5.3 Toysmart case exercises - student module  (Page 10/19)

What you will do ...

In this section, you will learn about this module’s exercises. The required links above provide information on the frameworks used in each section. For example, the Socio-Technical System module provides background information on socio-technical analysis. The "Three Frameworks" module provides a further description of the ethics tests, their pitfalls, and the feasibility test. These exercises will provide step by step instructions on how to work through the decision points presented above.

Exercise one: problem specification

In this exercise, you will specify the problem using socio-technical analysis. The STS section of the Toysmart Case narrative (found at Computing Cases) provides a good starting point. In the first table, enter the information from the Toysmart case materials pertinent to the general components of a STS, its hardware, software, physical surroundings, people/groups/roles, procedures, laws, data. Some examples taken from the STS description at Computing Cases are provided to get you started. Then, using the second table, identify the values that are embedded in the different components of the STS. For example, PICS (platforms for internet content selection) embody the values of security and privacy. Finally, using the data from your socio-technical analysis, formulate a concise problem statement.

Exercise 1a:

Instructions for table 1:

1. Go to http://computingcases.org and review the STS description provided for the Toysmart case.
2. Pull out the elements of the STS description that are relevant to your decision point. List them under the appropriate STS component in the above table.
3. Think about possible ways in which these components of the Toysmart STS interact. For example, what kinds of legal restrictions govern the way data is collected, stored, and disseminated?
4. Develop your STS table with an eye to documenting possible ethical conflicts that can arise and are relevant to your decision point.