INFORMATION ETHICS WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF INFORMATION AND KNOWLEDGE SOCIETIES

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Background and reasoning

As early as in 2008, Howard Owens suggested that in an age when access to information was as open as a billion galaxies, each individual was responsible for handling information ethically. He also referred to the availability of information and compared it to the flow of a million Mississippi rivers (Owens, 2008). In 2015 this view was emphatically reiterated by Tony Bates (2015) who pointed out that, in the digital age, we are surrounded (indeed, immersed!) in technology. The rate at which technological change is occurring shows no sign of slowing down, and it prompts massive changes in the current economy. It affects the way we communicate and relate to each other and, increasingly, the way we learn (Bates, 2015), even though our educational institutions were built largely for an industrial age rather than for a digital era. Fact is, information has never been as cheap, as fast and as vast as it is today. Each of these characteristics implies both huge opportunities and challenges regarding the ways in which humans could use and/or misuse information.

Central statement

The central research problem relates to the quest for developing a curriculum model to teach Information Ethics, particularly in a multi-cultural Southern Africa. The model will empower the citizenry in this region to be adequately aware, equipped and educated to address the ethical challenges posed by modern information and communication technologies.

Sub-questions

Based on the identified critical concepts, this study should by implication address the following four sub-questions: What is Information Ethics and how has this discipline developed on the African
continent at large and directly influenced Southern Africa?

Limitations and specific challenges of the study

Regarding the research question and research objectives, it is important to consider the time span between the theoretical elements of structured training development as a science, philosophy as the platform for information ethical studies, and the very young and vibrant learning environment of digital technology. In the course of the workshops, discussions, debates and inception of many of the ideas informing the structure of this study, an underlying tension was noticed between the time lines associated with the typical platforms of the core sciences (philosophy and curriculum design) and the digital era information science that forms the backbone of this study.

