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Case studies are among the most popular and effective pedagogical techniques in ethics education. In this paper, we present a framework to develop and effectively use one type of case study: role-plays. We argue that role-plays are particularly effective for allowing students to think through complex problems and bridge multi-level issues, a core concern of ethics education. The fictional case implemented in the study presented here focuses on the use of algorithms for making lending decisions. The case narrative and its associated roles highlight and emphasize the interdependent and intertwined individual and societal perspectives. Thirty-six students consented to the research study in the course where the role-plays were implemented. Student responses related to their engagement with the role were analyzed. We found that participants moved between the multi-level perspectives in the case, identified ethical principles at each level, and connected case examples to real-world occurrences. Overall, using role-plays strongly encouraged students to appreciate the complexity of technology. This work is part of a larger project on using role-play case studies, and in our conclusions, we draw implications from our overall findings. 

The omnipresence of software systems across all aspects of society has necessitated that future technology professionals are aware of ethical concerns raised by the design and development of software and are trained to minimize harm by undertaking responsible engineering. This need has become even more urgent with artificial intelligence (AI) driven software deployment. In this paper we present a study of an interactive pedagogical intervention – role-play case studies – designed to teach undergraduate technology students about ethics with a focus on software systems. Drawing on the situated learning perspective from the Learning Sciences, we created case studies, associated stakeholder roles, discussion scripts, and pre and post discussion assignments to guide students’ learning. Open-ended data was collected from thirty-nine students and analyzed qualitatively. Findings from the study show that by taking on different perspectives on a problem, students were able to identify a range of ethical issues and understand the role of the software system process holistically, taking context, complexity, and trade-offs into account. In their discussion and reflections, students deliberated the role of software in society and the role of humans in automation. The curricula, including case studies, are publicly available for implementation.