University of Wisconsin-Platteville
University of WisconsinPlatteville
Office of Continuing Education
Course Syllabus
Graduate Credit Only
Title:Ethics for Behavior Analysts
Number:
Semester:
Credits/Contact Hours:3 Graduate Credits Only / 45 Contact Hours
Days and dates:TBD
Times:TBD
Location:TBD
Instructor:Dr Roger Bass
Office Address:2001 Alford Dr
City/State/ZipKenosha, WI 53141
Office Phone:262-853-1951
E-mail Address:
Office Hours:TBD
Prerequisites: Acceptance into the Behavior Analysis Certification Program,
completion of Applied Behavior Analysis, and either completion of
or concurrent enrollment in Research Design for
Behavior Analysts.
Course Description
This course prepares behavior analysts to identify and cope with ethical issues commonly found in a wide range of settings—schools, research, clinics, autism and developmental disabilities programs, supported care and employment, etc. The BACB Ethical Guidelines will be studied in depth and compared to those in Social Work, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychological Association, and those applying to restraint and seclusion laws currently under development.
Specific topics will include:
1. History of ethical principles in behavioral science.
2. Core ethical premises across human service deliver fields and those specific to behavior analysis.
3. Most frequent ethical problems.
4. Everyday ethical challenges for citizens and behavior analysts.
5. Behavior analysts’ responsibility to clients.
6. Ethics and behavioral assessment.
7. Ethics and behavior change programs.
8. Ethics of supervision in behavior analysis.
9. Ethics and the workplace.
10. Ethical responsibilities to the field of behavior analysis.
11. Behavior analysts’ethical responsibilities to colleagues.
12. Behavior analysts and the ethics of research.
13. Conducting a risk-benefit analysis.
14. Delivering the ethics message to others.
15. Declarations of professional services to avoid ethical issues.
16. Dozen practical tips for ethical conduct.
Field work required: None
Text
J.S. Bailey, & Mary Bursch. (2005). Ethics for Behavior Analysts. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.
Introduction to the Course
The structure of this class may be unlike any you have taken. Here are the key elements starting with overall course structure and ending with the elements of each class.
1. Overall Course Structure. The 18 weeks of this course will be divided into nine 2-week modules. These modules will each address a general area and consist of the following components:
(a) Reading objectives. Reading objectives are a reading assist. They come in two types:
(1) Comments. Comments are my remarks that clarify, extend, or correct your readings. They are fair game for test questions and are considered to be part of the reading assignment.
(2) Questions. Questions addressing you readings are posed and require you to provide a written answer.
Locating the material addressed by a reading objective. Reading objectives are preceded by numbers that indicate the location of the material being addressed. For example, "(122-123) indicate that the relevant material is found on pages 122 and 123 whereas "(122,2-123,1) means that the relevant passage is on page 122 paragraph 2 and extends to page 123, paragraph 1.
(b) SAFMEDS. "SAFMEDS" stands for "Say All Fast Minute Every Day Shuffle" and consist of key terms and concepts that are provided on cards. These will be studied cumulatively throughout the course.
(c) White boards. You will be given a dry erase board and magic marker. During class, you will write answers to questions and present them on the boards. Note that 15% of your grade is in-class participation—largely measured as your accuracy when answering questions in this format.
(d) Project. Each module will have at least one project that groups or individuals will complete. These projects will center on vignettes involving ethical issues. The course of action taken must reflect the consistent application of ethical principles.
(e) Module exam. Each module will terminate with an exam. This exam will be given on the last day of each module. Most modules will be segmented into three parts each of which will be completed during part of a class period.
(f) Discretionary projects. Each of the 6-courses in the BCBA preparatory sequence contains numerous discretionary projects for varying numbers of hours with most being one hour of credit with some (e.g., BACB approved workshops at state and national conferences) award up to five hours and include work beyond the workshop practicum. At least five hours of discretionary coursework is required for each of the 6 courses in the BCBA sequence. Be sure to obtain advance approval from your advisor regarding how the 30 hours will be fulfilled in such a way as to enhance your professional goals.
(2) Daily Class Structure. Each class period will be structured thus:
(a) SAFMEDS check test. Each class will start with a check test over the key concepts and vocabulary covered up to that point. SAFMED cards will be tested cumulatively throughout the course. These test scores will be recorded and count toward the final grade. You will keep daily data on your SAFMEDS performance.
