand the importance of writing concise and accurate technical documents following well-defined standards for format and for including appropriate tables, figures, and references [Produce]
2. Analyze written technical documentation for technical accuracy, concision, lack of ambiguity, and awareness of audience [Analyze]
3. Compose and deliver an audience-aware, accessible, and organized formal presentation [Compose]
4. Identify and describe qualities of effective communication (e.g., virtual, face-to-face, intragroup, shared documents) [Analyze]
5. Choose an appropriate way to communicate delicate ethical concerns [Assess]

2.15.18. SEP/Team Communication and Culture  (CS Core: 1 hr, KA Core: 1 hr) ↑ Back to top

Topics:
Core

• Team collaboration (including tools) and conflict resolution.
• Accessibility and inclusivity requirements for addressing professional audiences.
• Cultural competence in communication including considering the impact of difference in natural language.
• Communicating to solve problems or make recommendations in the workplace, such as raising ethical concerns or addressing accessibility issues.

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Plan interactions (e.g., virtual, face-to-face, shared documents) with others in ways that invite inclusive participation, model respectful consideration of others' contributions, and explicitly value diversity of ideas [Plan]
2. Understand how to communicate effectively and appropriately as a member of a team including conflict resolution techniques [Apply]
3. Discuss ways to influence performance and results in diverse and cross-cultural teams [Debate]
4. Assess personal strengths and weaknesses to work remotely as part of a team drawing from diverse backgrounds and experiences [Assess]

2.15.19. SEP/Environmental Footprint of Computing Systems  (CS Core: 1 hr, KA Core: 1 hr) ↑ Back to top

The lifecycle of hardware and software carries significant environmental costs. This unit examines the environmental and social impacts of computing systems—from e-waste and carbon footprint to energy consumption in data centers and AI models—evaluating their effect on design decisions and global society.
Topics:
Core

• Environmental, social, and cultural impacts of implementation decisions (e.g., sustainability goals, algorithmic bias/outcomes, economic viability, and resource consumption).
• Local/regional/global social and environmental impacts of computing systems and their use (e.g., carbon footprints, resource usage, e-waste) due to hardware (e.g., e-waste, data centers, rare element and resource utilization, recycling) and software (e.g., cloud-based services, blockchain, AI model training and use). This includes everyday use of hardware (cheap hardware replaced frequently) and software (web-browsing, email, and other services with hidden/remote computational demands).

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Assess the environmental impacts of a given project's deployment (e.g., energy consumption, contribution to e-waste, impact of manufacturing) [Assess]
2. Describe global social and environmental impacts of computer use and disposal [Describe]
3. Describe the environmental impacts of design choices within the field of computing that relate to algorithm design, operating system design, networking design, database design, etc [Describe]
4. Assess computing applications in respect to environmental issues (e.g., energy, pollution, resource usage, recycling and reuse, food management and production) [Assess]

2.15.20. SEP/Systemic Effects and Social Context  (CS Core: 1 hr, KA Core: 1 hr) ↑ Back to top

Complex computing technologies such as generative AI, social media, and remote work generate systemic effects that are difficult to predict. This unit analyzes how software sustainability depends on surrounding social systems—users, organizations, markets, and policies—and how technological designs in turn transform those systems.
Topics:
Core

• Systemic effects of complex computing technologies and phenomena (e.g., generative AI, data centers, social media, offshoring, remote work).
• How the sustainability of software systems is interdependent with social systems, including the knowledge and skills of its users, organizational processes and policies, and its societal context (e.g., market forces, government policies).

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. List the sustainable effects of modern practices and activities (e.g., remote work, e-commerce, cryptocurrencies, AI models, data centers) [List]
2. Analyze the social and environmental impacts of new system designs [Analyze]

2.15.21. SEP/Sustainable Design and Pervasive Computing  (CS Core: 1 hr, KA Core: 1 hr) ↑ Back to top

Topics:
Core

• Guidelines for sustainable design standards.
• Pervasive computing: Information processing that has been integrated into everyday objects and activities, such as smart energy systems, social networking, and feedback systems to promote sustainable behavior, transportation, environmental monitoring, citizen science and activism.

