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COMPUTERS ETHICS SOCIETY and HUMAN VALUES Student Reviews |
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Final module questions to which students replied with the excerpts
below.
How valuable was the online textbook to you? Did it present the
information you needed? Did you learn from it?
For those of you who wanted to take a course like this because you wanted to learn about computers and how they impact us and society, etc.. did you get to learn about such things? For those of you who were looking to find answers to questions are you now in a better position to go about that task?
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STUDENT REPLIES:
Generally, I cannot say that there was any part of the course that I disliked, or thought was boring or tedious. I really enjoyed the cases as someone else mentioned, because they were effective in bringing the ideas home. The case work was great because it gave you a real world understanding of each chapter in the book. The book was great too, because it did have so many different opinions, from John Perry Barlow, to Deborah Johnson among others. I really enjoyed the chapter on ethics, and the vast amount of information that was in there. Many times, I tried to read as many of the links as possible, to really understand the topic, even those that did not say READ. The group work, though cancelled, was a really great way to get to know other classmates better, as well as to get a deeper understanding of the chapters. I happened to be in an excellent group, and enjoyed working with the other students. The student lead discussion was a great way to voice our thoughts, and a way for us to make connections on our own, without questions prompting us. I think the student lead discussions could be a little more aggressive, but I think that many people don't speak their mind for fear that they may hurt someone's feelings. In all, I enjoyed this course completely, the way this course is constructed does not leave you wondering what's next, it is consistent. I would take another course like this one. -- The best aspect
of this course is the textbook. We are not restricted to one view or one
publisher. -----
The online textbook is excellent. It is very well organized. The
readings are top notch. The links to the hundreds of websites are
invaluable. I read many of the suggested reading links. So
invaluable, many of them as important as the required readings.
The online textbook is the reason this class is a success. If the
textbook was a hard copy, the information we would have gained would
have been minimal.
The Case Discussions were also excellent. The questions made you
think about the module topics. The case readings were very
pertinent. The case discussions is a very good learning tool.
The Student Led Discussions were the weakest part of the course.
There were too many instances where the discussions went off track.
This is no reflection on the professor but the cause was because
of the student(s). The questions from the students need to be more
thought provoking along with many of the responses.
The class does take a lot of time because of the amount of work. I missed the Group Work after it was eliminated. The group work allowed us to work in small groups depending upon each other to contribute to each module. That was very important to me. --------- Reducing some discussion questions or extending the module due dates will assist in making this course better because this will give students more time to read and digest the material to start and contribute an enriched thread. Group assignment seems to do best because it gives us an opportunity to work closely together within a smaller group. Each module becomes better when we share our researched results to the course topic. Case and topic discussions seem to do well because students can express their well-thought out ideas as well as learn from one another. The written assignment seems to work the least because of the lack of written feedback from the professor. I know number grades are given, but a written comment from him will assist us to rethink in how we are answering the essay questions more accurately. The online textbook is an excellent source that supplies me with all the information I need to answer the discussion and essay questions. I am able to enlighten my husband about how the human race depends on our computer and technology to live a more comfortable life. He states, "The privilege countries will be in trouble if it experiences a world wide black out." Yes, I know he is silly, yet the comment does makes sense. As I wrote earlier, case and student lead discussion are extremely valuable to the course. It simply reinforces the ready through our sharing and correcting one another’s discussions. Using the suggested reading in the online textbook has assisted me in finding the answers to write a well-written assignment and contribute a well-thought out discussion with my classmates. Yes, I learn a lot about computers and how they impact the human race, such as how the federal agency gain access to invade citizens’ private home computers to collect their personal information without their knowledge. Looking for sexual predators is the excuse that the agency uses to justify their illegal search into citizens’ privacy. At the end of this semester I can write to state that this course has given me a better position to discussion in how technology has advance humans’ lives as well as how it has contribute to the deterioration of our ethic principle within our society. ----- How valuable was the online textbook to you? Did it present the information you needed? Did you learn from it?
