THE IMPORTANCE OF SOFTWARE ENGINEERING CODE OF ETHICS IN A UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY TEACHING ENVIRONMENT

Positive consideration of software engineering codes of ethics by computing educators promotes inclusion in the teaching of software development courses. For computing educators, this is significant because they contribute immensely to the development of software engineering graduates, not only in terms of teaching technical skills but also in ethical development. This study aims to investigate the perceived importance of codes of ethics by lecturers who teach software development courses at a University of Technology in South Africa. The data was collected using an online survey from 103 educators from two computing departments in a South African UoT; 44 responses were received. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics to evaluate the responses; the Pearson Chi-square test was applied to assess the level of association between variables of interest for more conclusive results in addressing the objective of the study. The results of this study indicated that the majority of participants were males; female participants amounted only to 18.2 per cent. Results also reported that most participants agreed with all the statements tested to determine the perceived importance of Software Engineering Codes of Ethics to educators. In addition, an association was presented between the importance of a software engineering code of ethics to an educator and three other variables (the need to teach students about ethical behaviour, an obligation for software engineers to consider the ethical implications of their systems and sex of the respondents) respectively. This study recommended that institutions of higher learning consider finding permanent ways of inculcating a culture of ethical conduct into its staff members, encouraging educators to take up professional memberships with professional bodies. These measures will ensure that software development educators are trained to maintain high standards within their profession, embracing the use and adherence to a code of ethics in the teaching of software development courses.