Ethical Issues/Situations to Consider

• Should a professor tell his/her colleagues the name and particulars about a cheating student?

• Is it fair for two professors team teaching a course to divide up the essay exams so that one grades half of them and the other grades the other half?

• Is it ok to assign a student extra work (or allow the student the chance to make up an exam or retake an exam) when the student makes such a request privately to the professor after the fact in order to avoid failing? What about when the student is passing but has a borderline grade and needs the higher letter grade to graduate or to stay in an accredited program?

• Should a professor assign a student a “no credit” grade after the established deadline if the student says he/she didn't know about the deadline (or couldn't make it to the prof's office that day because of a work schedule)?

• What should a professor do if he/she feels personally attracted to a student in one of his/her classes and suspects that the student reciprocates?

Ethical Case Studies--How would you handle these "sticky" situations?

1. Suzie Pepper, a nineteen year old student, stops by Professor White's office regularly, sometimes just to smile and say “Hi,” but more often to ask if there is anything she can do to help him, and sometimes bringing him little gifts (a donut or flower). Occasionally she waits outside his office and walks with him to his car. Lately, she has called him twice at home to ask him unimportant questions about class. Professor White is not comfortable with the escalation of Suzie's attention.

2. Professor Sergeant administers a rigorous exam during the third week of the semester as a way of encouraging weak and lazy students to withdraw from the class before the class drop deadline.

3. Professor Dawn Twilight holds her office hours from 6-7 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and from 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. If anyone mentions that her hours are inconvenient, she reminds him or her that she holds more office hours than are required by college policy and that if students really want to see her, they can.

4. Professor Sloppy teaches his classes in a sweatshirt, tattered jeans, and dirty tennis shoes.

5. Professor Blunt agreed to write a reference letter for a student he neither liked nor respected. The letter read, “Regarding the application of Joshua Vreeb to your Ph.D. program – save yourself trouble and burn his file now!”

6. Professor Colorful uses profanity regularly in class. Although this language is part of his lecture and never directed toward students, a couple of students have complained that they are bothered by such words. Professor Colorful defends his lecture style by indicating that most students enjoy it and that this technique helps to keep students' attention.

7. A student assistant tells his professor that she should do something about Professor Ticktack. According to the student, Ticktack slurs his way through disorganized lectures and, despite attempts to cover up with mints, his breath smells of alcohol.

8. Several professors, chatting openly one day, admit to each other that they allow how much they like (or dislike) a student to influence the grade the student receives, especially when the student's grades are on the borderline.