The online textbook was a good tool. It provided the information necessary to complete the weekly assignment. I did learn from the online book. Deborah Johnson’s book “ Computer Ethics” filled in any blanks I might have encountered.
Prof. You might want to mention in the course description that the book is online. I purchased the book prior to our classes orientation.
How pertinent and valuable were the cases presented in the Discussion Board for Discussion?
The cases were very informative. The blackboard allowed you to hear and respond to other students perspective on the same topic.
How valuable were the Student Led Discussions?
Student Lead question was another form of learning. It allowed you to expound on the topic of the week, before you actually read the assignment.
How were the suggested readings (not marked by READ) in the online textbook ?
Honestly, I didn’t have time to read much of the readings not marked read.
For those of you who wanted to take a course like this because you wanted to learn about computers and how they impact us and society, etc.. did you get to learn about such things?
I have learned so much in this class, I got exactly what I was looking for.
Group Assignments would have been successful everyone participated. If you decide to try the group assignments again I think there should be a deadline (prior to Sunday) which would give the leader a chance to digest all and post timely for all to get a point
Written Assignments should be graded and returned to the student ----------- I thought the course was very organized. It seemed to be geared towards getting out of it what you pt into it. The online text was very helpful, easy to read, and the additional readings, while at times antiquated, were thoughtful and presented many sides to the ethical discussion. If I had to make one suggestion, I would say that updating those additional readings to reflect the world we live in right now would add a richness to the course work. Many of the ethical problems relating to computers discussed in say 1994 are still puzzled over today, but things have changed so greatly in those 12 years, that a re-visit of some of the materials might be in order. -------- The textbook was extremely informative and read very well. It was not difficult to understand or to filter through the information. It facilitated the written assignments on a weekly basis. The case presentations in the beginning were insightful. However, I feel that during the later discussions they were not as helpful. How valuable were the Student Led Discussions? Were ok, some better than others with the content and the questions that were posed. How were the suggested readings (not marked by READ) in the online textbook ? This feature of the text was extremely important for me so I was aware of which ones to focus on primarily. ------------------------
How valuable was the online textbook to you? Did it present the
information you needed? Did you learn from it?
The online textbook was an
excellent way for us to get our information. It was organized and
complete and best of all free.
How pertinent and valuable were the cases presented in the Discussion
Board for Discussion?
The cases were a good tool to help us
relate to what we were learning about. The cases offered the
relatability factor.
How valuable were the Student Led Discussions?
In my opinion the Student Lead
Discussions were the least important and/or valuable part of the
course. I do not believe too much was gained from that portion of the
class.
How were the suggested readings (not marked by READ) in the online
textbook ?
The assigned readings and the textbook offered so much information that the only time I browsed through the suggested readings was if I was having trouble understanding a concept and wanted more clarification. I would then go through the suggested readings and also do my own research via the web. I learned new things about a subject I was already familiar with. In all honesty I am still having trouble applying ethical principles to computer situations but I do have a better understanding of the concept since this class. The way the class was structured was conducive to completing work and assignments in the given time frame. The class was organized and the information offered to us was complete. ---------- The overall content of the course was effective in informing me about the consequences and impact of computers in society. For the most part we got to see that although technology and its advancements are imperative to our society it has the possibility of making major changes in our world, and with comes many issues. The thing that will stick with me the most, is learning a mew way to approach these changes ethically with the least harm done to society. Honestly, on many occasions there was not much time left for the readings, which we were not assigned. The cases we of good assistance because they provided it us with actual examples of what is occurring in the field. It was a different approach from reading the textbook which deals strictly with what should and could happen, not what may really happen.
