Scaling Responsible Computing Globally: Lessons from the US, Kenya, and India
Crystal Lee, Chao Mbogho, Jibu Elias, Joycelyn Streator, Kathy Pham, Ziyaad Bhorat, Steven Azeka · 2024
There is a vibrant body of work on responsible computing pedagogy across the world. However, there are comparatively fewer programs in the Global South compared to their counterparts in the Global North. This lightning talk describes our current efforts to scale the Responsible Computing Challenge (RCC) globally. The project was initiated in 2018 across the U.S. with its first iteration transforming undergraduate curricula at 17 universities in the country. In 2022 RCC was implemented in Kenya across eight universities, with a call for proposals recently launched in India. Scaling the project aims to increase the impact of responsible computing pedagogy across the world with an emphasis on developing curricula for and within local contexts. Existing inequities that are embedded within and amplified by computing technologies point to a need for a new generation of technologists who can draw from an interdisciplinary toolkit to re-imagine computational innovations. Faculty and students are invited to attend the presentation to engage in lessons drawn from integrating sociotechnical perspectives in computing courses and consider collaborating in RCC towards global impact in prioritizing responsible software and systems. In this lightning talk, we will discuss the project's structure, impact examples from the pilot implementation, early lessons from expanding to Kenya and India, and ideas for collaboration in the global expansion.