(b) Q/A discussion. Lecture will be largely replaced with sets of questions I will ask and discuss with you. The entire class will respond via dry erase boards. Participation and answer accuracy are part of the final grade. You will keep data on your performance during class and record as per instructed by the professor.
(c) Projects. Class members will either individually or in small groups work on projects related to the core issues addressed within a module.
Grading
Grades will be weighted thus:
*Reading objectives: 20%
*Module Projects: 20%
*Check tests (SAFMEDS): 15%
*Module exams: 30%
*Class participation can add up to 15% additional credit or lower your grade by 15% if absenteeism, obvious lack of preparation, etc. occur.
Grading follows this table:
100-90=A
80-89=B
70-79=C
60-69=D
59 and less=F
Grade remediation. You may remediate any grade by the end the next module. Remediation will not occur at any point later than that.
The amount of remediation possible is described in this table:
Initial grade=100-90=Total credit
Initial grade=80-89=3/4 credit
Initial grade=70 and below=1/2 credit
This sliding scale encourages all students to do their best on the first attempt and makes it possible for anyone to pass the course with a C as long as they achieve an initial grade of 47.
Test Preparation. Be sure to enclose the test or paper on which the original error occurred. I will use this to evaluate your remediated version.
Late tests will be graded thus:
100-90=C
80-89=D
79 and less=F
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University of Wisconsin-Platteville
Module # (each module is two weeks) / Readings / Projects/Assignments / BACB Tasklist Emphases1 / *Bailey and Busch-chapters 1 and 2.
*Ethical codes from the APA and BACB / *Describe how the ethics debate began in behavior analysis.
*Identify the key ethical topics raised in the APA ethics code and that of the BACB. Compare and contrast them. / Content Areas:
_X_a. Ethics
___b. Concepts & Princs.
___c. Measurement (& data
analysis)
___d. Experimental Design
___e. Identification and
Problem Assessment
___f.Funda. Elements of
Beh. Change and
Specific Behav
Change
Considerations
___g. Intervention and
Behavior Change
Considerations
___h. Behavior Change
Systems
___i. Implementation,
Mg’ment and Superv.
___j. Discretionary
2 / *Bailey and Busch-chapter 3 and 4
*Ethical codes from social work and school psychology. / *How is behavior analysis’ ethics code unique?
*Create a table of similarities and difference between the ethics codes covered thus far (APA, BACB, Social Work, School psych).
*Discretionary Project: (1 hour): Prepare a presentation on your focus area’s ethical code. Compare and contrast it with that of the BACB. / Content Areas:
_X_a. Ethics
___b. Concepts & Princs.
___c. Measurement (& data
analysis)
___d. Experimental Design
___e. Identification and
Problem Assessment
___f.Funda. Elements of
Beh. Change and
Specific Behav
Change
Considerations
___g. Intervention and
Behavior Change
Considerations
___h. Behavior Change
Systems
___i. Implementation,
Mg’ment and Superv.
___j. Discretionary
3 / *Bailey and Busch-chapter 5 & 6 / *Present ethics codes tables.
*Complete 2 ethics vignettes from Bailey and Busch. Would a behavior analyst resolve these differences in the same way as other human service delivery professionals? Explain.
*Discretionary project (1 hour): Interview a human services professional from another field. Present a vignette from your text and ascertain how that individual would resolve the ethical issue within the context of his/her field’s ethical standards. / Content Areas:
_X_a. Ethics
___b. Concepts & Princs.
___c. Measurement (& data
analysis)
___d. Experimental Design
___e. Identification and
Problem Assessment
___f.Funda. Elements of
Beh. Change and
Specific Behav
Change
Considerations
___g. Intervention and
Behavior Change
Considerations
___h. Behavior Change
Systems
___i. Implementation,
Mg’ment and Superv.
___j. Discretionary
4 / *Bailey and Busch-chapter 7 & 8. / *Complete 2 ethics vignettes from Bailey and Busch. Would a behavior analyst resolve these differences in the same way as other human service delivery professionals? Explain
*Design an ethically sound assessment procedure—explain how ethical considerations are expressed in the assessment.
*Discretionary Project (1 hr): Evaluate assessment procedures from published research. Compare the rigor, approach, and kinds of information that are obtained. Is there a difference between the questions those assessments answer and those of BA? / Content Areas:
_X_a. Ethics
___b. Concepts & Princs.
_X_c. Measurement (& data
analysis)
___d. Experimental Design
___e. Identification and
Problem Assessment
___f.Funda. Elements of
Beh. Change and
Specific Behav
Change
Considerations
___g. Intervention and
Behavior Change
Considerations
___h. Behavior Change
Systems
___i. Implementation,
Mg’ment and Superv.
