In the previous episode we learned about a project undertaken as part of the Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Computing (SERC) initiative at MIT’s Schwartzman College of Computing. In this episode we hear about another SERC project, from Prof. Daniel Jackson and graduate teaching assistant Serena Booth, who have partnered to incorporate ethical considerations in Prof. Jackson and Prof. Arvind Satyanarayan’s course 6.170 Software Studio. Jackson and Booth explain that software can fail its users in three ways: First, it can simply work badly, failing to meet the purpose it was intended for. Second, it may do what the user wants it to, while simultaneously accomplishing some insidious purpose that the user is unaware of. Third, as Prof. Jackson puts it, it may “contribute to a computational environment that has subtly pernicious effects” on the individual or on society—effects unintended not only by the user but also by the software designer. In their revised syllabus for 6.170, Jackson and Booth attempt to address these second and third types of failure by introducing ethical concerns early in the course and by sharing an ethics protocol to scaffold students’ decision-making throughout the software design process. Relevant Resources: MIT OpenCourseWare https://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=chalkradio&utm_term=s3e6 The OCW Educator Portal https://ocw.mit.edu/educator?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=chalkradio&utm_term=s3e6 Share your teaching insights https://forms.gle/XBwUwqn35abSdjNs8 Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Computing (SERC) on OCW https://ocw.mit.edu/resources/res-tll-008-social-and-ethical-responsibilities-of-computing-serc-fall-2021/index.htm?utm_source=OCWCourseList&utm_medium=CarouselSm&utm_campaign=FeaturedCourse? utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=chalkradio&utm_term=s3e6 6.170 Software Studio ethics assignments https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/res-tll-008-social-and-ethical-responsibilities-of-computing-serc-fall-2021/pages/ethical-computing-and-practice/software-studio/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=chalkradio&utm_term=s3e6 SERC website https://computing.mit.edu/cross-cutting/social-and-ethical-responsibilities-of-computing/ Professor Jackson’s faculty page https://www.csail.mit.edu/person/daniel-jackson Serena Booth’s personal website http://www.slbooth.com/ Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions https://www.sessions.blue/ Connect with Us If you have a suggestion for a new episode or have used OCW to change your life or those of others, tell us your story. We’d love to hear from you! Call us @ 617-715-2517 On our site https://ocw.mit.edu/about/contactus/ On Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MITOCW/ On Twitter https://twitter.com/MITOCW?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor On Instagram https://www.instagram.com/accounts/login/ Stay Current Subscribe to the free monthly "MIT OpenCourseWare Update" e-newsletter. https://ocw.mit.edu/subscribe/index.htm?utm_source=header Support OCW If you like Chalk Radio and OpenCourseWare, donate to help keep those programs going! https://giving.mit.edu/give/to/ocw/?%20https://giving.mit.edu/give/to/ocw/?utm_source=ocw&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=donatehttps://giving.mit.edu/give/to/ocw/?%20https://giving.mit.edu/give/to/ocw/?utm_source=ocw&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=donate Credits Sarah Hansen, host and producer (https://twitter.com/learning_sarah) Brett Paci, producer (https://twitter.com/Brett_Paci) Dave Lishansky, producer (https://twitter.com/DaveResonates) Show notes by Peter Chipman