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Identify ways to be a sustainable practitioner in a specific area or with a specific project [Analyze]
2. Design guidelines for sustainable IT design or deployment in areas such as smart energy systems, social networking, transportation, agriculture, supply-chain systems, environmental monitoring, and citizen activism [Design]

2.15.22. SEP/Foundations and Early History of Computing  (CS Core: 1 hr, KA Core: 1 hr) ↑ Back to top

History is important because it provides a mechanism for understanding why our computing systems operate the way they do, the societal contexts in which current approaches arose, and how those continue to echo through the discipline today. Not only does computing affect society but vice-versa, resulting in a complex socio-technical context that is constantly changing, requiring the perspective of history to put the present, as well as possible futures, into appropriate perspective. It also informs decisions based on successes and failures of the past including harm done and how to not repeat them. The history of computing is often taught in context with foundational concepts, such as system fundamentals and software development fundamentals. A focus should be placed on those who, due to marginalization, have not historically featured as prominently as they should.
Topics:
Core

• The history of computing: hardware, software, and human/organizational.
• The role of history in the present including within different social contexts, and the relevance of this history on the future.
• Age I (Pre-digital): Ancient analog computing (Stonehenge, Antikythera mechanism, Salisbury Cathedral clock, etc.), human-calculated number tables, Euclid, Lovelace, Babbage, Gödel, Church, Turing, pre-electronic (electro-mechanical and mechanical) hardware.
• Age II (Early modern computing): ENIAC, UNIVAC, Bombes (Bletchley Park and codebreakers), computer companies (e.g., IBM), mainframes, etc.

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Understand the relevance and impact of computing history on recent events, present context, and possible future outcomes, from more than one cultural perspective [Assess]
2. Discuss how perspectives held today have been shaped by history, and that alternative perspectives exist (e.g., fears of AI replacing human workers vs AI augmenting human work, various views on Moore's Law) [Debate]
3. Identify formative and consequential trends in the history of the computing field [Analyze]
4. Identify the contributions of pioneering individuals or organizations (research labs, computer companies, government offices) in the computing field [Analyze]

2.15.23. SEP/Modern History: PC, Internet and AI  (CS Core: 1 hr, KA Core: 1 hr) ↑ Back to top

Topics:
Core

• Age III (PC era): PCs, modern computer hardware and software, Moore's Law.
• Age IV (Internet): Networking, internet architecture, browsers and their evolution, standards, born-on-the-internet companies, and services (e.g., Google, Amazon, Microsoft, etc.), distributed computing.
• Age V (Mobile & Cloud): Mobile computing and smartphones, cloud computing and models thereof (e.g., SaaS), remote servers, security and privacy, social media.
• Age VI (AI): Decision making systems, recommender systems, generative AI and other machine learning driven tools and technologies.

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Discuss the historical context for important moments in history of computing, such as the move from vacuum tubes to transistors (TRADIC), early seminal operating systems (e.g., OS 360), Xerox PARC and the first Apple computer with a GUI, the creation of specific programming language paradigms, the first computer virus, the creation of the internet, the creation of the WWW, the dot com bubble, Y2K, the introduction of smartphones, etc [Debate]
2. Compare daily life before and after the advent of milestone developments (e.g., personal computers or the internet) [Compare]

2.15.24. SEP/Economic Models and Strategies  (KA Core: 1 hr) ↑ Back to top

The economies of computing are important to those who develop and provide computing resources and services to others as well as society in general. They impact users of these resources and services, both professional and non-professional. Computing professionals have a duty to know the impact of these topics on their own roles and activities and how choices made will impact users and society.
Topics:
Core

• Economic models: regulated and unregulated, monopolies, network effects, and open market; knowledge and attention economies.
• Pricing and deployment strategies: planned obsolescence, subscriptions, freemium, software licensing, open-source, free software, adware.
• Impacts of differences in access to computing resources, and the effect of skilled labor supply and demand on the quality of computing products.

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Summarize the social effects of economic models (e.g., the knowledge and attention economies) [Summarize]
2. Describe the differences and similarities of competing strategies (e.g., subscription vs freemium vs free) [Describe]
3. Discuss examples of digital divides [Debate]

2.15.25. SEP/Automation, AI and Economic Ethics  (KA Core: 1 hr) ↑ Back to top

Topics:
Core

• Automation, AI, and their effects on job markets, developers, and users.
• Ethical concerns surrounding the attention economy and other economies of computing (e.g. informed consent, data collection, use of verbose legalese in user agreements).

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Understand the effects of automation and AI on society [Assess]
2. Understand the ethical implications of computing economies that rely on attention and data [Assess]

2.15.26. SEP/Computer Crimes and Attacks  (CS Core: 1 hr, KA Core: 1 hr) ↑ Back to top

While security policies, laws and computer crimes are important topics, it is essential they are viewed with the foundation of other social and professional knowledge units, such as Intellectual Property, Privacy and Civil Liberties, Social Context, and Professional Ethics. Computers, the internet, and artificial intelligence, perhaps more than any other technologies, have transformed society over the past 75 years. At the same time, these technologies have contributed to unprecedented threats to privacy; new categories of computer crime and antisocial behavior; major disruptions to organizations; and the large-scale concentration of risk in information systems.
Topics:
Core

• Computer crimes, legal redress for computer criminals and impact on victims and society.
• Social engineering, computing-enabled fraud, identity theft and recovery from these.
• Cyber terrorism, criminal hacking, and hacktivism.
• Malware, viruses, worms.
• Attacks on critical infrastructure such as electrical grids and pipelines.

