Integrating Ethics into Information Systems Courses: A Multi-Method Approach Based on Role Playing

Authors

Richard Glass, Bryant College

Abstract

The need to include ethics in the IS curriculum has been well documented by academics and practitioners. Educators are still struggling with how to accomplish this task, due in part to their inexperience with ethical theory and with pedagogical methods for teaching ethics. The purpose of this paper is to present a multi-method pedagogical approach centered around a role playing exercise that the author has used for teaching ethics to undergraduate business students enrolled in a Management Information Systems course. The approach is based on the belief that in order to raise the students' consciousness about ethical issues, the students must be challenged to experience conscious ethical conflicts and to incorporate their own values into solving ethical problems. Ethical decisions must take into consideration the positions of the stakeholders prior to the decision and the potential outcomes of the decision for each of the stakeholders.

Recommended Citation

Glass, Richard (1994) "Integrating Ethics into Information Systems Courses: A Multi-Method Approach Based on Role Playing," Journal of Information Systems Education: Vol. 6 : Iss. 4 , 188-191.
Available at: https://aisel.aisnet.org/jise/vol6/iss4/2