AI Literacy for All

Just completed the AI Literacy for All certificate* by the Digital Education Council for The Australian National University. When I was first invited to do the course I was skeptical, but despite having been to many training courses, workshops, symposiums & conference presentations on AI, I still learned some things. 

* Keep in mind this is not an AQF qualification. 

Australian Professional Standards Forum

Greetings from the Professional Standards Forum of the Professional Standards Councils. Today's forum is on AI, with Dr Ryan Payne, University of Canberra. 

The councils set professional standards, including computing. In return members of participating organisations have their liability capped. AI creates many challenges for organisations wanting to ensure their members act legally and ethically. 

Dr Payne claimed that NFTs are making a comeback, which I hadn't noticed. He also mentioned a number of other technologies which have been coming real soon for a long time, but which AI will make mainstream. 

Dr Payne claimed that AI had changed the words MPs use in Parliament and drafted in laws. He then touched on doomsday scenarios of AI optimizing human out of existence, or just subtly nudging human behavior. Of course, given governments, individuals and corporations have engaged in crimes against humanity, so could AI be worse? 

Today Meta started suspending the accounts of children, ahead of the Australian ban. It occurs to me that it should be possible to use AI to make a safer social media for children. I worry that in the next few weeks we will have millions of children suffering real pain and at risk of their lives, due to the ban. 

Then we got to play with Lego! Dr Payne used Lego to explain how a Large Learning Model (LLM) works. This was cleaver, as it got us out of the mode of just looking at Powerpoint slides.

IEEE AI Ethics and Governance Workshop in Canberra Hosted by the Australian Computer Society

Ruth Lewis, workshop facilitator

Greeting from the Australian Computer Society Canberra office, where I am taking part in an IEEE AI Ethics and Governance Workshop. Over the next few days we will be looking at ethics and technological development. Obviously AI is going feature prominently in this. Last week I attended a seminar on weaponizing Chat GPT with defence & AI experts from around the world. This makes me think I need to produce a new hypothetical on the ethics of AI in warfare. 

IEEE have produced the 294 page "ETHICALLY ALIGNED DESIGN" (2019), and a suite of standards: 

1. 7000-2021 - IEEE Standard Model Process for Addressing Ethical Concerns during System Design
2. 7001-2021 - IEEE Standard for Transparency of Autonomous Systems
3. 7002-2022 - IEEE Standard for Data Privacy Process
4. 7005-2021 - IEEE Standard for Transparent Employer Data Governance
5. 7010-2020 - IEEE Recommended Practice for Assessing the Impact of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems on Human Well-Being

IEEE has been producing ethics standards for many years, but these do not appear to have had much effect on practice. The current public, government and industry interest in AI, and Generative AI (such as Chat GPT) is a good opportunity for IEEE to kindle interest in ethics. If there is an area needing consideration of ethics is AI.

An interesting issues, I suggest, is how standard largely developed by western couturiers will be seen in China, and Asia. In standards development the Golden Rule applies: "Those who have the gold make the rules". As China's economy expands, they will have more influence over global standards. 

While considerations of ethics in computing and engineering development is useful, it has its limitations. As an example, application of IEEE standards would not have stopped the RoboDebt system, as those in leadership positions had an different ethical framework. This held that persecution of disadvantaged citizens was acceptable, provided it boosted the government's ratings with its supporters. This approach was described as Authorized System Harassment in the UK dystopian TV series "1990" ("Ordeal by Small Brown Envelope", 1978), and the possibility of it resulting in suicide was explored. RoboDebt was not ended because it was clearly abhorrent to the ethical standards of most Australians, but because it was found to be technically illegal.

Incident with patrol aircraft following hypothetical script

HQ JOC storyboard of PLA-N ships, in the Arafura Sea.

In 2016 I presented a hypothetical for IT Ethics at ANU. This was a fictional incident involving a maritime surveillance aircraft. The question for the students was what, as an IT professional, what military response they could participate in. This scenario became real last week when an Australian P-8A Poseidon aircraft reported being targeted by a laser from a Chinese warship, just north of Australia. Fortunately the real situation did not escalate, unlike the hypothetical:

The real report:

"On 17 February 2022, an Australian Maritime Patrol Aircraft P-8A Poseidon detected a laser illuminating the aircraft while it was conducting a routine surveillance flight over Australia’s northern approaches.

The laser was detected as emanating from a People’s Liberation Army – Navy (PLA-N) vessel. Illumination of the aircraft by the Chinese vessel is a serious safety incident. ... sonobuoys were used after the incident ... ahead of the PLA-N vessel. ..." 

From: Chinese ship lasing of P-8A Poseidon on 17 February 2022, Australian Department of Defence, 22 February 2022.

My fictional report:

"At 02:20 Zulu, 1 April 2017, one of our maritime surveillance aircraft was reported missing. The aircraft was conducting a freedom of navigation flyover ... signals from a fire control radar ... aircraft's flares and electronic countermeasures were activated ... "

From: Briefing by Cyberspace Operations Wing at Headquarters Joint Operations Command (COW/HQJOC), 12:30 Zulu 1 April 2017 (Notional For Exercise Only)

K12 EdTech Showcase

My third video meeting for the day was a K12 EdTech Showcase hosted by EduGrowth, an Australian educational technology innovation hub. There were quick presentations from education entrepreneurs. Interestingly, these were not just online platforms for delivering content, but also curated libraries of content. This could be particularity useful for teachers looking for stuff to keep students at home occupier.

What worked particularly well for this event were the moderator using an interview technique, where they asked questions. As with previous events, Zoom was used. This worked better when the video was turned off, with just the presenter's voice and slides.One frustration was that each time the presentation shifted to a new presenter, the display switched to full screen video. It would be useful if Zoom could be configured to stop this happening.

Work Integrated Learning in the Age of COVID-19

The Australian Collaborative Education Network (ACEN) held a video meeting today to discuss what to do about Work Integrated Learning (WIL) in response to the COVID-19 Coronavirus. Post secondary educational institutions (and some secondary), have students who undertake part of their program gaining practical experience in a workplace. This is required for some accreditation to work in industry. But what happens to these students with workplaces closed?

Part of the answer to that was provided by ACEN, leading by example, in convening a video conference. This was attended by about 280 people around Australia, and some from other countries.