___j. Discretionary
5 / *Bailey and Busch-chapter 9 & 10. . / *Complete 2 ethics vignettes from Bailey and Busch.
*Design and defend a behavior change program for a developmentally disabled person where restraint is justified.
*Design a procedure to ensure that a BCBA candidate under your supervision is evaluated in an ethically sound way.
*Discretionary Project (1 hr): Review the misrepresentations literature and cite ways to correct them. Address the problem of correcting your supervisors. / Content Areas:
_X_a. Ethics
___b. Concepts & Princs.
_X_c. Measurement (& data
analysis)
___d. Experimental Design
___e. Identification and
Problem Assessment
___f.Funda. Elements of
Beh. Change and
Specific Behav
Change
Considerations
___g. Intervention and
Behavior Change
Considerations
___h. Behavior Change
Systems
___i. Implementation,
Mg’ment and Superv.
___j. Discretionary
6 / *Bailey and Busch-chapter 11 & 12. / *Complete 2 ethics vignettes from Bailey and Busch.
*Describe policies that enable a Behavior Analyst to deal tactfully with ethical violations of another member of a practice.
*Describe ethical principles for dealing with misrepresentations of behavior analyst by another person on a multidisciplinary team. / Content Areas:
_X_a. Ethics
___b. Concepts & Princs.
___c. Measurement (& data
analysis)
___d. Experimental Design
___e. Identification and
Problem Assessment
___f.Funda. Elements of
Beh. Change and
Specific Behav
Change
Considerations
___g. Intervention and
Behavior Change
Considerations
___h. Behavior Change
Systems
_X_i. Implementation,
Mg’ment and Superv.
___j. Discretionary
7 / *Bailey and Busch-chapter 13 & 14. / *Complete 2 ethics vignettes from Bailey and Busch.
*Design and defend a research study into the effects of timeout on autistic children in public schools. How would you deal with SWPBIS program advocates in such settings?
*Discretionary Project (1 hr): Describe a seclusion and restraint policy for either an autism provider or an agency such as supported care facility where aggressive behavior is often seen. / Content Areas:
_X_a. Ethics
___b. Concepts & Princs.
_X_c. Measurement (& data
analysis)
___d. Experimental Design
___e. Identification and
Problem Assessment
___f.Funda. Elements of
Beh. Change and
Specific Behav
Change
Considerations
___g. Intervention and
Behavior Change
Considerations
___h. Behavior Change
Systems
___i. Implementation,
Mg’ment and Superv.
___j. Discretionary
8 / *Bailey and Busch-chapter 15 & 16 . / *Complete 2 ethics vignettes from Bailey and Busch.
*Design and defend via a risk-benefit analysis a purely positive procedure for addressing self-injurious behavior when such behavior, when impeded by caregivers, results in aggression toward them.
*Discretionary Project (1 hr): Design a powerpoint on an instructor-approved chapter from your text. / Content Areas:
_X_a. Ethics
_X_b. Concepts & Princs.
_X_c. Measurement (& data
analysis)
_X_d. Experimental Design
___e. Identification and
Problem Assessment
_X_f.Funda. Elements of
Beh. Change and
Specific Behav
Change
Considerations
___g. Intervention and
Behavior Change
Considerations
___h. Behavior Change
Systems
_X_i. Implementation,
Mg’ment and Superv.
___j. Discretionary
9 / *Bailey and Busch-chapter 17 & 18 . / *Complete 2 ethics vignettes from Bailey and Busch.
*Discretionary Project (3 hrs): Design and defend a short course in behavioral ethics that you can use with BCBA supervisees. / Content Areas:
_X_a. Ethics
___b. Concepts & Princs.
___c. Measurement (& data
analysis)
___d. Experimental Design
_X_e. Identification and
Problem Assessment
___f.Funda. Elements of
Beh. Change and
Specific Behav
Change
Considerations
_X_g. Intervention and
Behavior Change
Considerations
_X_h. Behavior Change
Systems
___i. Implementation,
Mg’ment and Superv.
___j. Discretionary
NOTE:Students with impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills are encouraged and have the responsibility to contact the Office of Continuing Education toll free 888-281-9472 regarding reasonable accommodation needs. Students requiring reasonable accommodation needs must be registered as a student with a disability. Please contact Roxanne Johanning at the Continuing Education Office.
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