Algorithmic Decisions and Audit Portfolio
Grade 12 | Computer Science | Unit 03
Teacher's Guide
Learning objectives
- Explain False positive and False negative in the context of this lesson.
- Use the worked example to answer the three practice questions with supporting reasoning.
- Complete the activity, evaluate its result, and identify one limitation or possible improvement.
Prerequisites: The preceding grade sequence or equivalent introductory knowledge; begin with a short vocabulary review.
Suggested time: Three to five 45-minute sessions, including activity development and review. Language units need brief repeated spoken practice between sessions.
Teaching sequence
- Introduce: Present the title as a question or problem. Ask learners what they notice and record two initial ideas without treating them as established facts.
- Explain: Read the concept section and teach the two vocabulary items. Ask learners to paraphrase the distinction between them using a concrete example.
- Model: Work through the example. Identify given information, assumptions, and the reason for the result or interpretation. Use a teacher's spoken model for language pronunciation.
- Apply: Complete the activity individually or in pairs. Require a draft, a check against the task, and a brief revision. Discuss why different justified responses may be acceptable.
- Retrieve and evaluate: Answer practice and vocabulary questions independently; use the answer key for feedback. Finish with the reflection and an activity rubric.
Assessment and differentiation
The companion CSV contains five retrieval entries: two vocabulary questions and three practice questions. Award one point per accurate answer, accepting equivalent wording that preserves the meaning. Language answers may be oral or written according to the goal. Revisit missed concepts rather than using the score as the only measure of learning.
Assess the activity separately with four criteria, each scored 0-2: correct use of lesson concepts; clear evidence or reasoning; completion of the task requirements; and a useful revision or acknowledged limitation. A 0 indicates missing or unsupported work, 1 indicates partial achievement, and 2 indicates clear achievement. Accept multiple designs, interpretations, and decisions when their reasons meet the criteria.
Support learners with a word bank, annotated example, smaller first step, or partner rehearsal. Extend by changing one assumption or constraint and asking how the result would change. Use invented personal details in financial and social tasks. Optional school character discussion can connect honesty, respect, cooperation, and stewardship to the activity; assess the subject knowledge and reasoning separately.
Student Worksheet
Concept and helping material
An automated decision system should be evaluated for intended behavior, data quality, errors, affected groups, and opportunities for review. A classification result is not an objective truth merely because software produced it. Threshold choices can trade off kinds of error. A capstone audit uses a fictional system and documented evidence.
Vocabulary
- False positive: A positive classification for a case that is negative under the defined reference label.
- False negative: A negative classification for a case that is positive under the defined reference label.
Worked example
A fictional classifier labels a task urgent when its score is at least 7. Raising the threshold may reduce some false alarms while missing more genuinely urgent tasks; the actual effect depends on the labeled data.
Investigation or design task
Audit a fictional rule-based classifier using a labeled table. Report correct and incorrect cases, test two thresholds, analyze effects, and submit a revised design with residual limits.
Record your work: State the goal; show your drawing, dialogue, calculation, data, or argument; explain one choice; and describe one check or revision. Identify a limitation rather than claiming your work proves more than it does.
Practice
- Does automated output guarantee truth?
- What is a false alarm for the fictional urgency classifier?
- Why compare error types separately?
Vocabulary retrieval
- Define False positive.
- Define False negative.
Reflection
Choose one answer or activity decision. Explain the evidence, calculation, language pattern, or reasoning that supports it. Describe one change of context or assumption that could change your conclusion.
Answer Key
- No.
- Labeling a non-urgent reference case urgent.
- Their effects and acceptable tradeoffs may differ across the intended use.
Vocabulary answers are the definitions above and appear in the CSV. Activity and reflection responses vary; use the teacher rubric and require specific reasoning tied to the task. A different supported interpretation is acceptable where the question allows it.
Source Reference
Original teaching material. No directly matching, age-appropriate lesson reference was identified in the supplied G7-12 PDF collection. No external research is claimed.