I help teach ANU TechLauncher students who undertake group software development projects for a real client. This is a little easier to manage, as these students are normally not on the client's premises. Also computing professional routinely do much of their work using computer based tools, and the students have already been introduced to coordinating their work online. I have provided some tips on how to work remotely, from the client, from their tutor, and from each other.

The ACEN video conference suffered from some technical glitches. I have provided some tips on what to do to place less strain on our digital infrastructure. This was my second video meeting for the day, with two to go.

Free Online Teaching Course Starting 20 March

Dr. Martha Cleveland-Innes,
Instructor

Athabasca University (Canada), is offering a free five-week online course Learning to Learn Online, starting 20 March. This is the university where I undertook a Master of Educaiton in Distance Educaiton. I was an online international student, and Athabasca certainly know how to use e-learning to teach digital teaching.

"In this , you will explore the fundamentals of the learning process and various models of online courses to determine your learning preferences and which forms of online learning are best for you. Activities will address common misconceptions, frustrations and fears about online learning, and introduce techniques to help overcome such obstacles and gain confidence as a learner.

Throughout the course you will be guided through an interactive and reflective process by a team of online learning specialists, with the opportunity to join in live sessions with leading researchers in online education.

COURSE OBJECTIVES 

On completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Describe what it means to learn - anywhere, anytime.
• Clarify personal learning preferences.
• Identify common components of an online learning environment.
• Compare differences between online and traditional learning.
• Plan for areas of personal adjustment required for success in online learning.
• Analyze different types of learning environments including a personal learning environment.
• Explore and employ effective online communication tools and strategies.
• Describe the role of an online learning community in supporting learning.

Certificates of completion are available for participants who pass all five module quizzes."

Transition to On-line Study: Example message to team project students

The Australian National University is to pause all coursework teaching for one week from Monday 23 March and then deliver online for the remainder of the semester. Here is an example of a message I prepared for Techlauncher computer group project students about the change to e-learning. These students receive few conventional lectures, instead they work in teams on a project, and meet with a tutor regularly.

Transition to Online Study

The TechLauncher program is now being delivered online, due to COVID-19. I have some experience with online education, and so will be providing some tips for students, and tutors, over the coming weeks. Here are the first:

Use the tools you have: You already have an array of online collaboration resources available to you. With most of these, an individual can contribute at any time, and it is stored so others can view it later. In education, this is called asynchronous mode. Many software development teams, who are spread across the world, work this way. However, to get a sense of being a team, and when quick decisions are needed, nothing beats real-time synchronous communication, with everyone contributing at the same time.

For online tutorials, ANU has provided Zoom Videoconferencing. There is a Zoom "Meeting" for each tutorial group. You can use the meeting-id via the web, or download the client for your computer, or smartphone. With the agreement of your tutor, you can use an alternative conferencing product for tutorials. Teams can use whichever tool they find most useful for their own meetings.

You may not need video: While it is called a video conferencing tool, Zoom, and similar products, work well with audio, slides, and screen sharing. As team members already know each other well, you do not necessarily need to see each other. You can also use your asynchronous tools in a near real-time mode, talking together via Zoom, while looking at, and modifying shared documents. A headset greatly improves the quality of sound, and also using a smartphone, rather than a computer for audio tends to have fewer problems. You can use your smartphone for sound and your computer for documents, at the same time.

Meeting preparation is important: Whatever tool you use, keep in mind that good meeting preparation is even more important online than for a face-to-face meeting. You need to solicit items for the agenda well in advance, and preferably circulate the agenda, and any documents for discussion, well beforehand. It can become very confusing if documents participants have not seen before popup online during the meeting.

The tool you are using to distribute documents and images may fail during the meeting, leaving just audio (and perhaps text chat). During the face to face presentations, you have been encouraged to be ready to keep talking if the video display fails and the same applies online: if the video fails you need to be prepared to keep going, referring to documents the participants already have, or painting them a picture with your voice.

The Campus still open but be prepared: At present ANU has not closed the campus, so physical meeting rooms are available. However, this could change without notice, so please prepare now for on-line working. Also while you should take sensible precautions, there is no general requirement to self-isolate at this stage.

Don't Panic: I have been delivering on-line education at ANU for a decade, using the same proven techniques we are implementing for Techlauncher. From 2013 to 2017 I was a graduate student of education, refining these techniques for delivering international distance education. From this experience, I learned which techniques work, but more importantly, how it is key we remember there is a person on the other end of the network connection, and to treat them as such.

I would welcome comments, suggestions, and corrections.

Tom Worthington
Instructor for Learning to Reflect

All educators must offer e-learning now

I was asked recently what to do if a student who is enrolled on campus asks to switch to online study, due to fear of COVID-19 Coronavirus. Should this only be allowed if the student has a medical condition which places them at risk, or they are unable to get to campus due to travel bans? No, I suggest all students be offered an online alternative now. Educators need not, and should not, wait for their institution, or a government authority, to order, or endorse this action. As e-learning is already having to be provided to some students, offering it to all is not a large cost or inconvenience. Teachers have an ethical, and legal, obligation to act in the interests of their students, their colleagues, and in the public interest.

Artificial intelligence and ethics: challenges and responsibilities

Greetings from the Australian National University in Canberra, where Brad Smith, Global President and Chief Legal Officer of Microsoft, is speaking on Artificial intelligence and ethics: challenges and responsibilities. In his introduction, the ANU VC expressed concern over the lack of broadband access around Canberra. He also mentioned the ANU 3AI Institute students who are looking at issues of technology and people (I am sitting in the audience with the students).

This is the second presentation this week on the implications of technology. Yesterday Lieutenant Colonel Keirin Joyce, UAS Sub-Program Manager for the Australian Army talked on "Drones for Good". He handed around a "Black Hornet Nano" advanced military drone, about the size of my thumb. He pointed out that such devices are not "intelligent", they only follow pre-programmed instructions. He also mentioned that drones had been used extensively for disaster relief in the recent Queensland floods.

Brad Smith also was downplaying the current state of AI. He suggested there had been and would not be a sudden achievement of AI. Instead increased computational power and access to data make AI gradually possible. He pointed out some AI is already in routine use, such as in cars for detecting people in the vehicle's path.

Brad Smith raised the issue of ethics with AI and weapons. While suggesting that the laws of war needed to take this into account, he had no specific proposals. I suggest a good start would be for Microsoft to call for China, the United States, and Russia to sign the Ottawa Treaty Banning Anti-Personnel Mines (Australia joined in 1999).

