CS2013-final-report

Ethics in Technology (IFSM304), University of Maryland
University College
Al Fundaburk, PhD
Albert.fundaburk@faculty.umuc.edu
http://www.umuc.edu/undergrad/ugprograms/ifsm.cfm
Knowledge Areas that contain topics and learning outcomes covered in the course
Knowledge Area
Social Issues and Professional Practice (SP) 48
Total Hours of Coverage
Brief description of the course’s format and place in the undergraduate curriculum
Recommended pre-requisite: IFSM 201: Concepts and Applications of Information Technology.
IFSM 304 is a required foundation course typically open to all levels from freshman to senior. It is a required
course for all programs in IFSM. The course is typically taught in an eight week on-line and hybrid format.
Course description and goals
This course is a comprehensive study of ethics and of personal and organizational ethical decision making in the
use of information systems in a global environment. The aim is to identify ethical issues raised by existing and
emerging technologies, apply a structured framework to analyze risk and decision alternatives, and understand the
impact of personal ethics and organizational values on an ethical workplace. The objectives of this course are to:
• apply relevant ethical theories, laws, regulations, and policies to decision making to support
organizational compliance
• recognize business needs, social responsibilities, and cultural differences of ethical decision
making to operate in a global environment
• identify and address new and/or increased ethical issues raised by existing and emerging
technologies
• foster and support an ethical workforce through an understanding of the impact of personal
ethics and organizational values
• apply a decision-making framework to analyze risks and decision alternatives at different levels
of an organization
Course topics
• Technology-related Ethical Global issues (multi-national corporation)
• Decision making frameworks to technology-related ethical issues
• Organizational policy to address the technology-related ethical issue
• Research existing or emerging technology and its ethical impact
• Study group presentation of research on existing or emerging technology and related ethical
issues
• a reflective piece on class learning as it applies to ethics in information technology
Course textbooks, materials, and assignments
Reynolds, George Walter (2012) Ethics in Information Technology, 4th edition, Cengage (ISBN: 1111534128)
The course is taught as both hybrid and on-line. It is a writing intensive course requiring written assignments and
student-to-teacher (as well as student-to-student interactions) in discussion conferences. The major assignment
consists of eight weekly conferences, including the analysis of an ethical issue drawn from current events with
global impact/implications. The conference topics consist of privacy, crime, corporate ethics, social media, and
current ethical dilemmas. The significant written assignments include a policy paper, a research paper, a study
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