Hmmm. Mostly I taught IT subjects - data modelling and database design. But since I was doing a thesis in business ethics, I also got to teach ethics, a required course. Lucky me. A natural target for a group project for final overall marks.
Ethics are as ethics do. Students typically have a rather
laissez-faire approach to ethics in most situations. Except for when the proposition, whatever it is, directly affects them. So I made that part of the group project, too. I got them to tell me (rather than me telling them) that not to pull your weight in a project and then to claim that you had earned the group mark was rather unethical. Fine, I said. If it's unethical to claim marks for something you hadn't done, what about the ethicality of protecting a lazy student within a project group? Ethics, they told me, is a two way street. Great, I said. Then what about whistleblowing? Should you tell me, the lecturer, if one of your group is not pulling his or her weight? Oooooh, I don't really know about
that, they said, almost to a person. Whistleblowing is ... well, it's like
telling tales. Uh, huh, I encouraged them. Is telling tales then ethical or unethical? Much squirming, both real and metaphorical. Well, that depends, they rather thought. Maybe it depends on how serious the "crime" is? So, I pushed, there are
degrees of ethicality, then? Well, no, they allowed. It's either ethical or unethical.
Okay, I said. Then we have something of a dichotomy, don't we? You're telling me that it's unethical not to expose a non-performing colleague, but that it's also unethical to tell anyone. Write a 1500-word essay for credit on how this dilemma should be resolved for next week.
Did I say that although I was usually respected, I wasn't really liked very much?