Brad Smith warned of a world like Nineteen Eighty-Four, with routine mass surveillance of the public, preventing free assembly. He proposed laws to limit such surveillance to where there is a court order or an imminent threat. However, Microsoft provides technology which could be used to create a surveillance state. One ethical approach would be for Microsoft to not supply its technology to countries which did not have suitable citizen protections.

Brad Smith ended by raising the issue of a need for a global approach to the issues. One of last slides in the presentation showed statues of Confucius, and Socrates, hinting at the differences of views between China and the West.

Well, I thought that was the end of the talk, but Brad Smith ended on a more positive note, by pointing out three Microsoft initiatives: AI for Earth, AI for Accessibility,  and AI for Humanitarian Action.

Cyberwar: Hypothetical for Teaching ICT Ethics

Last week I attended a series of seminars as part of the Securing our Future in Cyberspace Conference hosted by the Australian National University. This gave me inspiration for new material to teach ICT Ethics at ANU. Here is a draft. Comments are welcome:

Unclassified. All Scenario Data is Notional and For Exercise Only

Cyberwar: Hypothetical Scenario for Teaching ICT Ethics

Briefing by Cyberspace Operations Wing at Headquarters Joint Operations Command (COW/HQJOC), 12:30 Zulu 1 April 2017:

Maritime Surveillance Aircraft

"At 02:20 Zulu, 1 April 2017, one of our maritime surveillance aircraft was reported missing. The aircraft was conducting a freedom of navigation flyover on one of the reefs, subject to claim by several nations. The last recorded radio transcripts are:

• OPFOR: "Unidentified military aircraft, you are entering a restricted zone. Turn now to avoid unfortunate consequences.
• OURFOR: We are over international waters, in accordance with accepted law.
• OPFOR: Unidentified military aircraft, turn back now. This is your last warning.
• OURFOR: Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, this is Surveillance One Zero Five Charlie Delta, one zero zero kilometers South East of ... " [Transmission ends]

SIGINT Aircraft

Intercepts from our new signals intelligence (SIGINT) aircraft, which was on a test flight in the area, reported signals from a fire control radar, shortly before communication was lost.

SAM Fire Control Radar

The radar was in test mode, however, the older radar warning receiver in our maritime surveillance aircraft is not sophisticated enough to distinguish a test signal from a real attack.

Our aircraft's flares and electronic countermeasures were activated. This may have been mistaken for the launch of a cruse missile, which our aircraft can carry (but was not).

SAM Transporter Erector Launcher

A surface-to-air missile (SAM)  was launched and our aircraft appears to have crashed while maneuvering to avoid the missile. The crew have been rescued by a civilian vessel, but have not yet been debriefed.

The media are reporting that one of our unarmed aircraft has been shot down and the Government has asked for military options to respond. The best kinetic solution is a precision air attack on the missile batteries, guided by special forces landed from a submarine, which is already on station. However, the government has also asked for a cyber option which would disrupt the opposing force's systems, show our national resolve, but avoid casualties.

It is proposed to target the opposing force's electronic control systems. This is expected to disable electrical systems and cause some local electrical fires. Our intelligence assets in the area will arrange for video of the damage to be posted to social media, for maximum news value. We will be working with civilian government personnel with special expertise, to prepare a human factor attack on their Internet of Things (IoT).

Unclassified. All Scenario Data is Notional and For Exercise Only

What Will You Do?

Suppose you are a Senior Incident Responder (SRI) in the Digital Protection Group (DPG) at the Digital Transformation Office (DTO) of the Government. Your job is protecting the whole of government website. Recently you detected a sophisticated attack and boasted "we could turn that attack back on them!". So you are now asked to do just that, despite being a civilian employee.

You are reasonably sure you can mount a cyber-attack which will have the desired political effect: it will disrupt systems of the opposing force enough to cause public embarrassment to their government, with minimum risk of casualties. But can you be sure its effects will be confined to government systems, or to that country? What if the attack shuts down hospital in their country, or across the world?

Is it ethical to be involved in planning such an attack? Would your answer be different, if you are a civilian contractor rather than a government employee, or if you were a military officer? Note that the hypothetical scenario does not say what country is planning the attack, or who they are attacking: does it make a difference to your answer who is attacking who?

Note that you are not asked to become an expert on the Geneva Conventions or the laws of war. However, as an professional you need to be aware of the ethical implications of what you choose to do, or not do, in your work.

The Australian Computer Society's Code of Professional Conduct and Professional Practice, incorporating a code of ethics which requires all members to act with professional responsibility and integrity. How does that code apply to cyberwar? In decreasing order of priority, the ACS Code of Ethics lists:

1. The Public Interest
2. Integrity
3. Confidentiality
4. Objectivity and Independence
5. Competence
6. Keeping Up-To-Date
7. Subordinates
8. Responsibility to your Client
9. Promoting Information Technology
10. The Image of the Profession and the Society

There will be a question on this topic in the examination.

Discussion

The hypothetical scenario presented is based on real events. In 2015 an Australian military aircraft was challenged by radio while on patrol (Wroe & Wen, 2015). In 2010 the "Stuxnet" computer worm was released, apparently designed to destroy a nuclear processing facility, but spread world wide (Langner, 2011). In 2014 five military officers were charged with hacking to obtain trade secrets (Wechsler, 2016).

Henschke (p. 17, 2014) points out that "the purpose of a cyberweapon is to attack an information system in order to perpetrate harm". Ford (p. 7, 2014) provide a diagram to help decide how to respond to a critical infrastructure/high impact attack. This chart could equally used to plan an attack for maximum impact.

Fictional day care centre
(Page & Jean, 2013)

Cyber-warfare attacks do not necessarily need sophisticated computer code. Human factor attack, where someone within the organization being attacked is tricked into providing information or access. In 2013 invitations to apply to a supposed government endorsed child care center were sent to employees of an intelligence agency. An attached form was designed to collect personal information which could be used for later attacks (Page & Jean, 2013).

