Using Technology for the
Instruction of Values & Ethics
Presenters:
Steve Marson, UNC-Pembroke
Diane Falk, The Richard Stockton College of NJ
Lisa Gebo, Thomson Brooks/Cole
1
Using Technology for the
Instruction of Social Work
Values and Ethics
Helping Students to See Linkages
among Human Rights, Social Work
Ethics, and Practice
2
Overview of Today’s
Presentation
•
•
•
•
•
Introduction
Ethics Journal
Sample Online Syllabus
Human Rights, Ethics & Technology
Resources From Publishers
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http://www.socialworker.com/jswve/
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http://www.uncp.edu/home/marson/Personal/Syllabi/450_online.htm
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Preface
1. Why teach social workers about global
human rights?
2. Why do students need to see the
connections between global human
rights and social work ethics?
3. Why infuse this teaching throughout the
curriculum?
4. Why use technology?
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Question 1
• Why teach social workers about
global human rights?
– Students need:
• Ability to identify human rights issues and
violations
• Perspective on their profession
• Understanding of origin of human rights principles
• Appreciation of the degree to which human rights
principles permeate social institutions
• Tools for advocacy
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Question 2
• Why do students need to see the
connections between global human
rights and social work ethics?
– Students need to understand social work
ethics in context
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Question 3
• Why infuse this teaching throughout
the curriculum?
–
A commitment to upholding and advancing human
rights and social work ethics can be the foundation
for all professional thought and action
•
•
•
Providing guidance for students’ relationships with clients
Promoting critical thinking about agency policies and
procedures
Reinforcing the understanding that students are joining a
profession, not just training to be workers in an agency
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Question 4
•
Why use technology?
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Considerable resource material is available on the
Internet
Students can discover that human rights issues are
present in every society—what the issues are, and
human rights workers are doing to advance human
rights
Students can share discoveries, express feelings,
and learn from each other in online conferencing
Students can participate in online advocacy
Why not?
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Study Questions
• Would students see relationships between
the intent of UN instruments and agency
policy and practice?
• Would students find that their practicum
agencies have an awareness of human rights
issues?
• What would students recommend be
changed in agencies to advance human
rights?
• Would students make connections between
human rights and social work ethics, and
which ethics concepts would they identify?
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Human Rights Practice Awareness
Assignment
• Given in practice class to seniors who
were beginning their 400-hour field
experience
• Students were told: “This assignment will
assist you in understanding the mission,
services, and approaches that guide your
field placement agency. Please post your
response to this assignment in our Web
Caucus Conference.”
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Assignment Objectives
• To familiarize students with the modern
human rights movement and its origins and
the United Nations human rights instruments,
• To help students understand the relevance of
a human rights perspective for social work
practice
• To help students develop the ability to
critically examine the mission, policies, and
services of their field agency
• To help students develop the ability to
conceptualize social work ethics in the
context of the global human rights movement
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•
Technology Teaching
Resources Used
Websites for
– A “Human Rights Timeline”
•
Human Rights in Global Perspective course
website (my own)
– The U.N. Universal Declaration of Human
Rights and the other U.N. human rights
instruments
•
(United Nations website)
– Web Caucus
•
Where students posted their response to the
assignment
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The Assignment, Part I
•
Review the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights:
–
•
http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html
Review Human Rights Timeline:
–
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http://www.stockton.edu/~falkd/hr-site.htm
http://www.stockton.edu/~falkd/timeline.htm
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The Assignment, Part II
•
Review other UN declarations,
conventions, and covenants. Select one
that is related to the work of the agency
or organization in which you are doing
your internship.
These other UN Instruments for
Protecting Human Rights can be found
at:
•
–
http://www.unhchr.ch/html/intlinst.htm
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The Assignment, Part III
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Write about your agency, summarizing the
following:
–
•
The agency’s mission statement about its purpose
and services, including the people served by the
agency (one paragraph).
Which UN document(s) is/are most relevant to
the work of the agency?
Describe how the agency’s work implements
or does not implement the relevant UN
document(s).
•
–
You may wish to discuss agency mission, policy,
range of services provided, approaches used by
social workers, other professionals,
paraprofessionals, and other workers who interact
with clients (e.g., clerical staff, maintenance staff,
etc.).
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• To what degree does the agency have a
human rights consciousness?
– What observations support your conclusion about
this?
• What else, if anything, could the agency or
organization do to protect and advance
human rights?
• Review the NASW Code of Ethics, especially
the Ethical Standards.
– http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/code.asp
• How does the Code of Ethics provide
guidance for social workers in promoting
human rights?
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Examples of relationships
between agency policy & practice
and UN instruments
• From a family service agency setting: Article 25
(Right to a standard of living and to social
security; motherhood and childhood)…
• From an adoption/foster care agency: Article 5
(No torture, inhumane treatment or
punishment)…
• From a crisis shelter for youth: The Convention
on the Rights of the Child.
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Levels of agency awareness of
human rights—student perceptions…
Yes, agency has human rights awareness:
– “There is daily discussion of rights of clients.”
– “Agency is constantly working on holding
members of government accountable for their
actions.”
– “Workers do excellent job of advocating and
empowering clients.”
– “Agency has Human Rights Board.”
– “Child’s safety and well-being are number 1
priority of agency.”
– “Agency helps clients fight housing discrimination.”
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Levels of agency awareness of human
rights—student perceptions, continued
Yes, agency has human rights awareness:
– “Agency sends out pamphlets to families, informing
them of client rights.”
