Computer Science Social Issues and Professional Practice Activity: Ethics vs. Morals and Values vs. Assumptions Case: You are a driver of a runaway trolley and in your current track, you will be hitting one person, your loved one, but if you choose to divert the trolley onto a divert track, you will be hitting a group of children. It should be noted runaway trolley means that the breaks of trolley are broken and all the potential victims are tied up in the track that they are in. Question: Who would you sacrifice and why? Moral decision Ethical decision Decisions based on Values Decision-based on Assumption Case: Phoebe is a senior and president of the student body. Lately, she is becoming more and more overwhelmed by her rigorous AP course load and college applications. She has been sick for the past month and has fallen behind in many of her classes. Her application to Brown University and her AP Art History paper are both due on Monday. Its Sunday now. Phoebe makes a tough decision and plagiarizes the entire section on Impressionism on her paper, finishes her application, and goes to bed. On Monday, Phoebe turns in her paper. By lunchtime, Phoebes AP Art History teacher had asked to see her. He quickly realizes the fact that a large portion of her paper was plagiarized and confronts her about it. Phoebe bursts into tears and explains to him all the pressures of being sick, taking five APs, playing three varsity sports, and being president of the student body. Brown is her number one choice for college and she felt she had to make a choice. Phoebes teacher turns her into the school honor council. She is very remorseful and volunteers to give a speech to the student body apologizing for what she has done. She also begs the honor council not to write to the colleges that she has applied to, as she has worked so hard throughout her high school career and is applying to the most competitive colleges and universities. Question: What should the honor council do? Moral decision Ethical decision Decisions based on Values Decision-based on Assumption Case: Joan is a programmer at an organization. While working late one night, she notices that her boss has left his computer on. She enters his office to turn of the monitor and finds that he is still connected to his electronic mail. She scans the message briefly noticing whom they are from and what the topic is. It is regarding herself in an unflattering way. Question: What should Joan do? Moral decision Ethical decision Decisions based on Values Decision-based on Assumption Case: Sarah caught his boyfriend cheating with another girl. Knowing his social media passwords and as a means of deploying revenge, Sarah logged in into his boyfriends account, took screenshots of his conversations with the girl and posted it on her own account as a means of exposing their despicable act. Some of the content Sarah discovered and uploaded are sensitive images of the girl posing for the guy. Upon seeing Sarahs post.

1. Computer Science
Social Issues and Professional Practice
Activity: Ethics vs. Morals and Values vs. Assumptions
Case:
You are a driver of a runaway trolley and in your current track, you will be hitting one person, your
loved one, but if you choose to divert the trolley onto a divert track, you will be hitting a group of
children. It should be noted runaway trolley means that the breaks of trolley are broken and all the
potential victims are tied up in the track that they are in.
Question:
Who would you sacrifice and why?
Moral decision
Ethical decision
Decisions based on Values
Decision-based on Assumption
Case:
Phoebe is a senior and president of the student body. Lately, she is becoming more and more
overwhelmed by her rigorous AP course load and college applications. She has been sick for the
past month and has fallen behind in many of her classes. Her application to Brown University and
her AP Art History paper are both due on Monday. Its Sunday now. Phoebe makes a tough
decision and plagiarizes the entire section on Impressionism on her paper, finishes her
application, and goes to bed. On Monday, Phoebe turns in her paper.
By lunchtime, Phoebes AP Art History teacher had asked to see her. He quickly realizes the fact
that a large portion of her paper was plagiarized and confronts her about it. Phoebe bursts into
tears and explains to him all the pressures of being sick, taking five APs, playing three varsity
sports, and being president of the student body. Brown is her number one choice for college and
she felt she had to make a choice.
Phoebes teacher turns her into the school honor council. She is very remorseful and volunteers to
give a speech to the student body apologizing for what she has done. She also begs the honor
council not to write to the colleges that she has applied to, as she has worked so hard throughout
her high school career and is applying to the most competitive colleges and universities.
Question:
What should the honor council do?
Moral decision
Ethical decision
Decisions based on Values
Decision-based on Assumption
Case:
Joan is a programmer at an organization. While working late one night, she notices that her boss
has left his computer on. She enters his office to turn of the monitor and finds that he is still
connected to his electronic mail. She scans the message briefly noticing whom they are from and
what the topic is. It is regarding herself in an unflattering way.
Question:

2. What should Joan do?
Moral decision
Ethical decision
Decisions based on Values
Decision-based on Assumption
Case:
Sarah caught his boyfriend cheating with another girl. Knowing his social media passwords and as
a means of deploying revenge, Sarah logged in into his boyfriends account, took screenshots of
his conversations with the girl and posted it on her own account as a means of exposing their
despicable act. Some of the content Sarah discovered and uploaded are sensitive images of the
girl posing for the guy. Upon seeing Sarahs post, both the girl and the (ex-)boyfriend were
dumbfounded. Both tried to contact Sarah to take down the post. The girl tried to explain how she
didnt know his boyfriend has already a girlfriend. The guy also tried to explain to Sarah the
situation. Sarah, however, is unswayed and still left the post uploaded.
Question:
What should Sarah and her boyfriend do?
Moral decision
Ethical decision
Decisions based on Values
Decision-based on Assumption
Moral decision Ethical decision
Decisions based on
Values
Decision-based on
Assumption