CCE STEM: Finding Practices that Cultivate Ethical Computing in Mobile and Wearable Application Research & Development
This project will study academic and commercial software research and development (R&D) to discover factors that encourage discussion and action on ethical challenges. It will then incorporate findings into curricular materials for computer ethics by building interactive R&D simulations for classrooms and massive online open courseware (MOOCs). The investigations will focus on mobile and wearable application development. Mobile devices collect sensitive data ranging from biometrics to location to contacts. We will use participant-observation methods (attending conferences, participating in design meetings, and conducting interviews) as well as analysis of trace data (logs, chat, bug trackers, and other recorded means of organizing virtual work) to observe the diverse work practices involved in mobile application development, and find work practices that encourage discussion of, and action on, ethical concerns. Interactive simulations for students in mobile application courses will then evaluate how incorporating these practices into curricular materials can impact ethics education.
Duration:
January 2015 - June 2020
Additional (Non-UMD Investigators): Adam Porter, Elizabeth Blake, Alexander Robert Jonas, Audrey Tetteh, Devin Ellis, Jonathan Wilkenfeld
Research Funder: Research Areas:- Data Privacy and Sociotechnical Cybersecurity
- Data Science, Analytics, and Visualization
- Information Justice, Human Rights, and Technology Ethics
Total Award Amount: $511,694