Ethical and professional issues: transcending the obstacles to student engagement

It is vitally important that today’s technology-related degree programs provide undergraduate students with the skills needed to appreciate and assess the often complex ways in which digital systems may impact on the individual, society, and the environment. This paper outlines current approaches adopted by the authors towards significantly enhancing the teaching of Ethical and Professional Issues. Particular attention is given to curriculum development (in which a strong people-centric, research-infused approach is adopted), and to the integration of technologies into many aspects of the teaching process. These developments are considered in the context of enhanced student engagement and in terms of fostering an ethos in which students are encouraged to establish a personal ethical position in relation to the application and deployment of digital systems