Learning Objectives

The course aims to provide practical knowledge and understanding of how professionals in higher education institutions deal with unethical behaviour such as plagiarism, cheating or ethical challenges related to academic dishonesty and procedural malpractice that are well defined but complex and non- routine.

The course includes practical aspects of ethics applied to the higher education sector with case studies and forum discussions. Modules on educational ethics, research and publication ethics, and other relevant ethical areas related to teaching and research, are also included. Cutting-edge issues such as cyber-security, intercultural communication, protection of privacy, copyright and intellectual property protection are presented and included in the discussion questions.

Entry Requirements

The entry level starts with a Master’s Degree in Arts and Humanities or equivalent. Course participants are expected to possess a minimum English language-proficiency of B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The self-assessment grid under this link provides potential participants with an overview in case of unfamiliarity with this framework.

Attendance Policy

Academic success begins with attending classes to receive instruction and all relevant information for the learning experience. Therefore, it is imperative that participants demonstrate their responsibility by taking actively part in the class through the discussion forums and complete the coursework assignments within the timeframe allocated. Participants that are unable to attend the train-the-trainer course organised on site can use the first week of the online course to catch up with the pre-course material readings, and submit the survey as a pre-class assignment prior to the start of the course programme.

Learning Resources

The course programme is based upon and uses the Globethics.net collection on Ethics in Higher Education, with reference to ethics standards and tools, and with particular attention to building skills on how to design and implement a code of conduct relevant for teaching and research in ethics. A bibliographic reference list relevant for the course programme will be provided, and participants will be guided to make use of the references and other resources of the Globethics.net library for the purpose of their final written assignment.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to

1. demonstrate a practical, theoretical knowledge and understanding of the subject matter.

2. review the concepts of applied ethics in higher education and how to apply them in real situations in class or outside the classroom.

3. use appropriate cognitive and practical skills, methods and procedures to address problems that, while being well-defined, may be complex depending on the cultural context.

4. define ethical criteria for behavioural change in the professional setting and they will be able to draft a code of conduct and best practice guidelines for research and publication.

The indicators for learning outcomes in accordance with the proposed learning contents per unit, in view of the development of skills for employment, are described under the respective specific learning outcome indicators for each module (table 2 for module 1, table 3 for module 2, table 4 for module 3)

Mode of Learning and Assessment

Forum participation, coursework assignments and final writing assignment are graded according to the grading rubrics according to the grade distribution tables.

During the discussions in the forum, students should demonstrate that they understand the theories presented by drawing basic examples from practical experience, and justify their opinion for or against the position presented in the case, or provide additional arguments to defend their positions based on their knowledge and understanding of the theories.

As or the formative quizzes, they are mainly to make sure that students have read and understood the course material and the test results are made available as guidelines for self-learning. Feedback prior to the submission of final assignments is an important part of the accompaniment instructors offer participants in their learning progression. Points gained through this activity do not have a major impact on the summative assessment of the learning outcomes, however they are intended to support the learning progression of the participants in view of attaining the learning outcomes.

Course organisation 

The course programme is delivered both by onsite and online. 

A training-of-trainers (TOT) session is organised on campus with a partner institution for the duration of two days. Participants are required to attend the full course programme and to participate to the survey on Ethics in Higher Education.

Participants who have not attended the TOT session are required to go through the introductory first week and upload the pre-class survey before proceeding to the start of the course.

After attending the 8 units (weeks 1-9), participants who opt for the “certification track” may, upon completion of the required assignments (including contributions to the forum discussions, weekly coursework assignments) proceed to submit the final writing assignment by week 10.

Participants who sign up on the “basic track” are not required to submit the final writing assignment of week 10, but can change to opt for the “certification track” by week 5 of the course.

Criteria for Evaluating Student Performance

Forum participation, coursework assignments and final writing assignment are graded according to the grading rubrics.

The criteria for evaluation student performance are built on the following distribution weight:

• Forum discussion participation (20%)

• Coursework assignment including quizzes and discussions (30%)

• Final writing assignment (50%)

The grading system is based on the successful completion of the learning outcomes or satisfactory achievement of defined competencies and skills as described in the grading tables, available under our Course Documentation.

Transfer of Credit to Other Institutions

Acceptance of transfer credit is always a decision of receiving institutions. GEA accreditation does not guarantee transferability to all Higher Education Institutions, except within the partnership framework with our institutional Consortium members. 

Any student/participant interested in transferring GEA credits to another college or university should check directly with the receiving institution. In circumstances where a participant wishes to transfer to another course, the transfer will be facilitated by the Course Coordinator in conjunction with the relevant Academic Managers. 

In terms of management and governance, students, teachers and staff shall abide to the policy framework as spelled out in the Code of practice for Quality Assurance and the Globethics.net Code of Ethics.

(Update 30 April 2020, Dean Office Globethics.net Academy)