– “Agency empowers clients, links clients with
Community Law project, uses advance directives to
assure that clients’ wishes carried out.”
– “Agency has zero tolerance for discrimination.”
– “Children’s rights are main concern of agency.”
– “Agency’s main activities protect human rights.”
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Levels of agency awareness of human
rights—student perceptions, continued
No, agency does not have (or does not
have sufficient) human rights awareness
– “Agency aware of HR of clients but not of
staff.” (Agency exploits workers.)
– “Agency is not conscious enough.
Supervisors are aware, but many workers do
not respect HR of clients. Office conversations
often degrade clients. Many workers are
judgmental and not empathetic to plight of
clients.”
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Students’ suggestions for change…
– Agency should hire and train personnel who
are empathic and understand clients’ needs
– Agency should hire employees with human
service background (not people with “degrees
in business or marketing”)
– Agency should give annual updates for
employees and volunteers re: client rights
– Agency should inform community on what is
happening to its children (to involve
community in improving social conditions )
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Students’ suggestions for change, cont.
– Agency should educate community about
sub-standard housing conditions
– Advocacy organization should track city
council members’ and state legislators’
initiatives and voting records to hold them
accountable
– Agency should implement specific practice
of informing child clients of their rights and
also legal guardians and foster parents of
their rights
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Did students make connections
between human rights and
ethics?
– Which ethics concepts did students identify as
relating to the instruments they worked from?
– What did students have to say about whether
social work is a “human rights profession”?
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The Connections…
• The ethical standard of “commitment to clients”
is realized in the agency’s work to ensure
children’s well-being by giving them the right to
express their desires and goals, “giving an
unheard voice a word.”
• The ethical concept of “conflict of interest”
pertains to the inherent conflict in adoption/foster
care agency staff workers’ responsibility to work
with both biological and foster parents as they
advocate for the child.
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Connections, continued
• In multi-ethnic society, codes of ethics’
nondiscrimination principles and standards
implement Article 7 of the U.N. UD. Social
workers must be culturally competent and
respect diversity “knowing that each client they
help is an individual (who) behaves differently
and has different beliefs, culture, and ethnicity.”
• “NASW’s Code of Ethics and the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights work hand in hand
with one another”
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NEW Resources from
Brooks/Cole
Personalized Online Learning System:
EthicsNow
Classroom Response/Polling: ‘Clickers’
Helping Professions Learning Center:
Password Protected Learning Site for
Students
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EthicsNow
• Pre-Tests/Diagnostics
• Individualized Text-Specific Learning
Plans
• Post-Tests
• Instructor Gradebook for Tracking
Student Outcomes
http://demo.ilrn-support.com/bca/user/home/
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What are Personal Response
Systems?
A.K.A. - Clickers
Turning Point Software*+ Receiver
+ Response Cards
 Student Participation!
 Check Content Mastery!
 Complete Interactive Experience!
*Exclusive to Thomson; uses Microsoft PowerPoint
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Why Personal Response Systems?
Instructors
– Increases interaction, participation and
attendance
– Measures student comprehension
– Engages students – peaks interest
– Allows for “just in time” teaching
– Improves class retention and student grades
– Provides reports for analysis in Excel
– Compatible with multiple gradebooks
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Why Personal Response Systems?
Students
– Students have a voice and an investment
in the course
– Students become active not passive
learners
– Students participate more, are more
engaged, and more motivated
– Students come to class better prepared
– Student grades improve
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What is your Political Party
affiliation?
Demographics
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1
Other
Republican
Party
1
Democratic
Party
1. Democratic Party
2. Republican Party
3. Other
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Imagine this scenario:
A single father is caring for his two
children, ages 2 and 4. After the
daycare center raises their rates, he
is faced with the reality that the cost
of daycare is more than his takehome pay from his full-time job.
From: Carla Sofka, Sienna
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If you were this person, which solution would you
choose to solve this problem?
A.
B.
C.
D.
I would become “Mr. Mom” and
apply for welfare to cover the bills
until the children go to school.
I would go back to school with the
hopes of getting a higher paying job
in the future.
He should keep working and figure
out a way to “get by” until the
children go to school and aftercare
costs will get lower.
Other – I have a better idea!
0%
0%
0%
A
B
C
0%
D
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If I put you in a room with someone who has been
diagnosed with a life-changing, possibly terminal
illness, how comfortable would you be speaking with
him/her?
1. Totally comfortable
2. Somewhat comfortable
and somewhat
uncomfortable
3. Totally uncomfortable
4. Not sure
0%
0%
0%
A
B
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Do you believe that a person has the right to request
helping in dying (assisted suicide)?
1. Yes, under any circumstances.
2. Yes, but only under very
specific circumstances
3. Unsure
4. No, definitely not.
5. Other:
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
A
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How much should children be told if a parent or close
family member has been diagnosed with a lifechanging, life-threatening, or terminal illness?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Children have a right to know
everything.
Children have a right to some
information but should not be told
everything.
Children should not be told.
Unsure
0%
0%
0%
A
B
C
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Coming Spring 2006:
Helping Professions Learning
Center (HPLC)
5 SECTIONS:
– 1. Video Activities*
– 2. Case Studies*
– 3. Flashcards
– 4. Professional Development Center
– 5. Research and Writing Center
* Supported through critical thinking activities and
assignments
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Questions?
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