SYLLABUS

ETHICS FOR EDUCATORS

ONLINE

St. Petersburg College

Dr. JoAnne Hopkins
Session 1 – 2015 (fall)

Welcome to Ethics for Educators! This is an exciting class that I love to teach! I hope you find it interesting and inspiring. I look forward to getting to know you and reading your discussions on the many interesting topics we will cover. Be sure to watch the due dates to avoid any unnecessary stress. The goal is to learn and develop critical thinking skills to use throughout your career – and your life! I wish you all the best! Any questions – just ask.

Your online Classroom - MyCourses

There is a MyCourses Tutorial in the class with clear instructions on how to use all sections of the course. Also, you will see a HELP link at the top of your page for help with any technical issues.

PROFESSORDr.JoAnne V. Hopkins

I will be available to answer questions and help you learn in my office and online through MyCourses email. Please ask for help when needed.

CONTACT INFORMATION:1st contact MyCourses email is best and should always be used

2nd contact - SPC email -

OfficeTelephone – 727-791–2712;

OFFICE LOCATION HOURS: Clearwater Campus – ES 213G

TBA

ONLINE OFFICE HOURS:Online – MyCourses email is the best and will get the quickest response.

I check MyCourses often and will also be online at the designated times below:

Monday – 7:00 p.m. – 8:15 p.m.

Tuesday – 7:00 p.m. – 8:15 p.m.

Wednesday – 7:00 p.m. – 8:15 p.m.

Thursday – 7:00 p.m. – 8:15 p.m.

INSTRUCTOR WEB PAGE:

  • Full-time Ethics instructor at SPC since 1998
  • Part time Paralegal department instructor since 2013
  • 1996 - 1998 - adjunct Ethics instructor at SPC
  • Attorney and active member of the Florida Bar Association since 1990
  • Graduate of Stetson College of Law - Florida - JD
  • Graduate of the University of South Florida - Criminology - Florida
  • Graduate of Hudson Valley Community College - Criminal Justice - New York

AVAILABILITY OF COURSE CONTENT:

This class will meetonline in MyCourses. Since we will meet online it is suggested that you check online several times a week – MyCourses is our online "classroom".

You have approximately 8 weeks to complete this class, even though this is a partiallyself-paced class, completing one unit per week will help you do well.

The mandatory work for most units will include:

1.One assignment post

2.One reply post (at least one)

3.One drop box assignment

4.One quiz

There is an additional Critical Thinking Paper and a Final Exam.

MANDATORY

You must complete the class by the final exam due dateto pass the class.

You must post assignments during the first two weeks of your class or you will be dropped from the class without refund.

Students who do not fully participate (earn a grade of 50% or above by the 60% mark) will be dropped from the course pursuant to SPC’s attendance policy. So don’t fall behind. SPC checks this at the 60% mark – SPC RULE

You must turn in your Critical Thinking Application Paper by the due date (under the LESSONS TAB - listed by unit 6).

·

It is still best to keep up with the class schedule – one unit per week.The students who drop out of the course or fail are almost always the students who get behind early in the semester and then can't catch up.

IF ON PROBATION – THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION REQUIRES a B or BETTER TO PASS THE CLASS.

SPC requires students must make a "C" or better to pass. IF YOU RECEIVE A C YOU CANNOT RETAKE THE CLASS.

REQUIRED INTERACTION:

You will have discussion posts and reply posts to complete for each unit.Consider the discussion boards your classroom; as in a face to face class, being in the classroom is vital to learning. Online, being on the discussion board is vital to learning. You will learn from posting and reading others’ posts. Also, you can be dropped for non-participation if you do not post. Posting is participating online. Participation will also show the dedicated students.

You must post one assignment post and at least one reply post to receive credit.

You will lose points for each discussion post if you do not reply to at least one other student’s post.

You will not receive any points if you do not post an assignment post (even if you post reply posts).

INSTRUCTOR’S EXPECTATIONS OF STUDENT:

  1. I expect you to abide by this syllabus, provide positive participation, submit your best work, learn and have fun.Positive participation adds to the class in a respectful manner and does not detract from the class.
  2. I expect you to come to me if you need help. I am here to help you. I will be available to answer questions and to help you learn in my office and online. Please ask for help if needed.
  3. I expect you to come to me if you cannot keep up or if you need to withdraw from the class. I will do what I can to help you succeed.