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. List classic examples of computer crimes and social engineering incidents with societal impact [List]
2. Identify issues with laws that apply to computer crimes [Analyze]
3. Describe the motivation and ramifications of cyber terrorism, data theft, hacktivism, ransomware, and other attacks [Describe]
4. Examine the ethical and legal issues surrounding the misuse of access and various breaches of security [Examine]

2.15.27. SEP/Security Laws, Policies and Responsibility  (CS Core: 1 hr, KA Core: 1 hr) ↑ Back to top

Topics:
Core

• Non-technical fundamentals of security (e.g., human engineering, policy, confidentiality).
• Benefits and challenges of existing and proposed computer crime laws.
• Security policies and the challenges of change and compliance.
• Responsibility for security throughout the computing life cycle.
• International and local laws and how they intersect.

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Discuss the professional's role in security and the tradeoffs and challenges involved [Debate]
2. Investigate measures that can be taken by both individuals and organizations including governments to prevent or mitigate the undesirable effects of computer crimes [Investigate]
3. Design a company-wide security policy, which includes procedures for managing passwords and employee monitoring [Design]
4. Understand how legislation from one region may affect activities in another (e.g., how EU GDPR applies globally, when EU persons are involved) [Assess]

2.15.28. SEP/Identity and Diversity in Computing  (CS Core: 1 hr, KA Core: 1 hr) ↑ Back to top

Identity—including race, gender, background, and ability—shapes both the experience of computing professionals and the products they create. This unit examines how identity interacts with computing technologies and environments, and the demonstrable benefits of diverse development teams, as well as the costs of a lack of diversity.
Topics:
Core

• How identity impacts and is impacted by computing technologies and environments (academic and professional).
• The benefits of diverse development teams and the impacts of teams that are not diverse.

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Define and distinguish equity, equality, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility [Define]
2. Identify examples of the benefits that diverse teams can bring to software products, and how a lack of diversity has costs [Analyze]
3. Assess the impact of power and privilege in the computing profession as it relates to culture, industry, products, and society [Assess]

2.15.29. SEP/DEIA Historical and Cross-Cultural Context  (CS Core: 1 hr, KA Core: 1 hr) ↑ Back to top

Current inequalities in computing have deep historical roots in systemic social mechanisms. This unit examines historical marginalization in computing, global infrastructure challenges, and cross-cultural differences in DEIA, exploring how systemic changes can improve equity in both familiar and unfamiliar contexts.
Topics:
Core

• Historic marginalization due to systemic social mechanisms, technological supremacy and global infrastructure challenges to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.
• Cross-cultural differences in, and needs for, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Compare the demographics of your institution's computer science and STEM majors to the overall institutional demographics. If they differ, identify factors that contribute to inequitable access, engagement, and achievement in computer science among marginalized groups. If they do not, assess why not [Compare]
2. Develop examples of systemic changes that could positively address diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in a familiar context (i.e., in an introductory computing course) and an unfamiliar context and when these might be different, or the same [Create]
3. Compare the demographics of your institution to the overall community demographics. If they differ, identify factors that contribute to inequitable access, engagement, and achievement among marginalized groups. If they do not, assess why not [Compare]

2.15.30. SEP/Inclusion and Computing Practices  (CS Core: 1 hr, KA Core: 1 hr) ↑ Back to top

Topics:
Core

• Inclusive language and charged terminology, and why their use matters.
• Inclusive behaviors and why they matter.
• How computing professionals can influence and impact diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility, including but not only through the software they create.
• Experts and their practices that reflect the identities of the classroom and the world through practical DEIA principles.

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Identify language, practices, and behaviors that may make someone feel included in a workplace and/or a team, and why is it relevant. Avoid charged terminology - see Words Matter (www.acm.org/diversity-inclusion/words-matter) - this includes identifying and accommodating users who are often excluded without thought and not considered at all [Analyze]
2. Demonstrate collegiality and respect when working with team members who do not share your identity. It is not enough to merely assign team projects. Faculty should prepare students for teamwork and monitor, mentor, and assess the effectiveness of their student teams throughout a project [Demonstrate]
3. Identify developers' assumptions and values embedded in hardware and software design, especially as they pertain to usability by diverse populations [Analyze]
4. Analyze the work of experts who reflect the identities of the classroom and the world [Analyze]

2.15.31. SEP/Accessible Design  (CS Core: 1 hr, KA Core: 1 hr) ↑ Back to top

Topics:
Core

• Designing and developing technology with accessibility in mind.

Learning Outcomes:
Core:

1. Evaluate the accessibility of your classroom or lab. Evaluate the accessibility of your webpage. (See www.w3.org/WAI and www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21) [Evaluate]