References

Ford, S. (2014). Warfare, cyberweapons and morality. In M. Keelty, A. Henschke, N. Evans, S. Ford & A Gastineau & L. West, Cybersecurity: mapping the ethical terrain. National Security College (ANU). Retrieved from http://nsc.anu.edu.au/documents/ocassional-paper-6-cyber-ethics.pdf
Henschke, A. (2014). A decision-making procedure for responding to cyber-attacks. In M. Keelty, A. Henschke, N. Evans, S. Ford & A Gastineau & L. West, Cybersecurity: mapping the ethical terrain. National Security College (ANU). Retrieved from http://nsc.anu.edu.au/documents/ocassional-paper-6-cyber-ethics.pdf
Langner, R. (2011). Stuxnet: Dissecting a cyberwarfare weapon. Security & Privacy, IEEE, 9(3), 49-51. Retrieved from http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/icp.jsp?arnumber=5772960
Page, F., & Jean, P. (2013, April 16). Free childcare scam aimed at intelligence staff. Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved from: http://www.smh.com.au/it-pro/security-it/free-childcare-scam-aimed-at-intelligence-staff-20130415-2hwhq.html
Wechsler, P. (2016). Issue: Cybersecurity Short Article: China's Unit 61398 Pulled From the Shadows. Retrieved from http://businessresearcher.sagepub.com/sbr-1775-98146-2715481/20160201/chinas-unit-61398-pulled-from-the-shadows?download=pdf
Wroe, D., & Wen, P. (2015, December 15). South China Sea: Australia steps up air patrols in defiance of Beijing. Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved from: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/south-china-sea-australia-steps-up-air-patrols-in-defiance-of-beijing-20151215-gloc2e.html

Videos

Department of Defence. (2014, March 18) Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft. Department of Defence. Retrieved from https://video.defence.gov.au/play/3267#

This presentation contains images that were used under a Creative Commons License. Click here to see the full list of images and attributions: https://link.attribute.to/cc/1584914

Promote Professionalism with Free Online Ethics Course

Straight after the ACS Canberra Conference, I attended a focus group run by Oliver Burmeister from Charles Sturt University, on promoting professionalism in ICT. This is part of a two year study funded by the Australian Computer Society (ACS) and the Australian Research Council (ARC) on "Investigating which strategies are most effective in overcoming ethical problems facing information and communications technology professionals". My suggestion was to provide free open access educational materials online which meet the requirements for ACS accredited education programs.

ACS could assemble material into the form of free online self paced courses. Thse could be used by anyone wanting to improve their understanding of professional ethics, used by ACS in its own educational programs, by an educational institutions in their programs and as an example of the minimum standard ACS requires for all accredited programs. For the last ten years I have been teaching ICT Ethics using materials from ACS to students at the  Australian National University:  "Professional Ethics and Social Issues in Networked Information Systems".

Previous published work by Oliver on ICT ethics includes:"Ethics of Computing Committees: Suggestions for Functions, Form, and Structure (2008).

Massive Open Online Course Experiments

I signed up to try out the free online computing course "Creative Coding" provided by Monash University through
from Future Learn (the consortium set up by UK Open University). I was presented with Updated Terms and Conditions. These are to make it clear that research can be carried out using anonymous student data, as per the Future Learn Research Ethics Framework.

The massive open online courses provide an excellent supply of data for research and experimentation. The courses are entirely online, have large numbers of students and, at least in the case of FutureLearn, the participants have already agreed to provide their data. It would be interesting to see if any of the universities are carrying out experiments where they divide the students into groups, present each group with a different version of the course and see which works best. Also it would be interesting to see if this is covered by FutureLearn's research ethics framework.

Of course there is a danger that such experiments will only answer a limited range of questions. For example, students who are unable or unwilling to take part in such a course will not have their views considered.

Social Issues and Professional Practice in Australian ICT Degrees

Previously I looked at the"Social Issues and Professional Practice (SP)" required by the Draft ACM/IEEE-CS Computer Science Curricula 2013. The equivalent of that USA requirement for Australia is the ICT Profession Body of Knowledge, of the Australian Computer Society (ACS). This is used for accreditation of Australian university degrees and also for the evaluation of qualifications of those applying for a visa to work in Australia.

The  ACS BoK is designed to be consistent with international certification from the International Professional Practice Partnership (IP3) of the International Federation of  Information Processing (IFIP), the Seoul Accord on ICT education and the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA). The ACS BoK includes "Professional Knowledge" (PK) as the second of six components:

1. ICT Problem Solving (PS) 
2. Professional Knowledge (PK) 
3. Technology Building (TB) 
4. Technology Resources (TR) 
5. Services Management (SM) 
6. Outcomes Management (OM).

The Professional Knowledge area includes six topics:

1. Ethics 
2. Professionalism
3. Teamwork concepts and issues
4. Interpersonal communication
5. Societal issues/Legal issues/Privacy
6. History and status of discipline

The ACS BoK notes that SFIA mentions professional skills in "Business Skills" for the SFIA Levels. The ACS BoK states: "It might be expected that a graduate from a degree program would be ready to assume Level 4
responsibilities in their area of specialisation.". The SFIA level 4 "Business Skills" are defined as:

Selects appropriately from applicable standards, methods, tools and applications. Demonstrates an analytical and systematic approach to problem solving. Communicates fluently orally and in writing, and can present complex technical information to both technical and non-technical audiences. Facilitates collaboration between stakeholders who share common objectives. Plans, schedules and monitors work to meet time and quality targets and in accordance with relevant legislation and procedures. Rapidly absorbs new technical information and applies it effectively. Has a good appreciation of the wider field of information systems, their use in relevant employment areas and how they relate to the business activities of the employer or client. Maintains an awareness of developing technologies and their application and takes some responsibility for personal development.

From: Level 4 SFIA Plus 5, Skills Framework for the Information Age, SFIA Foundation 2011

A brief description is given for each topic:

Ethics 

Topics covered should include: 

• Fundamental ethical notions (virtues, duty, responsibility, harm, benefit, rights, respect and consequences);
• Basic ethics theories;
• Integrity systems (including, the ACS Code of Ethics, the ACS Code of Conduct, ethics committees and whistle blowing);
• Methods of ethical analysis
  • Methods of ethical reflection’
  • Methods and procedures of ethical repair and recovery;
• ICT specific ethical issues (professional – e.g. compromising quality and conflict of interest, and societal – e.g. phishing and privacy).

Professionalism

Topics covered should include: 

• Basic concepts of professionalism (expertise, certification, competence, autonomy, excellence, reflection, responsibility and accountability);
• ICT specific professionalism issues. 

