While it is clear that a separate course on the social implications of technology is necessary, it is not sufficient. Ethical content is necessary in areas such as database and systems analysis courses. The obvious connenction between work in database and privacy concerns does not need to be expanded here. There are now calls for the inclusion of ethical considerations in the area of systems analysis[6]. The single dedicated course will mean that the student must have at least some understanding of the social implications of technology, otherwise the student will not pass the course.
However, the mere passing of a single course will not guarantee that the students will integrate what they have learned into future work. As a result it is also, as McLean [4] argues, necessary to "infiltrate the curriculum" with an approach to design that considers both professional and social issues, as well as the obvious technical issues. If the goal of teaching the social implications of technology is to ensure that better designs result, then all design work, from as early as possible in the student's career, must involve the consideration of the social implications of the project. The grading of the project should include some percentage for analyzing the implications of the design, and perhaps even for taking the initiative to improve on the design.
For the students to be successful in considering ethical issues in their system design they must have the tools to examine the social and professional issues at a point early in their education. For that reason, I would argue that the technology and society course should be done, at the latest, the first term of second year.