Green IS in Teaching – Specialist or Generalist?

C. PattinsonLeeds Metropolitan University

N.A. GordonUniversity of Hull

Defining Green IS

• Information Systems that are environmentally sensitive– minimise the direct impact of IT and

computing through technology choices– and use Information Systems in a way that

can alleviate damage to the environment from other industries and activities

Reasons for inclusion

• Student motivation / demand and careers• Ref: jobs of the future• Ref: UN charters – under Sustainable

Development

• “the right thing to do” • Aim:

environmental awareness as part of all IS / IT project assessmentsLike market research, costing, feasibility …

IS / CS and Sustainable Development

• IS / CS has links and applications in many areas of Sustainable Development (SD)

• Particularly to – Consumption of

• resources (Green IT) • and finance (SD)

– Energy use (Green IT)– Community (SD)

Curriculum design in I/CS – A UK perspective

Curriculum content in I/CS is generally driven by a number of factors:• Personal and departmental notions of the discipline, along with

student input views;• Content of direct interest and relevance to the deliverer – often

material that relates directly to research interests and projects within a department;

• Related to the first point, the discipline benchmarks of the QAA*;• Directly related to the previous point, the requirements of curriculum

to meet the needs of subject review;• Content specified and required by the professional bodies,

especially for accredited courses. The British Computer Society are the main relevant body in the U.K.;

• What employers want;• What students want (i.e. what recruits).

*The Quality Assurance Agency for HE in the UK

Focus

1. IS as problem• Inefficient use of technology

2. IS as enabler• Use of IS to support other changes

• Building controllers, travel planners• Home working, electronic data exchange

Motivation• Enthusiast• Sceptic

Location

• Introductory (induction session)– Set the overall scenario for the course

• the “sustainability” module– In depth (specialist) treatment– Risk of isolation / lack of connection

• Part of other modules– Availability of examples– Risk of “uninterested” delivery

Depth vs. breadth?

• All should have awareness / understanding of process

• Some need to specialise

• Example: server virtualisation– IS designers need to know about its potential– IS implementers need to know how it works– CS developers need to build systems which use it– IT builders need to be able to make it happen

Professional development and practice

• The environmental impact of computing is becoming of increasing concern

• Within the U.K., government bodies are recognising this and DEFRA* has taken the lead in implementing a green I.T. strategy

• professional bodies such as the British Computer Society (BCS) are also recognising this.

• In terms of industry, employers are beginning to consider the awareness of sustainable development of potential employees

*Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs

Ethics and social responsibility

• Good examples of the environmental impact can be found– the huge costs of continuous upgrading of hardware.– Software costs –

• the potential need to upgrade or replace machinery in order to run the latest version of operating systems or applications,

• actual running costs of the software (processor intensive programs increase power usage)

• Potential to link discussion on open source versus commercial licensed software

– The financial and social costs to individuals, institutions and nations of these examples provides an opening for teachers to explore numerous topics, and to develop awareness

Examples of opportunities for Green IT in the IS curriculum

• Hardware: – longevity of systems– cost benefit analysis of upgrading over replacements– including environmental costs– financial costs– details of the energy requirements for the different approaches– Efficient system design/power saving features etc.

• Software: – Particular programs to solve SD related problems– inclusion of SD related requirements in software specifications for

programming exercises• Formal Methods:

– Shortest path through a network (graph theory) and supply chain management

– Other issues that cross different aspects of ICS, such as large scale modelling, e.g. the global Earth simulator or the U.K. Met office environment modeller

Examples

• Green IS assessment– u/g IS student project

• Study of green IS initiatives– p/g IS students

• Use of technology– Hardware and software sustainability

• u/g and p/g CS work

Assessment• With the need to demonstrate that Learning Outcomes are achieved, and

that material that has been taught has been digested, assessment is a key part of curriculum change

• Projects, dissertations and reports offer effective ways of teaching and assessment

• This does not guarantee that students are convinced of the need and the arguments for sustainability, but should at least ensure they are aware of the issues.

A grading and taxonomy?

• What would be helpful to colleagues in terms of selecting material on Green IS

• A suitable grading and taxonomy may consider– Level (postgraduate, undergraduate etc)– Type (information, case study, research, practical

activity)– Place (embedded or stand alone)– Motivation (practical, professional, legal, ethical,

social etc.)

Conclusions

• We believe that sustainability (or green-ness) can be a significant element of the curriculum

• Offers a variety of topics, levels and approaches• Should be addressed at levels appropriate to the

students’ requirements• Some way to go before it becomes a part of

“what we do”

References and Resources

• 2008: Improving Student Awareness of SD and Related Employability Issues through Embedded Course Content (Gordon, Hull)

• Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Case studies by the Higher Education Academy Information and Computer Sciences Subject Centre

• SustainablIT: Green and Sustainable Computing - education and practice. Resources from the workshop.

• BCS Green IT Specialist Group