STUDENT EXPECTATIONS OF INSTRUCTOR

  1. You can expect me to abide by the syllabus and provide you with any changes. You can expect positive feedback and respect.
  2. You can expect your emails answered within 24 – 48 hours (maybe sooner) if you use D2L email. If you use my SPC email it may go to spam. Note, emails Friday night or on the weekend are not answered as quickly.
  3. You can expect most grading to be completed within one week or sooner. You will see your grade but I normally do not post the grades to the gradebook until the Monday or Tuesday after the due date.
  4. You can expect help. Please ask whenever you need help or have questions, that is why I am here.

OTHER CRITICAL COURSE EXPECTATIONS:

Computer Skills - This is an online course so you must have access to a computer with internet access.

You will be submitting a paper through an attachment which must be in .doc, .docx .pdf or .rtf format. Microsoft Word is best.

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK AND OTHER RESOURCE INFORMATION:

ETHICS APPLIED 7.0 EDITION WILL BE NEEDED

Important: This class requires the following textbook:

Manias, Nicholas, Monroe, Dave & Till, Jane (2013), Ethics Applied, Edition 7.0, Boston MA: Pearson.

Previous editions of Ethics Applied cannot be used for the course.

ISBN: 1256825352

It is the student’s responsibility to order the book in a timely manner so that you have it for the first day of class.

DISCIPLINE SPECIFIC INFORMATION:

Attendance (complete work on time) - mandatory during the first two or you will be dropped – SPC RULE .

When the class has ended, you can no longer receive credit for the assignments that were due.

Failure to post during the first two weeks will result in being dropped for non-participation.

Discussion boards - all students must be respectful and stay on topic. Personal conversations, and off topic conversations should be conducted through personal e-mail. If conversations go too far off topic or are disrespectful they will be deleted. Students who continue to go be disrespectful will be dropped from the class.

Cheating is not tolerated. You will receive an F in the class and be reported to the Dean. This is ethics – no cheating!

Students who do not fully participate (earn a grade of 60% or above by the 60% mark) will be dropped from the course pursuant to SPC’s attendance policy. So don’t fall behind. SPC checks this at the 60% mark – SPC RULE.

ATTENDANCE:

For this class attendance (active participation) is defined as:

You must attend during the first two weeks of when your class begins or you will be dropped.

Adequately completing the quizzes, assignments, posts and reply posts for each unit will count as your attendance online.

Adequately completing the assigned application paper in will count as your attendance online.

The college-wide attendance policy is included in the Syllabus Addendum - .

GRADING:

Your final grade in this class will be based on the points you earn on assignments. Grades are based on a 500 point scale. The final grades will be determined as follows:

1. Application Paper 200 points

2. Posts 70 points

3. Quizzes 60 points

4. Drop Box Assignments70 points

5. Final Exam 100points

Once class ends no work will be accepted.

A 500 point scale will be used in this course.
The grading scale is as follows:

A - 450 - 500+ points (90-100 %)
B - 400 - 449 points(80-89 %)
C - 350 - 399 points(70-79 %)
D - 300 - 349 points(60-69%)

IF ON PROBATION – THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION REQUIRES a B or BETTER TO PASS THE CLASS.

SPC requires students must make a "C" or better to pass. IF YOU RECEIVE A C YOU CANNOT RETAKE THE CLASS.

***If a student does not receive a C or above on the Critical Thinking Paper he/she cannot pass the class - even if their total points add to a passing grade.Those who try normally do well.

