1 / 13

Professional Ethics as a Teaching Assistant

Uphold the highest ethical standards as a teaching assistant by respecting confidentiality, avoiding conflicts of interest, and fostering a positive academic environment. Follow guidelines on competence, respect, confidentiality, and conflict of interest to maintain integrity in your role. Understand the importance of ethics in academia and adhere to institutional standards for professionalism.

gaile
Download Presentation

Professional Ethics as a Teaching Assistant

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Professional Ethics as a Teaching Assistant https://news.utexas.edu/2017/07/08/ethics-is-not-aword-under-trump-administration Nancy Reichert, Ph.D. Professor of Biological Sciences

  2. Statement on Academic Responsibility “Thebasicfunctions ofauniversityarethe advancementanddisseminationofknowledge, thedevelopmentof critical thinking,andtheeducationof citizensandprofessional workerswithinthesocietyofwhichtheuniversityis apart.” (p. 15)

  3. Students are not alike. https://www.entrepreneur.com/slideshow/299488

  4. To provide all students with the same opportunity to succeed, we must set “standards” that include professional ethics – a code of conduct. http://business-ethics.com/2015/01/30/intuit-mistakes-angers-customers-and-highlights-question-why/

  5. Morals Merriam-Webster dictionary: “Relates to principles of right and wrong behavior. Conforms to a standard of right behavior. Sanctioned by or operative of one’s conscience or ethical judgement.” Personal compass of right and wrong. Ethics Merriam-Webster dictionary: “The discipline dealing with what is good and bad, with moral duty and obligation. A set of moral principles; a theory or system of moral values. The principles of conduct governing an individual or a group.” Sanctioned rules of conduct. Professional code of conduct.

  6. Remember that you represent MSU & your department. So, you’re expected to adhere to, and maintain, the standards of MSU. http://www.alumni.msstate.edu/s/811/alumni/interior.aspx?sid=811&gid=1&pgid=2351

  7. Professional Ethics “Graduateassistants areexpectedtosupportandmaintainanacademicenvironmentconducive tothepositive educationaldevelopmentofallstudentsandfacultymembers.Thisstandardofprofessionalconductrequireseachgraduateassistantto performhis/her responsibilitieswithoutintimidationand harassmentbased on sex, race, religion, politicsorprofessionalinterest.Specialcautionmustbeexercisedtoavoidexploitationofstudentsorcolleaguesfor privateorprofessionaladvantage,especiallythose whoaresubjecttoyourauthority. Professionalbehaviormustbemaintainedintherelationshipsamongstudents,peers,andfacultymembers.Sexual harassment,intimidation,orexploitationof professionalrelationships underminestheacademic freedomofall. Protectionoftheatmosphereoftrust,essentialtotheflourishingofanacademiccommunity,istheprofessional responsibilityofall University personnel.” (p. 8)

  8. Professional Ethics Includes both legal and institutional standards of conduct. Competence Respect Confidentiality Conflict of Interest Arbach, M. (2011) Ethicalissuesforteachingassistants. TA Tips Vol. 1, No. 5,CentreforUniversityTeaching,UniversityofOttawa, https://tlss.uottawa.ca/site/images/1-TLSS/TA/documents/TAv1n5_EN.pdf; Hill, G.W. IV and D.D. Zinsmeister(2012) Becoming an ethical teacher, pp. 125-133. In: Effective College and University Teaching: Strategies and Tactics for the New Professorate. Sage Publications, Los Angeles, CA

  9. Competence • Be prepared • Know the subject matter/content • Develop teaching practices that enhance student learning • Ask for guidance or training when needed • Practice professional communication • Display integrity • Be objective, fair & consistent • Be open to admit when you don’t know the answer to a question

  10. Respect • Students, fellow TAs, faculty, MSU, diversity… • Including professor’s approach to course • Maintain an environment conducive to learning • Objective and fair assessments • Consistent & prompt grading/responses • Avoid sharing personal views/biases • Deal with student incivility • Foster and monitor academic integrity • MSU Honor Code • Set & maintain professionally appropriate relationship with students

  11. Confidentiality • Privacy • Within classroom/lab and office – don’t share student scores & conversations • Outside classroom/lab – Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) • When you must breach privacy • Must report discrimination or harassment (Title IX), actions causing harm to self or others, illegal activities

  12. Conflict of Interest • Base your conduct, decisions and actions on professional ethics including MSU policies & procedures • Maintain professionally appropriate relationships • Set and maintain professional distance • Focus on academic requirements & learning outcomes • Exhibit impartiality to avoid any appearance of favoritism • If you aren’t sure if there is a COI, ask! • Never be afraid to ask for guidance

  13. Think of professional ethics as a form of critical thinking. It complicates, yetsimplifies our lives. ETHICS Calvin and Hobbes cartoon strip July 6, 1995; In: It’s a Magical World: A Calvin and Hobbes Collection, 1996

More Related