1. Ethics in Teaching
According to a study from the American
Psychologist, which of the following did most
faculty polled find unethical?
Ignoring a student’s cheating
Teaching a class without being adequately
prepared that day
Privately tutoring students in your
department for pay
Teaching in classes so crowded that it
affects your effectiveness
(1991 by Tabachnick and colleagues)
2. Ethics in Teaching
Of 482 faculty surveyed in the study, all
of the previously mentioned situations
were considered definitely to somewhat
unethical.
3. Ethics in Teaching
At the end of this module, you will:
Know a working definition of ethics in
teaching
Understand guiding ethical questions used to
make decisions in teaching
Be able to identify ethical questions in tricky
situations
Know the three principles of ethical conduct
put forth by the American Association of
University Professors (AAUP).
4. A Definition of Ethics
Murray and colleagues defined ethics as
“general guidelines, ideals, or
expectations that need to be taken into
account, along with other relevant
conditions and circumstances, in the
design and analysis of teaching.”
(From New Directions in Teaching and Learning,1997, Vol. 66.)
5. Another Definition of Ethics
According to Marilla Svinicki at U.T.
Austin, being ethical in the classroom
means considering the responsibilities
we have to students and colleagues. In
other words, we can think about ethics
in terms of the responsibilities we have
and how we fulfill those obligations.
6. Example Situation
Consider this situation: You are a new
faculty member at UTD. Your program
head tells you that you WILL teach a
class in an area that is only tangential to
what you know.
Ethically, can you teach it?
What should you do?
7. Analyzing Ethical Dilemmas
In analyzing these dilemmas, we can
think about some ideas from Marilla’s
Svinicki’s workshop at UT on ethics:
Is the situation public or private?
How much can you separate the
relationship with a student or
colleague from your evaluation of
students?
8. Analyzing Ethical Dilemmas, cont’d
Do institutional standards condone the
action? Is it something other faculty
do and accept?
Is this an equitable situation for
students? For you?
9. Consider Teaching Class in an Area
You Don’t Know
It is a private matter that you don’t know
the content but it affects your public
persona if you pretend to teach what you
do not know.
Will you be able to evaluate students’
learning and knowledge of an area you
do not know yourself?
10. Consider Teaching Class in an Area
You Don’t Know, cont’d
Do other faculty at UTD teach in areas
they do not know well or at all? Is it an
accepted practice? Do the students
know about it?
Will the students gain the knowledge,
skills, and ways of thinking from the
course that they need to succeed in the
future?
11. Another Ethical Example
You have several international students
taking your class. A few of these
students bring you gifts near the end of
the semester because that is what they
do in their respective cultures. They do
not understand the American idea of
accepting such gifts as possibly
bribing the teacher. What would you do
or say?
12. Questions to Ask Before Accepting
Gifts
What would other students in the class think if
they found out that you were given and
accepted these gifts? Could you mention the
gifts to other students without feeling
uncomfortable?
How valuable are these gifts to the students?
To you? Are they valuable enough to change
your opinion of the students? Will a gift cause
you to evaluate a student differently than you
would have otherwise?
13. Questions to Ask Before Accepting
Gifts
Do other faculty accept gifts from
students? Do students at UTD recognize
this practice as typical?
Would other students believe that
giving you gifts could gain them favor?
14. AAUP Statement on Ethics
In 1987, the American Association of
University Professors (AAUP) published a
Statement on Professional Ethics. From
this statement, ethics in teaching are
based on the following principles:
15. AAUP Statement on Ethics, cont’d
1. “Developing and improving scholarly
competence.”
Is it ethical to get behind in your field?
Probably not.
Is it ethical to think about your teaching and try
to improve it?
Definitely yes.
16. AAUP Statement on Ethics, cont’d
2. “Encourage the free pursuit of
learning….demonstrate respect for
students as individuals and adhere to
their proper roles as intellectual guides
and counselors.”
There are many questions you can ask
yourself about this principle:
17. AAUP Statement on Ethics, cont’d
Do you give your students the opportunity
to question and disagree?
Do you put forth all views on a subject?
Do you create an open environment in
your classroom to allow students to ask
questions?
Do you have and keep your office hours to be
available to students outside of class?
Do you have set procedures for grading that
all students know and understand?
Do you follow your procedures for evaluating
students without exceptions for favorites?
18. AAUP Statement on Ethics, cont’d
3. “Avoid any exploitation, harassment,
or discriminatory treatment of
students…do not discriminate against or
harass colleagues.”
Do you give students appropriate credit for
work they’ve done on your research?
Do you cut short appointments with students
you don’t like?
Do you try to avoid students you do not
understand, who do not speak English well?
19. Being an Ethical Faculty Member
What is the most important way you can
be ethical as a faculty member?
Talk about ethics to your students. Tell
them that everyone will make mistakes
but that you are dedicated to upholding
the highest ethical ideals of our
profession. Have a conversation with
them about how they can be ethical
students and how you will be an ethical
faculty member.
20. Summary
You have learned:
One of many definitions of ethics in teaching.
That some guiding ethical questions used to
make decisions in teaching center around
how private or public the situation is as well
as how equitable students perceive you to be.
How to identify ethical questions in tricky
situations
Three principles of ethical conduct put forth
by the AAUP.
Click here to test what you’ve learned.
21. Which of the following is NOT an
ethical issue from Tabachnick’s
1991 study?
a) Ignoring a student’s cheating.
b) Teaching a class without being
adequately prepared that day.
c) Teaching class when you are
preoccupied by a personal issue.
d) Teaching in classes so crowded that it
affects your effectiveness.
Check your answer
22. Which of the following is NOT an
ethical issue from Tabachnick’s
1991 study?
a) Ignoring a student’s cheating.
b) Teaching a class without being
adequately prepared that day.
c) Teaching class when you are
preoccupied by a personal issue.
d) Teaching in classes so crowded that it
affects your effectiveness.
23. Which of the following is NOT one
of the AAUP’s ethical principles?
a) Developing and improving scholarly
competence
b) Encouraging the free pursuit of
learning
c) Demonstrating respect for students as
individuals
d) Developing nurturing relationships
with students
Check your answer
24. Which of the following is NOT one
of the AAUP’s ethical principles?
a) Developing and improving scholarly
competence
b) Encouraging the free pursuit of
learning
c) Demonstrating respect for students as
individuals
d) Developing nurturing relationships
with students
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