In scenario number 1, The instructor's expertise, capacity to deliver the course that her supervisor has asked for, and the possible effects on her pupils are the ethical issues raised in the first video. The first ethical concern is Fidelity and Responsibility (Fisher, 2021), which insists that the instructor has a duty to her students to provide them with appropriate teaching as a licensed psychologist. Furthermore, as the instructor has openly acknowledged her lack of understanding in the field of study, accepting the position would breach the Boundaries of Competence guidelines (Fisher, 2021). The chair violated Fidelity and responsibility (Fisher, 2021) by failing to provide safe learning and mentorship to the instructor. It is difficult to find benefits in a class taught by an unprepared instructor. While the experience could potentially be a source of personal and professional growth for the instructor, it could stunt the students and leave them unprepared for the field. This would further perpetuate gaps in competence within the field. Also, although the class would temporarily be prevented from being canceled, which seems like a “pro” in the scenario, the lack of instructor competence and the chair's knowledge of the deficit may cause larger issues with things like accreditation if this choice were discovered by governing bodies. Scenario 2 provides deeper insight into scenario 1 as Jenny discusses with her colleague the discomfort of being asked to teach a class for which she is unprepared. This scenario emphasized the fact that no additional compensation was offered to Jenny even though she was being asked to do work outside of both her scope and her job description. Because it was explained that her male counterparts would have
been compensated if asked, bias in the form of sexism is present in this scenario, which presents other ethical concerns. Although 15 students need the class to graduate, it is not reasonable or ethical to expect that they should receive a sub-par education and just check a box, so to speak. It is equally unethical to place this burden on Jenny to force her hand in cooperating, also known as consequentialism (Fisher, 2021). A possible solution to this scenario would be offering Jenny education and mentorship as she teaches the class. Providing oversight in the form of a more tenured professor who can offer scheduled check-ins might allow Jenny to feel more comfortable. Additionally, the experienced support can offer Jenny a way to fill gaps in her knowledge without having to put the students through a trial-and-error style of learning. Jenny should also receive additional pay for the duration of her additional class. Alternatively, the chair could source the class to a professor who is already qualified to teach and offer Jenny the chance to survey the class so she could feel more prepared
to try teaching similar classes in the future. Fischer, C.B. (2001). Decoding the ethics code (5
th
Edition). Sage Publications, Inc.
