A Moral Compass: Considerations on Ethics in Higher Education

The ubiquitous use of digital media has pervaded our lives with a gamut of public opinion coming from everywhere and anywhere, especially thanks to the increasing use of social media platforms and forums of all kinds.  Our thoughts and ideas, no longer confined within the human mind nor within a limited physical space, gain rapid and easy exposure in a virtual setting.  Consider the myriad daily posts on facebook walls, the tweets on twitter, the reviews and comments made on endless sites, or the reply-to-all emails sent.  Humanity has created for itself, alongside its bodily movements, a trailing digital footprint. 

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Scerri (2013, as cited in Gloor et al., 2020, p. 254) describes emailing activity “as a virtual extension of the users’ workplace” and McQuade III (2007) makes mention of “the permanency of content posted on the Internet".  Shea (1994) aptly reminds us about our online communications that “chances are they're stored somewhere where you have no control over them. In other words, there's a good chance they can come back to haunt you”.  With these two key factors in mind, it becomes evident, that people’s behaviour online needs to be guided by adequate ethical principles and values, no less and in parallel to what would be expected in real life, perhaps even more so, given the permanent nature of online content.  Going forward, this would be paramount in educational contexts, such as in open and networked higher education, wherein it is key that the journey is truly educational not only in the subject matter chosen, but also in the behaviour of all stakeholders involved virtually.

If we take the definition of networked learning to be that of an education “involv[ing] processes of collaborative, co-operative and collective inquiry, knowledge-creation and knowledgeable action, underpinned by trusting relationships, motivated by a sense of shared challenge and enabled by convivial technologies” (NLEC, 2020, p. 319), netiquette and ethical considerations become vital in guiding users’ online activity.   Netiquette, a word coined out of internet and etiquette, is described by Berkley’s Information Security Office (n.d.) as “informal standards of conduct” that are to be observed by internet users, avoiding inadequate behaviour ranging from flaming to chain mail or spamming, the latter described by Dennis (2023) as “one of the most significant forms of cybercrime”.  Ethical considerations are paramount at every level, from the micro to the macro levels of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).  HEIs need to have rules and guidelines in place that are clear for all, covering such issues as “anonymity, privacy and confidentiality of the information shared, legal issues…[so as] for people to be treated not only fairly and objectively, but also respectfully” (Paris et al., 2013, p. 302). If the use of digital technologies in education is meant to provide a truly convivial space, it is only ethical that all the people involved strive against the “potential adverse effects and risks such as privacy, bullying, addiction, misinformation and others” (Romero-Hall, 2021, p. 2268) that may be entailed by such digital technologies.  After all, Shea’s (1994) number one rule reminds us to metaphorically look beyond the physical screen and remember that it is with other humans that we are liaising in our online connections.

Following considerations on the ethical behaviour informing our networked connections, it must be mentioned that ethical considerations go beyond these expectations and should also take up issues that effect in practice education that is mediated by digital technologies.  Ethical considerations are brought forth by such realities as for instance those perpetrated by the digital divide.  Rogers (2001, p. 98) defines the latter as the worldwide yet uneven spread of the internet, whereby “the considerable benefits of the internet only accrue to certain, already advantaged individuals, leaving other individuals relatively more disadvantaged”.  Ding (2020, as cited in Romero-Hall, p. 2274) goes beyond access issues to include digital divide aspects such as “affordability, usage, social resources and skills, infrastructure, and literacy skills”.  In a previous blog post (Keepingan Open Mind – Opening up Open Education) I had already considered the multiple facets of open and networked education, which albeit striving for equity, may create barriers such as those of access and skills.  Educators who had never done online teaching before the Covid years, experienced this first hand in Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) as “it sharply revealed socioeconomic gaps, prejudicing all those students who lacked sufficient bandwidth, whose families lacked enough devices for everyone to use [and] who were unable to find appropriate study spaces at home” (Rapanta et al., 2021, p. 721).  Gainous et al. (2016) make an additional interesting point in mentioning internet filtering policies such as those utilised by certain countries in Latin America, “in which state-authored regulations have been used to control access, limit what citizens can share, or encourage self-censorship” (as cited in Romero-Hall, 2021, p. 2275).  There must additionally be considerations of access with regards to certain disabilities.  For instance, Paris et al. (2013), in their case study relating to government services provided via social media, mention “the accessibility guidelines for all videos and podcasts, ensuring for example that they all had a transcript associated with them” (p. 310).  These become key ethical considerations in promoting education mediated by digital technologies if equity is one of its objectives.

In conclusion, this blog explores an additional layer in the exploration of open and networked higher education – the ethical side of things.  Apart from promoting ethical behaviour in users’ online communications, there should be ethical considerations with regards to equity issues that may arise due to such realities as the digital divide or internet filtering policies in certain countries.  As an educator, I will continue to believe in the importance of education, not only for learners but also concurrently for all stakeholders involved, and most especially for educators themselves.  This, I believe, enables instructors to “educate learners on issues that could arise when engaging in activities using these [digital] platforms” (Krutka et al., 2019, as cited in Romero-Hall, 2021, p. 2276).  Ethical considerations call for further ICT knowledge and skills integration of various genres and at all levels in HEIs, so that HE can set the example for the community at large in the way forward to being digital citizens. 

References:

Berkeley Information Security Office. (n.d.). Netiquette and Ethics. UC Berkeley. Netiquette and Ethics | Information Security Office (berkeley.edu)

Dennis, M. A. (2023, March 6). cybercrime. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/cybercrime

Gloor, P., Fronzetti Colladon, A., & Grippa, F. (2020). The digital footprint of innovators: Using email to detect the most creative people in your organization. Journal of Business Research, 114(2020), 254-264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.04.025

McQuade III, S. C. (2007, January 5). We Must Educate Young People About Cybercrime Before They Start College. The Chronicle of Higher Education. https://www.chronicle.com/article/we-must-educate-young-people-about-cybercrime-before-they-start-college/#annotations:6cJTcsXTEe2xScdn6ciIGg

Networked Learning Editorial Collective (NLEC). (2020). Networked Learning: Inviting Redefinition. Postdigital Science and Education 3, 312–325. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-020-00167-8

Paris, C., Colineau, N., Nepal, S., Bista, S. K., and Beschorner, G. (2013). Ethical considerations in an online community: the balancing act. Ethics and Information Technology (2013) 15:301–316. DOI 10.1007/s10676-013-9315-4.

Rapanta, C., Botturi, L., Goodyear, P., Guàrdia, L., & Koole, M. (2021). Balancing Technology, Pedagogy and the New Normal: Post-pandemic Challenges for Higher Education. Postdigital Science and Education, 3(3), 715-742. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-021-00249-1.

Rogers, E. (2001). The Digital Divide. Convergence (London, England), 7(4), 96-111.

Romero-Hall, E. (2021). Current initiatives, barriers, and opportunities for networked learning in Latin America. Educational Technology Research and Development, 69(4), 2267-2283. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-021-09965-8

Shea, V. (1994). Netiquette. Albion Books. Educom Review (educause.edu)