Professional Practices

HUM-4704

Lecture [4] : Software Engineering and Professional Issues

Miss Mehreen Shakoor

(Lecturer)

Date: April 23, 2020

 Today’s Agenda

• Eight infrastructure components that can be used to

evaluate a mature profession

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 SE Education & Training - 1

▪ Ford and Gibbs list four elements related to SE education: initial professional
education, skills development, professional development and accreditation [1].

▪ Initial Professional Education:

▪ There are hundreds of computer programs (computer engineering, computer science, and
information systems) in the U.S. that include significant material activities devoted to the
software engineering education.

▪ There over twenty undergraduate degree programs in software engineering in the U.S.

▪ The ACM and the IEEE-CS have developed curriculum guidance for software engineering
education [2, 3].

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 SE Education & Training - 1

▪ Skills Development and Professional Development:

▪ Because of the dynamic nature of computing methods and technology,

industry and government devote significant resources to the training of
software engineers. Web searches for industrial training in software
development demonstrates the magnitude of the skills development element.
• http://fci.nust.na/?q=courses

▪ The ACM and IEEE-CS promote and support professional development

through publications, conferences, workshop and tutorials [4].

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 SE Education & Training - 2

▪ Accreditation
▪ The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) has
established accreditation criteria for software engineering programs.

▪ The SE program specific criteria reads as follows:

1. The curriculum must provide both breadth and depth across the range of engineering
and computer science topics implied by the title and objectives of the program.

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 SE Education & Training - 2

▪ Accreditation
▪ The SE program specific criteria reads as follows:
2. The program must demonstrate that graduates have: the ability to analyze, design,
verify, validate, implement, apply, and maintain software systems; the ability to
appropriately apply discrete mathematics, probability and statistics, and relevant topics
in computer science and supporting disciplines to complex software systems; and the
ability to work in one or more significant application domains.

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 SE Education & Training - 2

▪ Accreditation
▪ The SE program specific criteria reads as follows:
3. The program shall demonstrate that those faculty teaching core software engineering
material have practical software engineering experience.

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 Ethics and Professional Conduct

▪ Why should we be interested ethics and professional

conduct?
▪ Here is one answer:
▪ Today the quality of software produced by software engineers is critical to
society.
1. The success of many, if not most, human accomplishments are dependent on high-
quality software (e.g. applications used in financial, legal, library, health, personnel, and
transportation systems)

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 Ethics and Professional Conduct

▪ Top software's used in finance:

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 Ethics and Professional Conduct

▪ Top software's used in legal matters:

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 Ethics and Professional Conduct

▪ Top software's used in medical health:

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 Ethics and Professional Conduct

▪ Top software's used in transportation:

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 Ethics and Professional Conduct

▪ Top software's used for entertainment:

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 Ethics and Professional Conduct

▪ Why should we be interested ethics and professional

conduct?
▪ Here is one answer:
▪ Today the quality of software produced by software engineers is critical to
society.
2. Lives depend on the safety and reliability of many software systems (e.g. control of
aircraft, medical devices, and nuclear power stations)

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 Ethics and Professional Conduct

▪ Why should we be interested ethics and professional

conduct?
▪ Here is one answer:
▪ In addition to technical capability, the quality of software products depend on
the ethics and professional conduct of the engineers that developer develop
them.

o Read some good thoughts about use of GOOD/BAD aspects of technology.

▪ https://www.healthline.com/health/negative-effects-of-technology#positive-effects

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Top software failures in recent
history:

• https://www.computerworld.com/article/3412197/top-software-
failures-in-recent-history.html#slide1

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Next Class Task
• Read the following research paper:
Digital Tools Against COVID-19: Taxonomy, Ethical Challenges, And
Navigation Aid
• Read the paper carefully and write a summery to answer following questions:
• Q1: How their proposed topology helps scientists and policy makers to navigate
technological and ethical uncertainty?
• Q2: which primary digital public health applications are discussed in this paper?
• Q3: which ethical concerns about each application have been discussed in paper?
• Q4: what are some limitations authors have concluded related to their proposed
solution?
• Q5: you will support or negate their idea? Discuss your point of view.

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 SE Code of Ethics and Professional Practice

▪ Many professions (engineering, law, medicine) provide a code of conduct that

defines and motivates professional and ethical behavior by its members.

▪ In 1999, an SE Code was developed by a ACM/IEEE-CS Task Force [4].

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 SE Code of Ethics and Professional Practice

▪ The code addresses eight areas of concern. The following is short

version of the SE Code:
1. PUBLIC - Software engineers shall act consistently with the public interest.

2. CLIENT AND EMPLOYER - Software engineers shall act in a manner that is in the best interests of their
client and employer consistent with the public interest.

3. PRODUCT - Software engineers shall ensure that their products and related modifications meet the highest
professional standards possible.

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 SE Code of Ethics and Professional Practice

▪ The code addresses eight areas of concern. The following is short

version of the SE Code:
4. JUDGMENT - Software engineers shall maintain integrity and independence in their professional judgment.

5. MANAGEMENT - Software engineering managers and leaders shall subscribe to and promote an ethical
approach to the management of software development and maintenance.

6. PROFESSION - Software engineers shall advance the integrity and reputation of the profession consistent
with the public interest.

7. COLLEAGUES - Software engineers shall be fair to and supportive of their colleagues.

8. SELF - Software engineers shall participate in lifelong learning regarding the practice of their profession and
shall promote an ethical approach to the practice of the profession.
❖ In Lecture no. 7, we will discuss these areas in details.

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 Conclusion

▪ Software engineering is “maturing” profession.

▪ In the coming years the software engineering profession will have to
deal with the issues of:
1. Providing appropriate initial and life-long professional education to its
members.
2. Providing a framework to ensure that its members act in a professional and
ethical manner.

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 References

1. Ford, Gary and Gibbs, Norman E., A Mature Profession of Software Engineering, CMU/SEI-96-TR-
004, Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA,
1996.(http://www.sei.cmu.edu/pub/documents/96.reports/pdf/tr004.96.pdf)

2. Association of Computing Machinery – home page (http://www.acm.org/)

3. Knight, J. , et. al., On Licensing Of Software Engineers Working On Safety-critical Software, Final
Report of an ACM Task Force, August, 2001
(http://www.acm.org/serving/se_policy/safety_critical.pdf)

4. ACM/IEEE-CS Joint Task Force on Software Engineering Ethics and Professional Practices,
Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice , Version 5.2,
(http://www.acm.org/serving/se/code.htm)

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