Professional Ethics

Professionals are often unaware of or have a hazy understanding of the code or laws that regulate professional conduct in their field. To resolve this problem, several professional associations have established ethical standards that their members are expected to follow. “The code of ethics provides direction for daily practice and a basis  for understanding and interpreting the ethical implications of  a variety of issues which may confront today’s practitioner”  (Seels & Richey, 1994, p. 107).

The same applies for professionals in instructional design and technology. As instructional design and technology professionals, we must strike a balance between our understanding of emerging and innovative technologies and the criteria that constrain the integrity of their design and implementation. In a fast-paced technological world, it can be easy for professionals to lose sight of the moral, legal, and social implications that surround their professional practices.

The Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) Code of Ethics serves to promote ethical practice in the in instructional design and technology profession. The AECT Code of Ethics contains a set of ethical principles “intended to aid members individually and collectively in maintaining a high level of professional conduct” (Association for Educational Communications and Technology, 2008). Comprised of three sections—Commitment to the Individual, Commitment to Society, and Commitment to the Profession—the AECT Code of Ethics can prove a valuable resource for professionals when making ethical decisions.

Smaldino et al. (2018) highlight that “Providing guidelines for ethical competence is a means for helping the IT professional incorporate the code of ethics into daily practice” (p. 307). Considering the AECT Code of Ethics as a provision of guidelines for ethical competence, how do you currently, or might you in the future, integrate these guidelines into your daily practice?

References

Association for Educational Communications and Technology. (2008). Educational technology: A definition with commentary. Edited by A. Januszewski & M. Molenda. New York: Laurence Erlbaum Associates.

Seels, B., & Richey, R. (1994). Instructional technology: The definition and domains of the field. Washington, DC: Association for Educational Communications and Technology.

Smaldino, S. E., Donaldson, J. A., & Herring, M. (2018). Professional ethics: Rules applied to practice. In R. A. Reiser & J. V. Dempsey (Eds.), Trends and issues in instructional design and technology (4th Ed.), (pp. 303-308). New York, NY: Pearson Education.