Starting with DEI and Ethics - A New First-Year College Computer Science Introduction
Early exposure to ethical reasoning and diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) concepts is critical for preparing socially responsible computer scientists. To support this goal, we designed and implemented a required, non-programming, discussion-based first-year computer science (CS) course series in our four-year undergraduate CS program that integrates DEIJ and ethics as foundational themes, which is taken concurrently with an introductory programming course series. The new course adopts a breadth-first structure delivered over a 10-week quarter, with 6 of the 18 sessions focused specifically on DEIJ and ethics. Over three consecutive academic years, we collected pre- and post-course survey data from 451 students enrolled in the new course. Results show a statistically significant increase in student’s recognition of the importance of DEIJ and ethics and a substantial increase in understanding how these dimensions intersect with technical practice. In this experience report, we describe the course design, instructional methods, and survey instruments; present key findings; and reflect on lessons learned. This work contributes a model for embedding DEIJ and ethics into the early undergraduate computing curriculum.