Download Teaching Ethical Behavior

TEACHING ETHICAL BEHAVIOR
Mirah J. Dow, BSE, MLS, PhD
School of Library and Information Management, ESU
This presentation is online
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http://www.slideshare.net/mdow/teaching-ethicalbehavior-kasl-conference-oct-2009
Did You Know 4.0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ILQrUrEWe8
“Democracy”
A society where information is self-organizing,
self-correcting, never finished.
How can library media specialists teach
and students understand how to
√ conclude an inquiry-based research process
(AASL, 2007, Skills 3.1.1);
√ connect to community issues (AASL, Skills 3.1.5);
√ use information and technology ethically and
responsibly (AASL, 2007, Skills 3.1.6); and
√ respect the principles of intellectual freedom (AASL,
2007, Responsibilities 3.3.7)?
Central Concepts
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Understanding the concepts of
 morality
 ethics,
and
 the law
are central to understanding and using ethical behavior.
Morality
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Morality is the sense of conscience and right and
wrong that we derive from our upbringing.
Law
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United States copyright law governs the legally
enforceable rights of creative and artistic works.
United States copyright law is part of federal law,
and is authorized by the U. S. Constitution
(title 17, U. S. Code).
Ethics
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Ethics is a branch of philosophy.
Ethics is structured and deliberate.
Ethics is critical thinking about moral life.
According to Severson (1997), “While ethics cannot
replace morality or the law (p. 8), it can help guide
and inform our moral instincts; steer us away from
compromising positions; and improve our
vocabulary so that we might talk and listen better”
(p. 13).
Ethical Behavior

Ethical behavior can help people use new
technologies, information, and knowledge civilly
and productively in the service of democratic
values, such as
equal access to power and
universally recognized freedoms and liberties.
Rules and Principles
Rules and Principles are different.
 Rule - “An authoritative, prescribed direction for
conduct.” (Example: School begins promptly at 8:30
a.m. All students must be on time.”)
 Principle – “The collectivity of moral or ethical
standards or judgments”. (Example: Sometimes
principles are simply stated in one word such as
“liberty. Liberty means freedom of an individual from
outside coercion - - force, bullying, cruelty).
The American Heritage™ Dictionary of English Language
http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/;_ylt=AmklvrjP3f.KQ0ISFQR67.2ugMMF
Principles of Information Ethics
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Respect of Intellectual Property
Respect for Privacy
Fair Representation
Nonmaleficense
The Mediating Role of Ethics
Morality
Ethics
Law
Respect of Intellectual Property

Respect for intellectual property means that we must
ask and answer: To what extent does the creator or
publisher of information control the copying and use of
that information by others?
recipe (trade secret)
book
poem
software program
music painting
painting
graphic
motion picture
sound recording
plays
rubber-tip pencil
(patent)
Respect for Privacy

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Respect for privacy means that one’s personal identity
must be protected.
residence
employment records
health records
money
purchasing and spending habits
books and individual has checked out from the library
Fair Representation
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Fair representation means one must be able to trust
what the seller says the product is and that it will
function as advertised. If not, it is expected that the
manufacturer will make it right.
computers
databases
software
movies or music
Internet services
Nonmaleficence

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Nonmaleficence means doing no harm. We must
never do anything that might contribute to the
decline of another person’s life or affairs.
Applied to today’s students, nonmaleficence means
that it is never OK to use Internet-based social
utilities such as e-mail, Facebook, MySpace, or
YouTube in ways that can cause harm to others.
Steps in Principled Ethics

What are the structured and deliberate steps that
can be taught to students in practicing ethical
behavior?
Step One

1. Get the facts straight. Without sufficient and
accurate information, one cannot use good
judgment. Ask:
 What
is it?
 What was actually done?
 Who is involved?
 What is at stake?
 Who is likely to benefit or lose?
Step Two

2. Identify the moral dilemma (inspect the facts in
light of moral feelings). Recognize a dilemma.
Dilemmas are good-good conflicts. That is, there is
a choice between two equally acceptable (or good)
choices of action. A true moral dilemma requires
that one rejects, or turns away from, one moral
choice for the sake of another.
Step Three

Evaluate the moral dilemma using the principles of
information ethics to decide which side has the most
ethical support.
One should listen to the voice in the head (conscious) and
use moral values to evaluate the good-good choices.
What was learned about right and wrong form parents
or other adults?
Step Three (Continued)

What do the Principles of Information Ethics teach
about respect for intellectual property, privacy, fair
representation, and doing no harm?
Discuss. Make a tally sheet to give points to one
side or the other in the good-good dilemma.
Judgment should be based on which side has the
most principles supporting it.
Step Four

Test your solution. Will it stand up to public
scrutiny?
Students should ask if she/he would want this
decision and resulting actions to be broadcast by
the school’s principal or published in the
newspaper?
Would she/he be proud for her/his grandparents
or other valued adults to know the solution?
References
American Association of School Librarians (2007). Standards for the 21st Century Learner.
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/standards.cfm
(accessed October 10, 2009).
American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.
http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/;_ylt=AmklvrjP3f.KQ0ISFQR67.2ugMMF
(accessed October 10, 2009).
Dow, M. (2008, December). Teaching ethical behavior in the global world of information and the AASL
Standards. School Library Media Activities Monthly, 25(4), 49-52.
Copyright, U. S. Copyright office, Library of Congress. http://www.copyright.gov/
(accessed October 10, 2009).
Severson, Richard J. (1997). The principles of information ethics. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe.
Information Ethics Case Examples

http://slim.emporia.edu/faculty/mirah/projects.htm
#ethiccases
Here you will find examples of current, original ethics
cases by Master of Library Science Students.
Please feel free to use the cases in your own teaching.