Teamwork concepts and issues

Topics covered should include: collaboration, group dynamics, leadership styles, conflict
resolution, team development and groupware.

Communication 

Topics covered should include: oral and written presentations, technical report writing, writing user documentation and the development of effective interpersonal skills.

Societal issues

 Topics covered should include: history of computing and the ICT discipline, privacy and civil liberties, computer crime, intellectual property and legal issues.

History and status of discipline

Professionals should have some knowledge of where and when their discipline began and how it has evolved, in addition to understanding of ongoing issues in the discipline.

The ACS BoK explicitly avoids specifying how much of a program should be devoted to "Professional Knowledge" (PK) in general, or to any of its six components.  This differs from the ACS/IEEE-CS curriculum, which has a number of lecture hours for each topic. While the ACS approach provides flexibility, it gives the course designer (and accreditation assessor) little guidance. There are six components to the ACS BoK and in the absence of any other guidance, this suggests each should receive one sixth of the resources, which would be four courses in a 24 course degree program. This is about four times as much as for the ACS/IEEE-CS curriculum.

At first glance this is also far more than apparent in a typical Australian computing degree, which might have a couple of lectures on ethics. However, teamwork s likely to be covered in detail in software engineering courses and communication in many. The issue then is how to ensure that all students actually cover these important issues somewhere in their program of study. The conventional approach is to include the topics in core courses. However, topics such as communication become very dull when removed from the primary topic the student is studying. This could be overcome by use of an e-portfolio, where the student has top collect evidence of having covered the professional topics, in order to graduate. In most cases they show evident through work undertaken for other courses, with a preface explaining how it meets the requirements.

Social Issues and Professional Practice in University Degree Programs

Previously I looked at the"Social Issues and Professional Practice (SP)" required by the Draft ACM/IEEE-CS Computer Science Curricula 2013. This works out to the equivalent of one course out of a 24 course degree program (but it could be covered in multiple courses). The ANU's two year Master of Engineering requires two courses in Professional communication (ENGN8150 and ENGN8160), with these normally being taken consecutively in the first two semesters. However, students may apply to be exempt from these courses. The ANU Research School of Management has Communication for Business (MGMT2100) as a compulsory course for the Bachelor of Business Administration. The Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice
 has the option of a Professional Practice Core (PPC) which is 15 units (2.5 conventional courses). This has the students working on-line in a simulated law first with three others.

Social Issues and Professional Practice in Computer Science Degrees

The ACM/IEEE-CS Computer Science Curricula 2013 includes "Social Issues and Professional Practice (SP)". The committee suggests this core and elective material can be in stand-alone courses, integrated into other courses, or covered in capstone and professional practice courses.

Where to cover professional practice remains a problem, not just for computer science, but for engineering and other professional programs. There is a tendency for program designers to place a priority on technical content and hope professional and social issues are covered somewhere, somehow. I suggest that providing this early in the formal program would save time and resources overall.

University educators spend a lot of time and effort worrying about student study habits and quality of assessment submitted. I suggest addressing these explicitly in a professional practice subject early on. This will give students the guidance they need to approach their studies, as well as later in the workforce. Rather than complain about students who don't do the work, submit poor and plagiarized assignments, these skills can be taught and tested in professional practice.

ACM/IEEE-CS specify 11 hours of tier 1 and 5 hours of tier 2 for SP. Assuming the minimum 80% of tier 2 is applied, that is 13 hours total. I am not sure how to translate these hours of lecture time into Australian terms, but the ACM/IEE-CS Curricula specifies a total of at least 279.4 Hours lectures for the tier1/2 mix. So SP represents about 5% of the total. This would be just over one course in a three year degree made up of 24 courses.

From: "Social Issues and Professional Practice (SP)", ACM/IEEE-CS Computer Science Curricula 2013:

Subject	Core-Tier1 hours	Core-Tier2 hours	Includes Electives
SP/Social Context	1	2	N
SP/Analytical Tools	2		N
SP/Professional Ethics	2	2	N
SP/Intellectual Property	2		Y
SP/Privacy and Civil Liberties	2		Y
SP/Professional Communication	1		Y
SP/Sustainability	1	1	Y
SP/History			Y
SP/Economies of Computing			Y
SP/Security Policies, Laws and Computer Crimes			Y

SP/Social Context

[1 Core-Tier1 hour, 2 Core-Tier2 hours]

Computers and the Internet, perhaps more than any other technology, have transformed society over the past 75 years, with dramatic increases in human productivity; an explosion of options for news, entertainment, and communication; and fundamental breakthroughs in almost every branch of science and engineering. Social Context provides the foundation for all other SP
knowledge units, especially Professional Ethics. Also see cross-referencing with HCI and NC Knowledge Areas.

Topics:

[Core-Tier1]

• Social implications of computing in a networked world (cross-reference HCI/Foundations/social models; IAS/Fundamental Concepts/social issues)
• Impact of social media on individualism, collectivism and culture.

[Core-Tier2]

• Growth and control of the Internet (cross-reference NC/Introduction/organization of the Internet)
• Often referred to as the digital divide, differences in access to digital technology resources and its resulting ramifications for gender, class, ethnicity, geography, and/or underdeveloped countries.
• Accessibility issues, including legal requirements
• Context-aware computing (cross-reference HCI/Design for non-mouse interfaces/ ubiquitous and context-aware)

Learning Outcomes:

[Core-Tier1]

1. Describe positive and negative ways in which computer technology (networks, mobile computing, cloud
   computing) alters modes of social interaction at the personal level [Familiarity]
2. Identify developers’ assumptions and values embedded in hardware and software design, especially as they
   pertain to usability for diverse populations including under-represented populations and the disabled. [Familiarity]
3. Interpret the social context of a given design and its implementation [Familiarity]
4. Evaluate the efficacy of a given design and implementation using empirical data. [Assessment]
5. Summarize the implications of social media on individualism versus collectivism and culture. [Usage]
6. [Core-Tier2]
   Discuss how Internet access serves as a liberating force for people living under oppressive forms of
   government; explain how limits on Internet access are used as tools of political and social repression.
   [Familiarity]
7. Analyze the pros and cons of reliance on computing in the implementation of democracy (e.g. delivery of
   social services, electronic voting). [Assessment]
8. Describe the impact of the under-representation of diverse populations in the computing profession (e.g.,
   industry culture, product diversity). [Familiarity]
9. Explain the implications of context awareness in ubiquitous computing systems. [Familiarity]

SP/Analytical Tools

[2 Core-Tier1 hours]

Ethical theories and principles are the foundations of ethical analysis because they are the viewpoints from which guidance can be obtained along the pathway to a decision. Each theory emphasizes different points such as predicting the outcome and following one's duties to others in order to reach an ethically guided decision. However, in order for an ethical theory to be useful, the theory must be directed towards a common set of goals. Ethical principles are the common goals that each theory tries to achieve in order to be successful. These goals include
beneficence, least harm, respect for autonomy and justice.

