Deriving Competency-Based Evaluation Criteria for Ethics Assignments in Computer Science

Abstract

The discussion of the social responsibility of computer scientists and the ethical implications of computer science has, at the latest since the 1970s, been part of computer science curricula. Especially in recent years, the discussion about ethics in computer science has gained new momentum, due to the trending topics of AI and machine learning. The increased attention is also reflected in an expansion of teaching, which in turn creates a need for established teaching materials and assessment standards. This theoretical short paper presents the theory-driven and competency-based development of such evaluation criteria for the final exam performance of an “Ethics in Computer Science” course. The particular challenges of such an interdisciplinary endeavor are discussed, as well as the need for a transparent assessment standard in light of different subject cultures between computer science and philosophy. In addition to deriving the assessment items, the complete instrument is provided as part of our paper.