Ethics training & other things
I received a Memo in my mailbox a week and a half ago from the ‘Director of Human Resources & Ethics Officer.” It was distributed on the 2nd of October, as indicated in the date field, but I didn’t get a chance to check my mailbox until a week and a half ago…It turns out that October 4th marks the first day of the Ethics Training required by the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act (this applies to state public universities or community colleges professor/instructors and, thankfully, is Internet-based).
A list of important notes was highlighted …which reminds me that I better complete the training or else I will not be able to teach at that community college again! anyway, these few caught my attention:
-You must not discuss, copy or disclose the review quiz question or answers with any other individulas (including other employees and members of the public), during or after your training.
-You may print only one copy of the course material, if necessary, for your own reference. This copy must not be used for any purpose other than as an educational reference for your own individual use. It must not be disclosed to anyone else.
Alright, the question is what if I find the material so fascinating that I want to share the overall general scope of it with friends?! would that be considered un-ethical?!
on another note, a Withdrawal Form was in my mailbox as well …One of my students had decided to drop the course half way through! in the ‘Please help us serve you better. Your comments on why you are withdrawing from this course would be appreciated’ field, she writes: “I test into composition 101, but I need a lower class to help with sentence and paragraph writing.’
(it should be I ‘tested’ and not ‘ I test’)
Anyway, this particular student has constantly reiterated to me about her inability to write, she lacked confidence in her abilities. And when you lack the confidence, you will not be able to step up and improve. My goal was to instill the confidence in herself and help her reach her goal of speaking & writing effectively. Yes, writing can be very intimidating, but it can be learned by almost any literate person…it takes practice and time…I always make it clear to my students that I am always available during nights or via email to assist them with anything they may need or have concerns about… so when I saw her withdrawal form, I was very disappointed for she did not give me the chance to help her nor did she give herself the chance to improve!