ASSIGNMENTS:

Course Schedule:

Week/(Unit#) / Chapter/Reading / Topic / Assignments
1 (1) / Chapter 1
Chap. 2
Supplement provided / Orientation/Legal vs. Moral
Ethics Environment
I - Preface / See the Unit under Content Tab - Content
2(2) / Chapter 3
Supplement provided
Supplement provided - Appendices A & B / Moral Development
II - Why are the Code of Ethics and Principles of Professional Conduct Important?
III - History and Overview of the Code of Ethics and the Principles of Professional Conduct for the Education Profession in Florida
IV - The System/Structure: Agency Description
V - What to Expect: The Investigative Process
Appendices A: The Code of Ethics for the Education Profession in Florida
Appendices B: The Principles of Professional Conduct for the Education Profession in Florida / See the Unit under Content Tab - Content
3(3) / Chapter 4
Supplement Provided / Logic & Fallacies
VI - Common Sense / See the Unit under Content Tab - Content
4(4) / Chapter 5
Supplement Provided
Supplement provided / Consequential Approaches
VII - Florida Statutes
Appendices C: Sections of the Florida Statutes / See the Unit under Content Tab - Content
5(5) / Chapters 6 & 7
Supplement provided / Non-consequential Approaches
VIII - The Adams Case / See the Unit under Content Tab - Content
6(6) / Text, Supplement and Research / Critical Thinking Paper / See the Unit under Content Tab - Content
7(7) / Chapter 16
Chapter 19
Supplement provided - Review Appendices A & B / Professional Ethics
The Employment Relationship
Appendices A: The Code of Ethics for the Education Profession in Florida
Appendices B: The Principles of Professional Conduct for the Education Profession in Florida / See the Unit under Content Tab - Content
8(8) / Chapter 21
FINALEXAM - Review AllText, Supplement and Unit materials for Final Exam / Cyber Ethics and Information Security
DO NOT OPEN UNTIL YOU ARE READY TO COMPLETE. / See the Unit under Content Tab - Content
CLASS ENDS ON WEDNESDAY AT 11:59 PM OF WEEK 8 - COMPLETE FINAL AND ALL WORK BY FRIDAY BEFORE 11:59PM

ASSIGNMENTS:(See due dates and complete instructions in D2L)

1.Critical Thinking Paper(200 points) - 2,000 word minimum - submit through drop box

Applying some steps in the Critical Thinking Model

See instructions in unit 6

2. Unit Quizzes (6) = 60 possible points

At the conclusion of most units, you will take a short online quiz (10 questions) over the material in that chapter assigned.You will be given 30 minutes to complete each quiz. Each quiz is worth 10 pts. You may use your textbook, supplement and personal notes to help you on the quizzes. Each quiz will be graded by the computer and you will be able to see the results immediately. Notice that all of these quizzes combined are worth 60 points, so these can help pull up low scores.

3. Unit Post Assignments (7) = 70 possible points

In each unit you will be assigned at least one assignment post on the Discussion Board, regarding assigned material in the text and supplement. We will have group discussions regarding this topic on the Discussion Board.Each assignment post and discussion through a reply post is worth 10 points, so make them good. All of these posts combined are worth 70 points, so these can help pull up low scores.

When an assignment post is given, not only do you need to post your work but you need to read others' posts and comment, discuss, and/or respectfully debate topics of interest. One reply or comment post is the minimum, more is expected.

As stated earlier - be respectful. Your posts should also be on topic, since we all have to read them. Conduct personal conversations through email.

4. Drop Box Assignments (7) = 70 possible points

In each unit you will be assigned at least one drop box assignment regarding assigned material in the text and supplement. Again, each drop box assignment is worth 10 points, so make it good. All of these drop box assignments combined are worth 70 points!

5. FINAL EXAM = 100 possible points

In unit 8 you will not only find your normal post and drop box assignment, but you will also find your final exam! This is a timed exam. You will have 90 minutes to complete 50 multiple choice questions.The exam automatically closes after 90 minutes so watch your time. This final will be comprehensive, covering ALL materials covered in this class to date. Material can come from your text, supplement, and unit materials.

This exam will be graded by the computer and you will be able to see your results immediately through the REPORTS TAB.

