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ISEDJ 7(76)

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ISEDJ 7(78)

Volume 7, Number 77

July 15, 2009

12 pages 510 K bytes

IT Students and Computer Ethics: Making the Case for Further Training and Ethical Development Belle S. Woodward Southern Illinois University Carbondale Carbondale, IL 62901, USA Wendy Ceccucci Quinnipiac University Hamden, Connecticut 06518, USA Michael Whitney Southern Illinois University Carbondale Carbondale, IL 62901, USA

Abstract: This study examines the computer ethics of information technology students. Students and Ethics IT faculty were given short scenarios in which they were to evaluate, based on a 5 point Likert scale, if they considered the actions ethical or a computer crime. They were then asked if they would act in an ethical manner if placed in the same situation. The students’ answers were then compared to the answers supplied by the IT faculty. Results indicated that IT students were less able than their faculty to identify or distinguish ethical behaviors from unethical ones. Additionally, students reported a greater likelihood of acting in unethical ways regardless of their abilities to identify ethical/ unethical behaviors. These results suggest that IT students need more training in IT ethics.

Keywords: ethics, unethical behavior, information technology students

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Recommended Citation: Woodward, Ceccucci, and Whitney (2009). IT Students and Computer Ethics: Making the Case for Further Training and Ethical Development. Information Systems Education Journal, 7 (77). http://isedj.org/7/77/. ISSN: 1545-679X. (A preliminary version appears in The Proceedings of ISECON 2008: §2722. ISSN: 1542-7382.)