Acquire the necessary skills to understand, address and mitigate ethical, social, and legal implications associated with digitalization and digital technologies in public administration
The rapid advances in advanced digital technologies such as AI, Internet of Things, Quantum Computing and Blockchain, have come with opportunities, but also ample challenges for society. Particularly when used in public administrations it is crucial that these challenges are understood, assessed and addressed appropriately. To aid that process, digital ethics are taking an ever more prominent role.
To help public administrators gain the appropriate knowledge and skills in the realm of digital ethics, a training program is being developed for the novel role of Digital Ethics Officer for Public Administration (DEO4PA).
The Digital Ethics Officer for European Administration (DEO4PA) Training Program is an Erasmus+ initiative co-funded by the European Union and executed under the leadership of the Ministry of Economic Affairs of Italy.
Mid-October 2024 – Mid March 2025
8 theoretical and 3 practical modules every 1 – 3 weeks
Scheduled and recorded live online lectures conducted by experts in the field
Asynchronous and synchronous learning and flipped classroom approach, mixing theory and practice
EU-recognized certification (5 ECTS, EQF level 5) *Not available for pilot
Build a professional network of qualified DEOs at the EU level
EXPERT ANALYSIS
Ability to advise in decision-making and assessment processes related to public administration digitalization through using ethical expertise and raising critical questions
OPERATIONALIZATION
Ability to understand technical, ethical, social, and legal requirements and theories to assess the use of digital technology in public administration throughout its lifecycle
ACCOUNTABILITY
Ability to foster an environment of open and critical communication about digitalization of public administration, and build organizational capacity around digital ethics
Module 1: Foundations of Digital Technology
Description
A DEO must possess a strong foundational knowledge of the digital technologies landscape and be able to refer to distinct technological processes and requirements when communicating observed ethical, social, and legal concerns. Likewise, technical knowledge is needed to comprehensively assess and judge a system’s (de-)merits. This module provides DEO candidates with an extensive digital vocabulary and a foundational understanding of the capabilities and limitations of digital technology. It prepares the ground for the next modules where we explore how these capabilities and limitations relate to ethical, legal, and societal impact.
Covered Content
Module 2: Foundations of Digital Ethics
Description
A DEO must possess a strong command of digital ethics to navigate this complex landscape and be able to provide necessary guidance. Findings from the needs and gaps analysis indicated an overall lack of understanding of the ethical issues related to digitalization, the role ethics plays when assessing a digital tool’s impact, and a corresponding desire for these issues to be better addressed by a qualified official. This module provides participants with a strong foundational understanding of relevant ethical theories and (EU) ethics frameworks, provides guidance on identifying and evaluating a case’s ethical merits, and offers tools for bridging the gap between theory and practice. The module incorporates core theoretical debates related to issues in digital ethics and illustrates how these issues manifest in a PA setting.
Covered Content
Module 3: Foundations of Digital Law
Description
Digital Technology does not operate in a lawless vacuum. Indeed, there is an extensive legal landscape regulating technology in accordance with fundamental human rights that comprise the foundation of the EU. A DEO must possess sound knowledge of this legal landscape to ensure compliance with existing regulations. The needs and gaps analysis indicated a lack of knowledge of the multitude of laws and unclarities as to the scope and applicability of the law. This module provides students with a strong foundational understanding of the EU digital law landscape, the boundaries set by relevant regulations, and how various frameworks intersect with each other. Particular attention is paid to regulations regarding the digitalization of public administration. Moreover, candidates are familiarized with notions of accountability and responsibility of PAs in relation to the law and the delicate power imbalances they must navigate as intermediates between governments and the citizenry.
Covered Content
Module 4: Human-Technology Interaction
Description
Integrating digital systems in public administration has far-reaching consequences for human deployers and users interacting with the new digital technology. Findings from the needs and gaps analysis suggest that PAs struggle to determine how much autonomy and discretion humans (should) have when using digital systems and how to value a system’s output. The issue becomes particularly pertinent when the use of a digital system results in adverse or harmful outcomes. In this module, DEO participants learn strategies to cultivate a healthy working culture that allows for human error while emphasizing the importance of human autonomy, discretion, and accountability in interactions with digital systems.
Covered Content
Module 5: Foundations of Digital Technology & Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law
Description
Participants will actively apply and lead an MCD session in this module. Through this hands-on approach, participants can embody various stakeholder roles, employing the knowledge acquired from core and facilitating Modules. By engaging in practical exercises, participants will observe the intricate interplay between diverse DEO4PA course elements and deepen their understanding of the subject matter. Furthermore, they will be encouraged to pose insightful inquiries, delving into both the content previously covered and the techniques intrinsic to moral case deliberation, fostering a comprehensive grasp of the material. The participants should be able to unilaterally lead an MCD and use it as one of the most vital tools in the DEO’s arsenal.