IMPORTANT DATES

IMPORTANT DATES:

Class Begins8/17

Academic Calendar

COURSE INFORMATION:

Course Description: PHI 2623 ETHICS FOR EDUCATORS 3 credits

This course is designed to meet the needs of current K-12 educators who teach or will be teaching in the State of Florida, but need an approved Ethics course to be certified or recertified to teach. This course is a practical approach to recognizing, understanding and solving ethical problems confronting educators in today’s society. Students will learn concepts in applied ethics and selected ethical theories, which represent main themes in moral philosophy. Students will learn current Principles of Professional Conduct, Board of Education rules and relevant Florida Statutes, and will learn the use of said codes, rules and laws in resolving ethical issues. Emphasis will be placed on the development of skills necessary for critical thinking and responsible decision making in the educational arena. 45 contact hours.

LINK - PAD-PHY/&file=PHI2623^(20053)20061(0370).doc

Course Goals:

1.The student will demonstrate an understanding of foundational concepts in applied ethics, as well as selected ethical theories representing primary themes in moral philosophy.

2. The student will demonstrate an understanding of the nature of ethical issues when confronted with examples of situations containing such issues, with emphasis on education.

3. The student will demonstrate an understanding of the State Board of Education Rules and current Florida law, as it is used to resolve ethical issues, with emphasis on education.

4. The student will demonstrate an understanding of the Principles of Professional Conduct for educators as promulgated in State Board of Education Rules and in Florida Statutes, to ethical issues, with emphasis on education.

5. The student will develop critical thinking skills in order to analyze ethical issues and current ethical dilemmas facing educators today.

Course Objectives

1. The student will demonstrate an understanding of foundational concepts in applied ethics, as well as selected ethical theories representing primary themes in moral philosophy, by:

a. defining important ethical concepts.

b. describing the key features of moral philosophies.

c. applying key features of moral philosophies to hypothetical situations, with an emphasis on education.

2. The student will demonstrate an understanding of the nature of ethical issues when confronted with examples of situations containing such issues, with emphasis on education, by:

a. distinguishing between moral and non-moral issues and statements.

b. identifying ethical issues involved in factual situations.

3. The student will demonstrate an understanding of the State Board of Education Rules and current Florida law, as it is used to resolve ethical issues, with emphasis on education, by:

a. explaining the role of the State Board of Education Rules and current Florida law in practical ethical decision-making.

b. applying the State Board of Education Rules and current Florida law to resolve ethical dilemmas when presented with actual and hypothetical ethical issues.

c. understanding the educator’s obligations to the student, the public, and the profession.

d. describing the process of reporting allegations, investigating allegations, determining probable cause and adjudicating a case.

e. identifying violations that could lead to dismissal from school district employment.

f. identifying violations that could lead to suspension and revocation of an educator’s certificate.

4. The student will demonstrate an understanding of the Principles of Professional Conduct for educators as promulgated in State Board of Education Rules and in Florida Statutes, to ethical issues, with emphasis on education, by:

a. applying the Principles of Professional Conduct for educators in practical ethical decision-making.

b. applying the Principles of Professional Conduct for educators to resolve ethical dilemmas when presented with actual and hypothetical ethical issues.

5. The student will develop critical thinking skills in order to analyze ethical issues and current ethical dilemmas facing educators today by:

a. explaining the role of critical thinking skills in practical ethical decision-making.

b applying the philosophical principles of moral philosophies to resolve ethical dilemmas when presented with actual and hypothetical and actual ethical issues, with emphasis on education.

c. describing the distinguishing characteristics necessary for practical ethical decision-making in education.

A.Criteria Performance Standard:

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will, with a minimum of 70% accuracy, demonstrate mastery of each of the above stated objectives through classroom measures developed by individual course instructors.

PREREQUISITES:

BA or BS Degree OR Permission of Program Director

ACADEMIC HONESTY:

St.Petersburg College has an Academic Honesty policy.It is your responsibility to be familiar with the policies, rules, and the consequences of violations.There is no tolerance for cheating and academic dishonesty.Discipline can range from a zero on a specific assignment to expulsion from the class with a grade of F.Note that copy/pasting published information, whether it's from your textbook or the Internet, without citing your source is plagiarism and violates this policy.Even if you change the words slightly, the ideas are someone else's so you still have to cite your sources. Cheating, plagiarism, bribery, misrepresentation, conspiracy, and fabrication are defined in Board Rule 6Hx23-4.461. Student Affairs: Academic Honesty Guidelines, Classroom Behavior.