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The House of Computing: Integrating Counternarratives into Computer Systems Education

Authors:

Mara Kirdani-Ryan,

Amy J. KoAuthors Info & Claims

SIGCSE 2022: Proceedings of the 53rd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education - Volume 1

Pages 279 - 285

https://doi.org/10.1145/3478431.3499394

Published: 22 February 2022 Publication History

Abstract

Social upheaval through widespread disinformation, aggressive automation, and algorithmic oppression have led to an increasing focus on the ethical considerations of technologists. In response, researchers and educators have looked to integrate ethics into Computer Science curricula, either by creating ethics-exclusive courses or embedding ethics into existing computing topics. Regardless of approach, few ethics integrations seek to explicitly center counternarratives, narratives opposing dominant narratives within computing, as a method of instruction. Given an existing teaching opportunity, our prior experience with computer systems education, and a lack of existing ethics integrations into computer systems, we integrated counternarratives into an introductory systems course. We framed this integration through theHouse of Computing (HoC), a structural metaphor that frames the computing discipline as an object for critique. Throughout the course, we presented counternarratives alongside technical content. We assessed student understanding of counternarratives through "floorplans'': metaphorical representations of course units, or floors within theHoC. Through an analysis of students' first floorplan, we found that nearly every student expressed existing or newfound awareness of structural problems within computing, though the novelty of the floorplans concept challenged students. Based on this experience, we offer recommendations for instructors looking to teach computer systems critically or integrate counternarratives into other computing courses.

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Padiyath A(2024)A Realist Review of Undergraduate Student Attitudes towards Ethical Interventions in Technical Computing CoursesACM Transactions on Computing Education10.1145/363957224:2(1-19)Online publication date: 4-Jan-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3639572
Brown NXie BSarder EFiesler CWiese E(2024)Teaching Ethics in Computing: A Systematic Literature Review of ACM Computer Science Education PublicationsACM Transactions on Computing Education10.1145/363468524:1(1-36)Online publication date: 14-Jan-2024
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Index Terms

The House of Computing: Integrating Counternarratives into Computer Systems Education
1. Social and professional topics
  1. Professional topics
    1. Computing education

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cover image ACM Conferences

SIGCSE 2022: Proceedings of the 53rd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education - Volume 1

February 2022

1049 pages

ISBN:9781450390705

DOI:10.1145/3478431

General Chairs:
Larry Merkle
Air Force Institute of Technology, USA
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Maureen Doyle
Northern Kentucky University, USA
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Program Chairs:
Judithe Sheard
Monash University, Australia
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Leen-Kiat Soh
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA
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Brian Dorn
University of Nebraska at Omaha, USA

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Published: 22 February 2022

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Cited By

Salac JArmstrong LKivuva FEverson JKo A(2024)How Economically Marginalized Adolescents of Color Negotiate Critical Pedagogy in a Computing ClassroomACM Transactions on Computing Education10.1145/370233025:1(1-29)Online publication date: 30-Oct-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3702330
Padiyath A(2024)A Realist Review of Undergraduate Student Attitudes towards Ethical Interventions in Technical Computing CoursesACM Transactions on Computing Education10.1145/363957224:2(1-19)Online publication date: 4-Jan-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3639572
Brown NXie BSarder EFiesler CWiese E(2024)Teaching Ethics in Computing: A Systematic Literature Review of ACM Computer Science Education PublicationsACM Transactions on Computing Education10.1145/363468524:1(1-36)Online publication date: 14-Jan-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3634685
Tran MFiesler C(2024)"It's Not Exactly Meant to Be Realistic": Student Perspectives on the Role of Ethics In Computing Group ProjectsProceedings of the 2024 ACM Conference on International Computing Education Research - Volume 110.1145/3632620.3671109(517-526)Online publication date: 12-Aug-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3632620.3671109
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Horton DLiu DMcIlraith SCoyne SWang NStephenson BStone JBattestilli LRebelsky SShoop L(2024)Do Embedded Ethics Modules Have Impact Beyond the Classroom?Proceedings of the 55th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 110.1145/3626252.3630834(533-539)Online publication date: 7-Mar-2024
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Padiyath ANelson-Fromm TEricson B(2023)Critiquing Computing Artifacts through Programming Satirical Python Scripts2023 Conference on Research in Equitable and Sustained Participation in Engineering, Computing, and Technology (RESPECT)10.1109/RESPECT60069.2023.00028(101-109)Online publication date: 20-Jun-2023
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Kirdani-Ryan MKo ABorisova E(2023)“Taught to be automata”: Examining the departmental role in shaping initial career choices of computing studentsComputer Science Education10.1080/08993408.2023.217168934:1(87-113)Online publication date: 5-Mar-2023
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Morales-Navarro LKafai Y(2023)Conceptualizing Approaches to Critical Computing Education: Inquiry, Design, and ReimaginationPast, Present and Future of Computing Education Research10.1007/978-3-031-25336-2_21(521-538)Online publication date: 5-Jan-2023
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