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Other Comments from Fall 06 I enjoyed the fact that this class was not like every other class, with exams, and term papers. How well you are doing in this class is dependent on the work you do every week. Why should everything hinge on a final exam or term paper? I agree with you.... You can tell a lot about how much students are learning through the discussions and doing the written assignments. Tests aren't necessary. ---------------------------- I'm taking 5 courses this semester and I'd have to say this one is the most well organized and structured one out of all of them. Every week I can find the assignments in the same place and complete them in the same manner as the previous week. This way I can never miss any assignments cause I know exactly when new ones are posted and when old ones are due. I also love the weekly grading that adds up to the final grade because thru out the semester I'd know where I am in terms of my grade for the class and if I had done bad the previous week, I can improve upon it immediately. The calendar and module overview is a plus cause I can browse all of the assignments in one place, back and forth. Overall I think there's more work in this class than all the other ones but I think it was broken down into digestable weekly pieces that is easier to handle and understand. So I think this approach is better than to be giving final exams or huge projects to work on as in my other classes. I also think the elimination of group projects/work was a wise decision as it is just way too difficult to collaborate and communciate online with so many members and getting everything organized. The discussions we have weekly is more than enough to foster communication among the students and share our thoughts and ideas. The free textbook is a major plus too! ------- Overall, this course has been very enlightening. At times I felt I was over my head with the materials and amount of information to process, but all in all, it shed tremendous light on topics and issues I never really paid much attention to. ---------- At times, I found this class overwhelming but I agree with my peers. This was one of the most structured and well thought out classes in my courseload. I always knew what I should be doing and when it would be do. I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their Online Bacc career and good luck to you all! ------ I actually read the Deborah Johnson book, and much of the information in it was similar to the information in the course textbook, it is useful in reinforcing ideas. Johnson's writing is actually very easy to read and understand. I really thought that it was a good book. I too read Deborah Johnson's book. I thought it was great. ------ Thanks everybody. I think that this has been a valuable class. We have learned at lot of different issues regarding computer technology, something that we acknowledge is very much ingrained in our everyday lives. I think now we will look at some of these ethical issues with more insight and more curiosity. I have enjoyed our discussion board exchanges; it was interesting to read your different ideas and thoughts on different subjects. Happy Holidays to all and good luck with your future courses. ----- Hopefully the textbook remains free for the future semesters. It was very helpful. The material in this class was very interesting. The course supplied us with many ways of mastering an understanding for the topics. I thank you and good luck to the fellow students of cuny. ------- |
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ABOUT THE COURSE: FINAL EXERCISE Part 1: What did you like best about this course? Part 2: What specific things do you think could be improved in the structure or design of the course and learning activities? Part 3: How would you improve the quality and participation in course discussions/interactions? Part 4: What changes would you suggest be made to the pacing or sequence of the content and activities for this course? (e.g., were the due dates doable for you? Were the course materials sequenced well?) Part 5: What changes would you suggest be made to the quantity of work required for this course? Part 6: How could the course be improved in terms of my interaction, participation, and management of the course? Part 7: What other suggestions, comments, or recommendations would you have for the instructor? Student Replies
Part 1:
What did you like best about this course? The real life issues used to inform us of the problems plaguing information technology.What I like best about this course is doing the group assignment because it gives us an opportunity to work closely together in a smaller group. The course topic becomes better when we share our researched results with one another. I liked the grading policy. It was a reflection of the work you had done, if you did it you were graded and if you didn’t you were not. It was a fair system. The course structure was the best part of the class. We were treated as adults and not beginning college students. The way the weekly assignments has been structured. They are easy to understand and well organized. The weekly grades were also helpful in determining my progress in this course. By far I enjoyed the discussions most, and wish there
were more of them. I enjoyed how organized and structured the class was, much more than my other courses.
Part 2:
What specific things do you think could be improved in the structure
or design of the course and learning activities? I think posting student lead discussions should be optional but responding to them should be mandatory. Getting a written comment from the professor will assist us to rethink in how we are answering the written assignments moreaccurately will improve the structure of this course. I personally would have like more interaction/lecturing from the professor. Opportunities to make up missed assignments. Email notifications when a post has been responded to on the DB. The one-week time period for each module seemed a bit
cramped. It seemed that everyone was waiting until the last minute to
get their contribution in, which severely limited the amount of
discussion available. I apologize but I have no complaints in this department. It was the aspect I enjoyed most.
