ITC506 Topics in Information Technology Ethics Assessment
Assessment item 3 - Rational Arguments
Value: 25%
TASK
This assessment has two tasks as described below.
Task 1 (8%): Argument Visualisation
In Task 1 you will create a simple argument visualisation using the MindMup software and you will produce a report in Task 2, which details the argument you construct in your argument visualisation.
Choose ONE of the following media articles or case studies:
- COVID-19 and the privacy problem (https://www.cmo.com.au/article/679047/covid-19-privacy-problem/)
- Cars are regulated for safety – Why not information technology?
(https://theconversation.com/cars-are-regulated-for-safety-why-not-informationtechnology-
111415)
- Artificial Intelligence, COVID-19 and the tension between privacy and security
(https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/artificial-intelligence-covid-19-and-89224/)
(https://spectrum.ieee.org/robotics/medical-robots/would-you-trust-a-robot-surgeon-tooperate-on-you)
- Massive shift to remote learning prompts Big Data privacy concerns
(https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/03/26/massive-shift-to-remote-learning-promptsbig. html)
- War machines: DOD's ethical principles for battlefield AI (https://www.zdnet.com/article/war-machines-dods-ethical-guidelines-for-battlefield-ai/)
Now follow the instructions given below to complete the assessment task:
- Use the title of the article/case study as the title of your argument visualisation so that the lecturer knows which article you are analysing.
- Undertake further research about your chosen case and the ethical issue involved, to assist you in analysing it in your argument visualisation (and in your report in Task 2).
- Identify some logical arguments and construct an argument visualisation using
MindMup software. Your visualisation should contain the conclusion, and all of thereasons and objections leading to that conclusion.
- Your argument visualisation should present a logical argument for your subsequent report in Task 2. Your report will develop these arguments based on a deeper analysis of the ethical issue(s).
- Your report should contain all of the arguments contained in your visualisation, and you should not introduce new arguments in your report that are not in your visualisation.
- When you have completed your visualisation, download it as a .pdf file and submit via
Turnitin.
N.B. You are not required to provide references in your visualisation, however your subsequent report in Task 2 should be fully referenced.
MindMup - https://www.mindmup.com/tutorials/argument-visualization.html?orig=/
Philosophy Mapped (argument visualisation information) - https://maps.simoncullen.org/home
Task 2 (17%): Applying Ethical Theories
Follow the instructions given below to complete this task.
- Write a report based on your argument visualisation created in Task 1 and the media article or case study you selected in Task 1.
- Undertake further research about your chosen case and the ethical issue involved, to assist you in analysing and discussing it in your report.
- Analyse the ethical issue applying the classical ethical theories, including utilitarianism, deontology, contract, and virtue. Your report should present wellreasoned arguments, logically leading to appropriate recommendations.
- You should not introduce new arguments in your report that were not contained in your argument visualisation, and your report should contain all of the arguments contained in your visualisation.
- Write an overall conclusion that justifies your recommendations made in your report.
- Include a Reference list at the end of your work, using the correct APA referencing style, corresponding to in-text citations. The word limit for the report is 2000 words +/-10%. Headings, citations, references and appendices do not count towards the word limit, but quotations do.
Note: Please use the template provided in the subject Interact site for your report.
RATIONALE
This assessment task will assess the following learning outcome/s:
- be able to identify ethical issues related to ICT.
- be able to assess the implications of ethical problems.
- be able to critically evaluate solutions to ethical problems.
- be able to apply ethical theories to ethical problems.
- be able to argue consistently and rationally about the moral issues raised by the adoption and use of ICT.
- be able to analyse ethical situations using critical thinking techniques.
This assessment extends the skills practiced in Assessment items 1 and 2, to help you to achieve majority of the learning objectives of this subject.
In addition to identifying a contentious situation in ICT and dissecting the argument(s) about it, you must also now demonstrate the ability to evaluate the elements of the argument by applying classical ethical theories, where appropriate.
Since Assessment item 1 and 2, your knowledge will have grown, and you will now realise that almost all ICT ethical dilemmas can be classified under one of the main ICT ethical issues that are discussed in this subject; for instance, surveillance is a sub-issue of privacy, harmful software is a sub-issue of ICT professionalism, and piracy is a sub-issue of intellectual property.
In ICT, the main ethical issues are taken to be:
- ICT professionalism
- Privacy
- Security
- Cyber-crime
- Intellectual property
- Regulation on the internet
- Social inclusion
- Community and identity
- Pervasive and convergent computing.
The assessment item is designed to help you to build skills towards achieving the learning objectives, by requiring you to:
- identify an ICT-related ethical issue from a media article or case study;
- apply classical ethical theory to the analysis of an ethical dilemma to determine the rightness or wrongness of actions/decisions made therein;
- derive logical and justifiable conclusions to resolve the ethical issue(s);and,
- present the argument in a visual format.
MARKING CRITERIA AND STANDARDS
The following marking rubric will be used to assess students' submissions.
Please check that you have met all the criteria before you submit your assignment.
