Socially Responsible Programming in Computing Education and Expectations in the Profession

Abstract

Software and IT infrastructure keeps changing the way we live and work, but not necessarily for the better for all of us. Considering the implications of software on our society, and the industry's expectations towards computing graduates, it appears natural to address social and ethical competencies within computing curricula. However, this is not necessarily the case in German computing education. Due to this desideratum, this paper addresses the role of ethical guidelines and social responsibility in programming education in contrast to industry expectations. Expected competencies in programming education and ethics modules of CS study programs were identified by a secondary analysis of available data. The present work also gathered and qualitatively analyzed job advertisements with regard to expected competencies. The results (1) illustrate the lack of correspondence with what is expected in educational settings and the profession, and (2) outline implications for a socially responsible programming education. These findings will support educators in developing competency-based pedagogical approaches to address socially responsible learning objectives in future programming courses and CS study programs.