Name of School School of Health, Science & Technology
Course Title FDSc Computing
Module No & Title ST30076 Professional Issues
Tutor Dr Dawn Wood
Assignment Number ST30076-1
Assignment Title Humans Need Not Apply
Weighting 50% Due Dates 30/11/2015
Word Count or Equivalent 2000 + Debate
Learning Outcomes assessed in this assignment
1. Question the legal context within which a technical professional must work.
2. Determine the correct professional conduct in the workplace, covering ethical practice.
3. Argue the moral and ethical implications of technology.
Numbers relate to the set of learning outcomes for this module.
Task(s)
This assignment will be assessed in two parts. The first part will consist of the research, analysis and discussion of a given topic presented as a 2000 word report. The second part will be a timed exercise to prepare and debate a topic relating to the subject in part 1. The statement/question to be debated in part 2 will be given on the day of the debate and groups will be assigned a for or against position.
Part 1 - Academic Essay
In class we examined articles from the BBC reporting on various aspects of the application of Intelligent Machines in the public domain. These consider questions such as:
• Do we really need to fear AI?
• Can we live in harmony with robots?
• Which jobs will robots steal first?
• The robots that work alongside humans
An example can be found at the following URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-33978561
You were also asked to watch a mini documentary named 'Humans Need Not Apply' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Pq-S557XQU
Given these frames of reference research, analyse and discuss the following:
• The potential issues and benefits surrounding the introduction of Intelligent Machines.
• The impact Intelligent Machines may have on the following:
o Moral and Ethical considerations
o Legal implications
o Existing and future generations, from relevant contexts such as education, social standing and employability.
This essay should be discursive in nature and written in the third person. It should have a clear introduction and conclusion or ‘wrapping up’. A reference list of cited sources and a separate bibliography of sources reviewed should be provided. A wide range of different source types should be consulted and references, such as movies, news article, novels, popular science texts, blogs etc., enabling speculative and hypothetical scenarios and examples. However there should also be a number of relevant academic texts (journal articles, conference papers or text books) used to ground the discussion in what is feasible and current. Diagrams, tables and images may be used providing they are relevant and are discussed within the main body of the text. There should be no requirement for appendices in this work.
Part 2 - The debate
This will be a group debate. Students will be assigned randomly to one of two groups. Each group will have two hours to prepare their argument with access to Internet resources, and any books or articles brought in preparation. Each group will then select three speakers to represent their case; remaining group members will act as the audience for the duration of the session. The module tutor will act as chair for the session. Panel members may refer to digital articles throughout the debate and any notes taken during the research period.
Debate Format:
Stage 1
• 6 minute Position Presentation - For
• 6 minute Position Presentation - Against
• 5 minute Work Period
Stage 2
• 4 minute Rebuttal – For
• 4 minute Rebuttal - Against
• 3 minute Work Period
Stage 3
• 2 minute Response - For
• 2 minute Response - Against
• 1 minute Work Period
Stage 4
• 2 minute Position Summary - For
• 2 minute Position Summary - Against
• 5 minute Tallying of Ballots/Announcement of Winner
Total 42 minutes
Submission Requirements
Your report is targeted at a word count of 2000 words. You must keep to this target and you must include the actual word count at the end of your submission. Submissions that are more than 10% above or below the target will be rejected unmarked.
Your work must be submitted to UCBC via Turnitin on Moodle by the due date. Your work must be word-processed. All references should be formatted using the Harvard style of referencing following the UCBC referencing guide.
You must keep a copy of your work in case of loss or damage to the original. Work submitted late will only be accepted if permission has been granted in advance by your course leader and is accompanied by a completed assignment extension form.
Your work should be submitted at the latest via Moodle time on the given date:
Report: Friday 27th November by 9:15am
Debate: Friday 27th November
It is your responsibility to ensure that Moodle and the module tutor have received your submission. You are advised to keep copies of email receipts received and make no edits to your documents until you have confirmation your submission is successful. If you have any doubt as to whether your work has been submitted you should present your work to the module tutor by 9am on the next working day. DO NOT email your work to your tutor unless specifically asked to do so.
Marking Criteria
LO Assessed Element Report Debate
1 Effective discussion of the legal aspects within the context of the given subject. 15
3 Effective discussion of the moral and ethical aspects within the context of the given subject 20
1, 2, 3 Effective discussion of the impact of the subject on current and future generations from relevant contexts, using relevant examples, which may be speculative or hypothetical in nature. 30
1, 2, 3 Present and critically review a range of different sources for the given subject. 15
1,3 Articulation and effective questioning of the given scenario from either a “for” or “against” position. 20
Total 80 20
See supplementary sheet for detailed marking criteria descriptions at each grade band.
Late Submissions
Students who do not submit their coursework by the published deadline, without an agreed extension, will have up to three days to make their submission. Where late submission deadline falls on a Saturday or Sunday students should submit their work no later than 9am on the following Monday. Submissions received during this three day period will result in a reduced grade as shown in the table below. After this period no submissions will be accepted and will be recorded as non-submission.
Quality of Work Grade Awarded Quality of Work Grade Awarded
A+ B+ D+ F1
A B D
A- B- D-
B+ C+ F1 F2
B C F2 F3
B- C- F3 F4
C+ D+ F4
C D
C- D-
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