Topics:

• Ethical argumentation
• Ethical theories and decision-making
• Moral assumptions and values

Learning Outcomes:

1. Evaluate stakeholder positions in a given situation. [Assessment]
2. Analyze basic logical fallacies in an argument. [Assessment]
3. Analyze an argument to identify premises and conclusion. [Assessment]
4. Illustrate the use of example and analogy in ethical argument. [Usage]
5. Evaluate ethical/social tradeoffs in technical decisions. [Assessment]

SP/Professional Ethics

[2 Core-Tier1 hours, 2 Core-Tier2 hours]

Computer ethics is a branch of practical philosophy that deals with how computing professionals should make decisions regarding professional and social conduct. There are three primary influences: 1) The individual's own personal code, 2) Any informal code of ethical behavior
existing in the work place, and 3) Exposure to formal codes of ethics. See cross-referencing with the IAS Knowledge Area.

Topics:

[Core-Tier1]

• Community values and the laws by which we live
• The nature of professionalism including care, attention and discipline, fiduciary responsibility, and mentoring
• Keeping up-to-date as a computing professional in terms of familiarity, tools, skills, legal and professional framework as well as the ability to self-assess and progress in the computing field
• Professional certification, codes of ethics, conduct, and practice, such as the ACM/IEEE-CS, SE, AITP, IFIP and international societies (cross-reference IAS/Fundamental Concepts/ethical issues)
• Accountability, responsibility and liability (e.g. software correctness, reliability and safety, as well as ethical confidentiality of cybersecurity professionals)

[Core-Tier2]

• The role of the computing professional in public policy
• Maintaining awareness of consequences
• Ethical dissent and whistle-blowing
• The relationship between regional culture and ethial dilemmas
• Dealing with harassment and discrimination
• Forms of professional credentialing
• Acceptable use policies for computing in the workplace
• Ergonomics and healthy computing environments
• Time to market and cost considerations versus quality professional standards

Learning Outcomes:

[Core-Tier1]

1. Identify ethical issues that arise in software development and determine how to address them technically
   and ethically. [Familiarity]
2. Explain the ethical responsibility of ensuring software correctness, reliability and safety. [Familiarity]
3. Describe the mechanisms that typically exist for a professional to keep up-to-date. [Familiarity]
4. Describe the strengths and weaknesses of relevant professional codes as expressions of professionalism and guides to decision-making. [Familiarity]
5. Analyze a global computing issue, observing the role of professionals and government officials in managing this problem. [Assessment]
6. Evaluate the professional codes of ethics from the ACM, the IEEE Computer Society, and other organizations. [Assessment]
7. [Core-Tier2]
   Describe ways in which professionals may contribute to public policy. [Familiarity]
8. Describe the consequences of inappropriate professional behavior. [Familiarity]
9. Identify progressive stages in a whistle-blowing incident. [Familiarity]
10. Identify examples of how regional culture interplays with ethical dilemmas. [Familiarity]
11. Investigate forms of harassment and discrimination and avenues of assistance. [Usage]
12. Examine various forms of professional credentialing. [Usage]
13. Explain the relationship between ergonomics in computing environments and people’s health. [Familiarity]
14. Develop a computer usage/acceptable use policy with enforcement measures. [Assessment]
15. Describe issues associated with industries’ push to focus on time to market versus enforcing quality professional standards. [Familiarity]

SP/Intellectual Property

[2 Core-Tier1 hours]

Intellectual property refers to a range of intangible rights of ownership in an asset such as a software program. Each intellectual property "right" is itself an asset. The law provides different methods for protecting these rights of ownership based on their type. There are essentially four types of intellectual property rights relevant to software: patents, copyrights, trade secrets and trademarks. Each affords a different type of legal protection. See cross-referencing with the IM Knowledge Area.

Topics:

[Core-Tier1]

• Philosophical foundations of intellectual property
• Intellectual property rights (cross-reference IM/Information Storage and Retrieval/intellectual property and protection)
• Intangible digital intellectual property (IDIP)
• Legal foundations for intellectual property protection
• Digital rights management
• Copyrights, patents, trade secrets, trademarks
• Plagiarism

[Elective]

• Foundations of the open source movement
• Software piracy

Learning Outcomes:

[Core-Tier1]

1. Discuss the philosophical bases of intellectual property. [Familiarity]
2. Discuss the rationale for the legal protection of intellectual property. [Familiarity]
3. Describe legislation aimed at digital copyright infringements. [Familiarity]
4. Critique legislation aimed at digital copyright infringements. [Assessment]
5. Identify contemporary examples of intangible digital intellectual property. [Familiarity]
6. Justify uses of copyrighted materials. [Assessment]
7. Evaluate the ethical issues inherent in various plagiarism detection mechanisms. [Assessment]
8. Interpret the intent and implementation of software licensing. [Familiarity]
9. Discuss the issues involved in securing software patents. [Familiarity]
10. Characterize and contrast the concepts of copyright, patenting and trademarks. [Assessment]
11. [Elective]
    Identify the goals of the open source movement. [Familiarity]
12. Identify the global nature of software piracy. [Familiarity]

SP/Privacy and Civil Liberties

[2 Core-Tier1 hours]

Electronic information sharing highlights the need to balance privacy protections with information access. The ease of digital access to many types of data makes privacy rights and civil liberties more complex, differing among the variety of cultures worldwide. See cross-referencing with the HCI, IAS, IM and IS Knowledge Areas.

