Integrating Responsible Computing into a Final-Year Computer Science Capstone Project through Industry and Interdisciplinary Co-Teaching: Lecturer Reflections from Kenya

Computing education increasingly recognises the need for computer science graduates to address the societal, legal, and ethical implications of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and blockchain. Professional bodies, including ACM and IEEE, advocate responsible computing approaches that integrate ethical reasoning throughout the practice and application of computing. However, effectively embedding responsible computing within technical computing courses remains a persistent challenge. This study examines and documents the experiences and reflections of computer science faculty in redesigning the computer science capstone project course to integrate responsible computing and implement it through an interdisciplinary co-teaching approach involving industry professionals and experts from the faculties of law and psychology. Faculty reflections revealed that this collaborative approach exposed students to authentic ethical dilemmas and supported the development of socially responsive design practices. In this study, an interdisciplinary co-teaching framework, in addition to two capstone project evaluation tools a progress evaluation instrument and a structured assessment rubric was developed to guide implementation and ensure alignment between teaching, learning, and assessment. These were used to implement the syllabus for the capstone project course, which was redesigned to integrate responsible computing. Analysis of student projects showed that 96% demonstrated adherence to responsible computing principles and practices. On average, the projects scored a responsible computing integration score of 52.9% that points to moderate but meaningful mastery of ethical and responsible computing considerations in technical design. The finding demonstrates that structured interdisciplinary co-teaching and explicit curricular integration can enhance students’ capacity to apply responsible computing principles and practices in a computer science project. While the approach strengthened project quality, industry collaboration, and student preparedness, faculty also reported challenges, including balancing technical depth with responsible computing content and coordinating interdisciplinary roles.