Part 3:
How would you improve the quality and participation in course
discussions/interactions? A monthly debate sounds interesting. Students can take a side on a certain issue and participate in a lengthy debate supporting their position. Reducing some discussion questions or extending the module due dates may give students more time to read and digest the material to start and give a make richer course discussions. This is the only change I suggest to pace the content of this course as well as to improve the quality of work required for this course, even though the course offers a lot of interesting material, but the time frame to complete it is a problem for some of us. I don’t think there is any room for improvement in this area. All students were required to interact in the discussion board if they wanted to receive credit. The professor’s idea of a discussion moderator is excellent. More focus on one DB instead of 2 or 3 per week. I would keep the discussion boards at the top of the
page for an extra week, overlapping with the following week, to allow
for further discussion on the topics. I think we were all a bit confused as to how much should be written and how much would be too much. Maybe that could have been clearer…
Part 4: What changes would you suggest be made to the pacing or
sequence of the content and activities for this course? (e.g., were
the due dates doable for you? Were the course materials sequenced
well?) There was only confusion for me when we arrived to module 8 and there was no assignment so I thought there was no module 8 and I began labeling module 9 8 and 10 9. I even read the wrong chapter for one week. I doubt this was wide spread though. A written feedback after each written assignments may improve the interaction and management of this course, so the students may have a chance to rethink in how they're answering the next written assignments more correctly. I think the time allowed to complete assignments and the amount if time for sections were fair. The pacing, sequence, and due dates were excellent. I would suggest keeping the Group Work for next semester. Elimination of group work was a good choice, other than that everything else was doable. I found the weekly writing assignments to be rather
tedious. If there was a way to better group them into fewer, but more
substantial papers over the course of the term, it would help make
them more engaging and doable. I thought your excising the group work
from the course was very well thought out, and an apporpriate response
to the volatile enrollment, though I'm not sure I wouldn't have rather
gotten rid of the written assignments as well. At times, I felt like we were rushing through topics. Is it possible we covered too much information?
Part
5: What changes would you suggest be made to the quantity of work
required for this course? No change. I was overwhelmed at first because I wasn’t sure of the structure and policy. I think there should be less reading. In completing the writing assignments there is to much information to decipher through to complete the assignments. No changes. None, the workload for this course is about just right. I would focus on trimming and clarifying the reading
materials. Often I found myself reading a very long webpage, only to
later realize I was only expected to read a single section, which I
found rather frustrating. Also I think that the required reading for
each section should be at the front of each chapter rather than
interpresed throughout the text. Question answered above
Part
6: How could the course be improved in terms of my interaction,
participation, and management of the course? In the beginning there was more interaction from you. I liked the “Name REPLY!” It keeps students on their toes. Explanations and interaction with the students will be of great help in future classes. I feel that we were left to solely learn from each other even though we had a professional/professor in the field. The professor did a fine job. None I felt your responses to the discussions were rote and
not very useful in terms of facilitating discussion. I think your idea
to have volunteer discussion facilitators to help out in this regard
is great and will be a big asset to future classes. N/A Part 7: What other suggestions, comments, or recommendations would you have for the instructor? The grading policy is interconnected, perhaps a way for students to still earn attendance points and quality points even if they do not post in all DBs. Professor, I'm extremely pleased to have taken your course. At first it was difficult, but you've answered every question and cleared up any doubts. Thanks. The suggestion I've made to improve this course isn't a negative reflection of you. It's simply to help the following students to successfully adjust and embrace the task that will be set before them. Again Thanks!! None Include more current material on some of the current
issues being tackled in regards to technology, i.e. Net Neutrality. Keep the Group Work. Do not implement group work in the future and keep the existing model of teaching, I think it works very well and this is the best online class out of all of the ones I’ve taken. The work load was a lot but equally divided into manageable weekly segments and the process of doing it remained the same week after week which is very good since then the student can concentrate on each week’s new topic and material without worrying about having to do something new or different each week. For example, having a report due this week and a test next week then a paper the week after then a group project after that is very confusing and distracting, the weekly assignments in this course is uniformed and leaves the student to concentrate on learning and understanding the topic at hand. I think and I wish all classes should/would be like this one. Thank you for everything! |