Topics:

[Core-Tier1]

• Philosophical foundations of privacy rights (cross-reference IS/Fundamental Issues/philosophical issues)
• Legal foundations of privacy protection
• Privacy implications of widespread data collection for transactional databases, data warehouses, surveillance systems, and cloud computing (cross reference IM/Database Systems/data independence;
• IM/Data Mining/data cleaning)
• Ramifications of differential privacy
• Technology-based solutions for privacy protection (cross-reference IAS/Threats and Attacks/attacks on privacy and anonymity)

[Elective]

• Privacy legislation in areas of practice
• Civil liberties and cultural differences
• Freedom of expression and its limitations

Learning Outcomes:

[Core-Tier1]

1. Discuss the philosophical basis for the legal protection of personal privacy. [Familiarity]
2. Evaluate solutions to privacy threats in transactional databases and data warehouses. [Assessment]
3. Describe the role of data collection in the implementation of pervasive surveillance systems (e.g., RFID, face recognition, toll collection, mobile computing). [Familiarity]
4. Describe the ramifications of differential privacy. [Familiarity]
5. Investigate the impact of technological solutions to privacy problems. [Usage]
6. [Elective]
   Critique the intent, potential value and implementation of various forms of privacy legislation. [Assessment]
7. Identify strategies to enable appropriate freedom of expression. [Familiarity]

SP/Professional Communication

[1 Core-Tier1 hour]

Professional communication conveys technical information to various audiences who may have very different goals and needs for that information. Effective professional communication of technical information is rarely an inherited gift, but rather needs to be taught in context throughout the undergraduate curriculum. See cross-referencing with HCI and SE Knowledge
Areas.

Topics:

[Core-Tier1]

• Reading, understanding and summarizing technical material, including source code and documentation
• Writing effective technical documentation and materials
• Dynamics of oral, written, and electronic team and group communication (cross-reference
• HCI/Collaboration and Communication/group communication; SE/Project Management/team participation)
• Communicating professionally with stakeholders
• Utilizing collaboration tools (cross-reference HCI/Collaboration and Communication/online communities;
• IS/Agents/collaborative agents)

[Elective]

• Dealing with cross-cultural environments (cross-reference HCI/User-Centered Design and Testing/cross-cultural evaluation)
• Tradeoffs of competing risks in software projects, such as technology,  structure/process, quality, people, market and financial (cross-reference SE/Software Project Management/Risk)

Learning Outcomes:

[Core-Tier1]

1. Write clear, concise, and accurate technical documents following well-defined standards for format and for
   including appropriate tables, figures, and references. [Usage]
2. Evaluate written technical documentation to detect problems of various kinds. [Assessment]
3. Develop and deliver a good quality formal presentation. [Assessment]
4. Plan interactions (e.g. virtual, face-to-face, shared documents) with others in which they are able to get their point across, and are also able to listen carefully and appreciate the points of others, even when they disagree, and are able to convey to others that they have heard. [Usage]
5. Describe the strengths and weaknesses of various forms of communication (e.g. virtual, face-to-face, shared documents). [Familiarity]
6. Examine appropriate measures used to communicate with stakeholders involved in a project. [Usage]
7. Compare and contrast various collaboration tools. [Assessment]
8. [Elective]
   Discuss ways to influence performance and results in cross-cultural teams. [Familiarity]
9. Examine the tradeoffs and common sources of risk in software projects regarding technology, structure/process, quality, people, market and financial. [Usage]
10. 10. Evaluate personal strengths and weaknesses to work remotely as part of a multinational team. [Assessment]

SP/Sustainability

[1 Core-Tier1 hour, 1 Core-Tier2 hour]

Sustainability is characterized by the United Nations as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Sustainability was first introduced in the CS2008 curricular guidelines. Topics in this emerging area can be naturally integrated into other familiarity areas and units, such as human-computer
interaction and software evolution. See cross-referencing with the HCI and SE Knowledge
Areas.

Topics:

[Core-Tier1]

• Being a sustainable practitioner by taking into consideration cultural and environmental impacts of implementation decisions (e.g. organizational policies, economic viability, and resource consumption).
• Explore global social and environmental impacts of computer use and disposal (e-waste)

[Core-Tier2]

• Environmental impacts of design choices in specific areas such as algorithms, operating systems, networks, databases, or human-computer interaction (cross-reference SE/Software Evaluation/software evolution; HCI/Design-Oriented HCI/sustainability)

[Elective]

• Guidelines for sustainable design standards
• Systemic effects of complex computer-mediated phenomena (e.g. telecommuting or web shopping)
• Pervasive computing. Information processing that has been integrated into everyday objects and activities, such as smart energy systems, social networking and feedback systems to promote sustainable behavior, transportation, environmental monitoring, citizen science and activism.
• Conduct research on applications of computing to environmental issues, such as energy, pollution, resource usage, recycling and reuse, food management, farming and others.
• How the sustainability of software systems are interdependent with social systems, including the knowledge and skills of its users, organizational processes and policies, and its societal context (e.g. market forces, government policies).

Learning Outcomes:

[Core-Tier1]

1. Identify ways to be a sustainable practitioner. [Familiarity]
2. Illustrate global social and environmental impacts of computer use and disposal (e-waste). [Usage]
3. [Core-Tier2]
   Describe the environmental impacts of design choices within the field of computing that relate to algorithm
   design, operating system design, networking design, database design, etc. [Familiarity]
4. Investigate the social and environmental impacts of new system designs through projects. [Usage]
5. [Elective]
   Identify guidelines for sustainable IT design or deployment. [Familiarity]
6. List the sustainable effects of telecommuting or web shopping. [Familiarity]
7. Investigate pervasive computing in areas such as smart energy systems, social networking, transportation,
   agriculture, supply-chain systems, environmental monitoring and citizen activism. [Usage]
8. Develop applications of computing and assess through research areas pertaining to environmental issues
   (e.g. energy, pollution, resource usage, recycling and reuse, food management, farming). [Assessment]

SP/History

[Elective]
This history of computing is taught to provide a sense of how the rapid change in computing impacts society on a global scale. It is often taught in context with foundational concepts, such as system fundamentals and software developmental fundamentals.

Topics:

• Prehistory—the world before 1946
• History of computer hardware, software, networking (cross-reference AR/Digital logic and digital systems/
• history of computer architecture)
• Pioneers of computing
• History of Internet

Learning Outcomes:

1. Identify significant continuing trends in the history of the computing field. [Familiarity]
2. Identify the contributions of several pioneers in the computing field. [Familiarity]
3. Discuss the historical context for several programming language paradigms. [Familiarity]
4. Compare daily life before and after the advent of personal computers and the Internet. [Assessment]

SP/Economies of Computing

[Elective]
Economics of computing encompasses the metrics and best practices for personnel and financial management surrounding computer information systems.

