This site was created by seven
graduate students in the Curriculum,
Technology, and Education Reform (CTER) Masters of Education degree
program at the University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign.
This project was completed as a part of the EPS
304 - Ethical & Policy Issues in Information Technologies course,
instructor Nick Burbules,
during the 2001 summer session.
"The purpose of this ethics statement is
to provide clearly stated values and guidelines through which technologies
are responsibly admitted, acquired and used within an educational setting
or institution." 1
"Teachers have a responsibility to educate
students in the knowledge,
skills, values and beliefs that our democratic society supports." 2
Integrating computers and related technology
have added new educational tasks and challenges that educators are expected
to accept. We live in a changing society rich in diversity.
However there is sufficient common ground on values to formulate a code
of ethics which promotes the ideals of teaching with computers and sets
high standards of professional practice. Within society there is,
for example, a broad acceptance of the values of honesty, integrity, equality,
justice, caring, commitment, the pursuit of truth and the respect of self
and others. The teaching profession itself expects high standards
of ethical behavior from its members. A code
of ethics for computer use in education documents a formal framework of
ideals which can guide and encourage all teachers to strive to achieve
these high standards of ethical behavior and service provision in the ever-changing
domain of computers and their use. 3
The aim of such a code is intended to support
teachers and to demonstrate their professional status while clarifying
to current and future educators, and to those served by this profession,
the nature of the ethical responsibilities held in common by educators
using computers. 4 Due to the importance of education
and the responsibilities of teachers in the education and development of
students, teachers are accountable to students and families, colleagues,
the profession, the teachers' employers and the community.
Consequently, teachers need to be aware of their ethical responsibilities
and vulnerabilities in their interactions and relationships with each of
these groups. Because of their roles in the development of children,
educators have significant opportunities to do good or cause harm, to enable
others to do good or cause harm, or to influence others to do good or cause
harm. To ensure, as much as possible that their efforts will be used
for good, educators must commit themselves to making teaching a beneficial
and respected profession. In accordance with that commitment, educators
using computers shall adhere to the following Code of Ethics. 5
References:
1 Ethics of Technology in
Education
http://rgfn.epcc.edu/programs/trainer/ethics.html
2 Code of Ethics for Queensland Teachers
http://www.btr.qld.edu.au/reg_eth.htm
3 Code of Ethics for Queensland Teachers
http://www.btr.qld.edu.au/reg_eth.htm
4 The American Counseling Association
Code of Ethics
http://www.counseling.org/resources/codeofethics.htm
5 Software Engineering Code of Ethics
http://www.computer.org/tab/seprof/code.htm
Contents and Guidelines
1. Computer
Use
2. Copyright
and Fair Use
3. Internet/Intranet/e-mail
4. Privacy
5. Professional
Development
6. Social
Consequences
Computer Use
1.1 Educators shall respect
the intellectual property rights of others.
1.2 Educators shall use resources
only for the purpose for which they were assigned.
1.3 Educators shall treat resources
assigned to them as property of the school.
1.4 Educators shall understand that
electronic communications such as e-mail are not private property.
1.5 Educators shall respect the computing
needs of others.
Rationale
Copyright & Fair
Use
2.1 Educators
need to understand that copyright, as a form of intellectual property law,
protects original works of authorship including literary, dramatic, musical
and artistic works such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software
and architecture.
2.2 Educators need to understand that copyright
does not protect facts, ideas, systems or methods of operation, although
it may protect the way these things are expressed.
2.3 Educators need to understand the minimum
standards of educational fair use that have been addressed under Section
106 of H.R. 2223.
2.4 Educators need to
familiarize themselves with the U.S. Copyright Law of 1976.
Rationale
Internet/Intranet/e-mail
When using the Internet or an
intranet and performing professional duties as an educator, educators:
3.1 shall promote and encourage the
appropriate use of the Internet.
3.2 shall use the Internet(WWW, Email,
FTP, Telnet)/intranet for educational purposes.
3.3 shall not use the Internet/Intranet
for financial or commercial gain, illegal activity, discrimination or for
viewing, posting or transferring libelous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic
or otherwise illegal material.
3.4 shall refrain from acts that
waste resources or prevent others from using them.
3.5 shall provide students with instructions
on how to stay, to some extent, safe online.
3.6 shall regularly
check links on any website the educator creates or maintains to ensure
the links don't conflict with code 3.3.
Rationale
Privacy
4.1 Educators shall only
access information about students, their families
and fellow staff members for which they have a need to know and for which
they are duly authorized to access. They shall protect the confidentiality
and restrict access to this confidential information.
4.2 Educators shall respect the laws
and regulations pertaining to the privacy of students, staff, parents and
all individuals. They shall ensure their school abides by them.
If a privacy rule or regulation is not in the best interest of education
and students, then the educator has a responsibility to bring this to the
attention of those establishing policies. Educators, having a guardian
status on behalf of their students, shall share with students their rights
and the avenues available to them to protect these rights.
4.3 Educators shall protect the safety
and security of all students by limiting access to confidential information.
This may involve the use of technology itself to shield the identity of
students from those without need for this information. Certainly
this involves practicing and teaching safe telecommunication practices
to students.
