Social and ethical education in computing using virtual environments

Abstract

We have devised a novel experiential approach to teaching students about the social impact of computers and the ethical, legal, and social responsibilities of computing professionals. Rather than teaching these topics in a traditional classroom manner, we teach them in a text-based online virtual educational environment known as a MOO. At the same time we use the environment’s object-oriented design to instruct the students in object-oriented concepts. The approach is proving extremely successful.