Topics:

• Monopolies and their economic implications
• Effect of skilled labor supply and demand on the quality of computing products Pricing strategies in the computing domain The phenomenon of outsourcing and off-shoring software development; impacts on employment and on economics Consequences of globalization for the computer science profession.
• Differences in access to computing resources and the possible effects thereof
• Cost/benefit analysis of jobs with considerations to manufacturing, hardware, software, and engineering implications
• Cost estimates versus actual costs in relation to total costs
• Entrepreneurship: prospects and pitfalls
• Network effect or demand-side economies of scale
• Use of engineering economics in dealing with finances

Learning Outcomes:

1. Summarize the rationale for antimonopoly efforts. [Familiarity]
2. Identify several ways in which the information technology industry is affected by shortages in the
   labor supply. [Familiarity]
3. Identify the evolution of pricing strategies for computing goods and services. [Familiarity]
4. Discuss the benefits, the drawbacks and the implications of off-shoring and outsourcing. [Familiarity]
5. Investigate and defend ways to address limitations on access to computing. [Usage]
6. Describe the economic benefits of network effects. [Familiarity]

SP/Security Policies, Laws and Computer Crimes

[Elective]
While security policies, laws and computer crimes are important, it is essential they are viewed with the foundation of other Social and Professional knowledge units, such as Intellectual Property, Privacy and Civil Liberties, Social Context, and Professional Ethics. Computers and the Internet, perhaps more than any other technology, have transformed society over the past 75 years. At the same time, they have contributed to unprecedented threats to privacy; whole new categories of crime and anti-social behavior; major disruptions to organizations; and the large-scale concentration of risk into information systems. See cross-referencing with the HCI and IAS Knowledge Areas.

Topics:

• Examples of computer crimes and legal redress for computer criminals (cross-reference IAS/Digital Forensics/rules of evidence)
• Social engineering, identity theft and recovery (cross-reference HCI/Human Factors and Security/trust, privacy and deception)
• Issues surrounding the misuse of access and breaches in security
• Motivations and ramifications of cyber terrorism and criminal hacking, “cracking”
• Effects of malware, such as viruses, worms and Trojan horses
• Crime prevention strategies
• Security policies (cross-reference IAS/Security Policy and Governance/policies)

Learning Outcomes:

1. List classic examples of computer crimes and social engineering incidents with societal impact. [Familiarity]
2. Identify laws that apply to computer crimes. [Familiarity]
3. Describe the motivation and ramifications of cyber terrorism and criminal hacking. [Familiarity]
4. Examine the ethical and legal issues surrounding the misuse of access and various breaches in security.
   [Usage]
5. Discuss the professional's role in security and the trade-offs involved. [Familiarity]
6. Investigate measures that can be taken by both individuals and organizations including governments to prevent or mitigate the undesirable effects of computer crimes and identity theft. [Usage]
7. Write a company-wide security policy, which includes procedures for managing passwords and employee monitoring. [Usage]

Education as an Alternate Reality Game

Greetings from the Australian National University in Canberra Helen Keegan, University of Salford, is speaking on learning through gaming, sims and innovative media. She described becoming increasingly frustrated with higher education as a product with fixed learning objectives and students as customers,. So she created a fictional character "Rufi Franzen". She talked yesterday at University of Canberra on "Open: Social: Mobile: Connected". You can read her blog.

The idea of a game the students is an interesting one. However some aspects of the exercise I found disturbing. As an example, students were sent anonymous cryptic notes. New university students find study stressful enough when an effort is made to make courses clear. Also international students in particular may be subject to forms harassment and physical threat. Some students are also members of various national security organizations. A cryptic anonymous note may be interpreted by a stunt as a threat. In addition international students can expect to have their on-line communications monitored by their own government, as well as others. Any cryptic communication could be misinterpreted as part of a conspiracy threating national security.

On a more positive note, much of what  Helen described, in terms of setting a task for the students, then stepping back and then providing small amounts of guidance, seems to be a reasonable description of education. Disciplines, including law and medicine, make use of role playing and simulations, but these are announced and within narrowly confined limits.

An Examination of Suspected Official Misconduct at an Australian University

The Queensland the Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) released "An examination of suspected official misconduct at the University of Queensland", 13 September 2013. The report concerns the University of Queensland (UQ) offering a place in its medical program to someone who had not met the requirements for admission, but was the daughter of the then Vice-Chancellor (VC). After the matter was reported to the CMC and became public, both the VC and previous acting-VC resigned. As the report points out, this incident is important in highlighting that conflicts of interest need to be dealt with transparently in public organizations, including universities.

While several Australia states have independent commissions to investigate misconduct, there is no such body covering  the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), nor federal agencies. As a result, universities in Canberra do not have an independent body to which staff and students can report misconduct. Internal procedures are not sufficient and I suggest such a body should be established to cover all ACT and Federal public bodies (including universities established under federal and ACT legislation).

The importance of what happened at the University of Queensland goes beyond the specific events of 2010. The originating issue — a conflict of interest involving persons of considerable power in the institution — could arise in any unit of public administration. The issues raised by this series of events at the University of Queensland are important ones, with wider application across the public sector.

Conflicts of interest can and will occur at all levels of the public sector. However, they may not always be immediately evident — they may arise out of a request for assistance, a casual conversation or an oblique suggestion, hence the difficulty in identifying them as a potentially improper exercise of influence.

To ensure that conflicts of interest are dealt with transparently, important principles or practices should be accepted and adopted by all publicly funded entities. In particular, it is essential to:

• have robust policies that help and encourage officers to identify, declare and report conflicts of interest
• ensure merit and equity is the basis for selection in publicly funded organisations
• keep documentation that details the matters in conflict and the parties involved, the process followed by the decision makers, and the manner in which the conflict was resolved
• develop a culture in which integrity issues can be raised openly with senior managers
• instil an attitude in staff that a perceived conflict between integrity and personal loyalty to senior colleagues should not prevent the reporting of suspected misconduct.

From: "An examination of suspected official misconduct at the University of Queensland", Queensland the Crime and Misconduct Commission, 13 September 2013.