CHAPTER 1 – GENERAL INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background and reasoning
1.2 Central statement of the problem and sub-questions of this study
1.2.1 Central statement
1.2.2 Sub-questions
1.3 Research aim and objectives
1.4 Limitations and specific challenges of the study
1.5 Research methodology and design
1.5.1 Research methodology
1.5.2 Research design
1.5.3 Data collection
1.5.4 Data analysis
1.5.5 Theoretical framework – grounded action research
1.5.6 Trustworthiness
1.6 Current research and impacting policy statements
1.6.1 Academic contributions
1.6.2 Relevant statements on ethics and ICT policy frameworks in Southern Africa
1.7 Limitations of current research
1.8 The purpose, value and contribution of this study
1.9 Chapter division
1.9.1 Chapter 1
1.9.2 Chapter 2
1.9.3 Chapter 3
1.9.4 Chapter 4
1.9.5 Chapter 5
1.9.6 Chapter 6
1.9.7 Chapter 7
CHAPTER 2 – INFORMATION ETHICS WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF INFORMATION AND KNOWLEDGE SOCIETIES
2.1 Introduction and purpose
2.2 The Information Age
2.2.1 The First Wave / Agricultural Revolution
2.2.2 The Second Wave / Industrial Revolution
2.2.3 The Third Wave / Digital Revolution
2.3 Information Age Societies
2.3.1 Data, information and knowledge
2.3.2 The Information Society
2.3.3 The Knowledge Society
2.3.4 The Information and Knowledge Society
2.4 The ethics of information
2.4.1 Philosophical views that guide ethical thinking
2.4.2 Information ethical relevance of the mentioned philosophical views
2.5 Origin and development of Information Ethics
2.6 Information Ethics issues
2.6.1 Access and accessibility
2.6.2 Privacy, plagiarism, copyright and intellectual property
2.6.3 Safety and Security
2.6.4 Information poverty and information overload
2.6.5 e-Waste
2.6.6 Global and inter-cultural Information Ethics
2.6.7 Ethical codes
2.7 Defining Information Ethics
2.7.1 Information Ethics as a code of conduct
2.7.2 Information Ethics as a field of study
2.8 Conclusion
CHAPTER 3 – THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN DIGITAL LANDSCAPE: ADDRESSING CHALLENGES TOWARDS AN INFORMATION ETHICAL PERSPECTIVE
3.1 Background
3.2 Introduction
3.3 Context
3.3.1 An overview of global and African connectedness
3.3.2 Southern Africa, Africa and global connectivity: information-ethical challenges
and opportunities?
3.3.3 Role of governments towards a shared vision of digital connectedness in
Southern Africa as a sustainable Knowledge Society
3.4 Addressing ethical challenges in the developing digital world
3.5 Digitally connected communities in Southern Africa
CHAPTER 4 – CREATING A CULTURAL FRAMEWORK FOR HUMAN BEHAVIOUR,CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND CULTURAL CHANGE IN TEACHING INFORMATION ETHICS
4.1 Rationale of this chapter
4.2 Towards a hypothesis: background and guidelines
4.3 International recognition of cultural diversity in the digital environment
4.4 Cultural diversity and knowledge societies
4.5 How are these matters relevant to the African continent and Southern Africa in particular
4.6 Balanced interaction between current cultures and new behaviour in information societies
4.6.1 Cultural patterns in the digital world
4.6.2 Human needs for the construction of unity
4.6.3 Human needs for development
4.6.4 Human needs for social order and interaction
4.6.5 Holistic approach to culture in the digital environment
4.6.6 Managing transformation and change towards possible new behaviour in the digital environment
4.6.7 Cultural change by means of an intervention
4.6.8 Practical steps in facilitating cultural and behavioural change
4.7 Conclusion
CHAPTER FIVE: INFORMATION ETHICS AWARENESS, ADVOCACY AND TRAINING IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
5.1 Background
5.2 Introduction and purpose
5.3 The background of teaching Information Ethics in Africa
5.4 Laying the foundation of teaching Information Ethics in Southern Africa
5.4.1 The Africa Network for Information Ethics (ANIE)
5.4.2 IE Advocacy Strategy
5.4.3 IESA/ANIE Support Structures
5.5 Raising Information Ethics awareness in Africa
5.6 Information Ethics and research
5.7 Teaching Information Ethics as part of development in Africa
5.7.1 e-Governance training
5.7.2 Information Ethics and policy development
5.7.3 Information Ethics and community development
5.8 Information Ethics and cyber crime
5.9 Information Ethics and Social Media
5.10 Information Ethics and Knowledge Management
5.11 Information Ethics and Education
5.11.1 Information Ethics and Higher Education
5.11.2 Information Ethics at primary and secondary school education
5.12 Information Ethics Teaching and Learning Resources
5.12.1 Africa Reader on Information Ethics
5.12.2 Concepts in Information Ethics: An Introductory Workbook
5.12.3 Handbook on cross-cutting Information Ethics themes
5.13 Conclusions
CHAPTER 6: THE CURRICULUM MODEL FOR INFORMATION ETHICS TEACHING IN A MULTI-CULTURAL SOUTHERN AFRICA
6.1 Introduction and Purpose
6.2 Information Ethics Training Model Design Process
6.3. Design Platform for the Information Ethics Curriculum Model
6.3.1 Higher Education Information Ethics Curriculum Model deliberations
6.3.2 Benefits/advantages of a ‘naturalistic’ Information Ethics Curriculum Model
6.4 Conceptualising the Information Ethics Curriculum Model
6.5 Principles for the design of the Curriculum Model
6.6 Design of the Information Ethics University Curriculum Model
6.6.1 Post-graduate Information Ethics programmes
6.6.2 Under-graduate Information Ethics programme
6.7 Suggestions for the Design and Implementation of Institutional Information Ethics Curricula
6.7.1 Suggestions for the selection of Information Ethics curriculum content and methodologies
6.8 The Digital Wellness Toolkit
6.8.1 Platforms for the Digital Wellness Toolkit
6.8.2 Toolkit Deliberations
6.8.3 The Digital Wellness Toolkit Design Process
6.8.4 The Final Digital Wellness Toolkit
6.9 Proposed Model for Information Ethics Education and Training in Southern Africa
CHAPTER 7: ANSWERING THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND FINAL CONCLUSIONS ON THE CURRICULUM MODEL FOR INFORMATION ETHICS TEACHING IN A MULTI-CULTURAL SOUTHERN AFRICA
7.1 Introduction and Purpose
7.2 Observing the rationale for an Information Ethics University Curriculum Model
7.3 Conclusion – Contribution and significance revisited
7.4 Suggestions for further research
7.4.1 Informal digital teaching and learning
7.4.2 Future cities
7.4.3 Information society culture
7.4.4 The impact of the fourth industrial revolution on aspects of culture and human behaviour of digital citizens
7.4.5 Sign language as a tool to give access to information
7.4.6 Further consultation with African Philosophers
7.5 A personal final word

GET THE COMPLETE PROJECT
The Development of a Curriculum Model for the Teaching and Training of Information Ethics at different educational levels in a multi-cultural Southern Africa