Covered Content
Module 6: Negotiation, Argumentation, and Interpersonal Communication
Description
A Digital Ethics Officer (DEO) must understand public administrators’ needs, communicate concerns to senior management, and develop institutional digital literacy. To fulfill these tasks, the DEO requires strong negotiation and argumentation skills to resist potentially unethical or illegal decisions from upper management. At the same time, the DEO must effectively communicate with lower-level staff in a respectful manner to maintain an open, communicative working environment. Therefore, essential interpersonal skills include active listening, verbal communication, empathy, respect, problem-solving, and constructive conflict resolution. This module will provide participants with practical strategies to enhance and refine these interpersonal skills, enabling effective navigation of diverse interactions. Covered
Content
Module 7: Negotiation, Argumentation, and Interpersonal Communication - implementation session
Practical session to introduce students to state-of-the-art negotiation and stakeholder engagement methodologies and provides guidance on implementing this knowledge practically.
Module 8: Moral Case Deliberation (MCD)
Description
The DEO will be tasked with cultivating an environment where ethics is integral for the working culture and decision-making processes. To effectively complete this task, the DEO will acquire proficiency in facilitating Moral Case Deliberation (MCD). MCD is a method that enables participants to jointly discuss ethical issues from their work in a structured manner and with the help of a moderator (the DEO). During a Moral Case Deliberation, based on a concrete example from daily practice, an answer is sought together to determine what constitutes good practice in that specific situation. This module provides DEO students with a theoretical foundation of MCD and explore practical case studies to help students apply their knowledge. Moreover, students will participate in an MCD, facilitated by the instructor, to get an idea of how the method works in practice.
Covered Content
Module 9: MCD - Implementation Session
Description
Participants will actively apply and lead an MCD session in this module. Through this hands-on approach, participants can embody various stakeholder roles, employing the knowledge acquired from core and facilitating Modules. By engaging in practical exercises, participants will observe the intricate interplay between diverse DEO4PA course elements and deepen their understanding of the subject matter. Furthermore, they will be encouraged to pose insightful inquiries, delving into both the content previously covered and the techniques intrinsic to moral case deliberation, fostering a comprehensive grasp of the material. The participants should be able to unilaterally lead an MCD and use it as one of the most vital tools in the DEO’s arsenal.
Covered Content
Module 10: 7-Steps Towards Trustworthy AI
Description
The 7-steps towards Trustworthy AI approach has been crafted by a team of seasoned experts encompassing legal, technical, and ethical disciplines. It is based on the “Seven-step guide to ethical decision-making” by Michael Davis ((1999) Ethics and the university, New York: Routledge, p. 166-167). Using this guide, the experts formulated a comprehensive technology deliberation and assessment methodology that merges the Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy AI and critical considerations such as potential harm, societal impact, reputational damage, and public acceptance, to aid in the final decision-making process. Within this module, participants will receive theoretical instruction elucidating the underpinnings of this approach. Building on the theoretical foundations provided during the previous modules, participants will be equipped with a practical tool to apply theoretical knowledge to real life situations.
Covered Content
CURATED READINGS
Critically curated readings and study materials relevant to the topic of each module to prepare you for self-assessment and the live online lecture.
SELF-ASSESSMENT
8 self-assessment tests to evaluate your understanding of the curated (mandatory) reading materials and prepare for online lectures.
ONLINE LECTURES
22 hours of live online teaching by experts in the field over 4 months (every 1 – 3 weeks). Lectures span 2 hours starting at from 11:00-13:00 CET.
PRACTICAL SESSIONS
3 online practical practical sessions of 2 hours each, guided by experts in the field to build practical skills and apply learnings to real life use cases.
Active role in public administration as a civil servant or manager at a European, national, or local level
Adequate proficiency in English as the pilot course and materials are offered in English only
Participants must have a bachelor’s degree or a minimum of 5 years of relevant working experience in public administration
ALLAI, as a project partner, has played a pivotal role in shaping the Digital Ethics Officer Training Program, with a particular emphasis on a continuous consideration of the legal, ethical, and social implications of digital technology.
Our expertise is prominently featured in analysing the needs of public administrators in this context and designing the content of the training.
Participants will also have the chance to learn directly from the team’s expertise during the pilot training. For instance, Catelijne Muller, the founder of ALLAI & member of the High-Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence of the European Commission, Imane Hmiddou, responsible AI expert at ALLAI, and Jan Kleijssen, advisor at ALLAI and former Director at the Council of Europe will share their expertise in several key modules.
The Digital Ethics Officer for European Administration (DEO4PA) Training Programme is an Erasmus+ initiative co-funded by the European Union to help public administrators become Digital Ethics Officers (DEOs).
The Ministry of Finance of Italy (MEF) is the coordinator of the DEO4PA Consortium formed by first-class players in their fields in France (EDHEC Augmented Law Institute), the Netherlands (ALLAI, EIPA), Greece (DIMITRA) and Italy (Uninettuno).
