Universality thesis in IS ethics education - an empirical study

The explosion in the use of computers has strengthened the need to address ethical issues in information systems (IS) education. As a result, several IS ethics education frameworks have been expounded. At the same time, it has been argued that for the purposes of IS ethics education the existing theories of ethics are inadequate. However, little empirical research has been undertaken on the effects and perceived usefulness of such IS ethics frameworks in practice. To improve this situation, an interpretive empirical study (n=79) on the effects and implications of an education programme based on three theories of universality, was carried out. The results suggested that the students mostly perceived the theories to be useful, and that the theories had a positive effect on their thinking. The application of the universality theses broadened the deliberation on the moral conflicts of 58% of the respondents, and 76 % perceived the universality theses to be useful for solving moral problems. One version of the universality thesis was found to be particularly open to misuse.