Five Ethical Principles in Student Life (2024)

Student development theory reflects the typical developmental tasks commonly engaged by young adults during the point in their lives when most students decide to pursue higher education. Most are making decisions and investing in relationships that will impact them for years to come. Student development theory provides a framework for empowering students in these life tasks.

The five ethical principles that inform our work as student life professionals are 1) Autonomy, 2) Prevent Harm, 3) Do Good, 4) Justice, and 5) Fidelity.

In the goal ofautonomy, we recognize the need for students to become increasingly independent. With a clearer sense of self, students develop an increased sense of confidence and self-direction. Students must answer the question, “What does it mean to become independent and responsible?

Secondly, within this increased sense of autonomy, we must prevent harm. Safety policies (e.g. Community Standards) are designed to prevent harm to individuals and groups; safety plans (e.g. fire drills) are in place to respond to harmful situations should they occur.

However, avoiding harm is not an end in itself; we want to provide the opportunity to do good. Student Life promotes positive modeling, direction and leadership opportunities. Student groups, clubs, and events provide opportunities for students to contribute to a life-giving campus life.

Interacting within a campus context, we treat each other with equity. Student Life professionals value justice; recognizing that individuals are different, we retain objectivity in our perception of each other.

We also understand that trust is critical for developing relationships.Fidelity is reflected in our commitment to confidentiality, professionalism and knowledge of our abilities and limitations. To be most meaningful, trust and confidentiality is embraced by both faculty and students when engaging sensitive issues.

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Five Ethical Principles in Student Life (2024)

FAQs

Five Ethical Principles in Student Life? ›

The five ethical principles that inform our work as student life professionals are 1) Autonomy, 2) Prevent Harm, 3) Do Good, 4) Justice, and 5) Fidelity.

What are the ethical principles of students? ›

Integrity: We're honest and truthful, acting within the law. Intellectual Freedom: We protect freedom of expression and free speech. Equality of Respect and Opportunity: We treat all with dignity and respect. Collegiality: We're inclusive, we work together, support each other and behave appropriately.

What are some ethical examples for students? ›

Kids often learn by example, so you could begin by showing them that sharing should come from a place of selflessness. Encourage the child to share toys with siblings and cousins, share books with classmates, or donate food and clothing to less fortunate children.

Why are the 5 ethical principles important? ›

Reviewing these ethical principles, which serve as the foundation of the guidelines, often helps to clarify the issues involved in a given situation. The five bedrock principles of autonomy, justice, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and fidelity are each vital in and of themselves to a healthy counseling relationship.

What are the ethical responsibilities of a student? ›

Academic Integrity: Academic integrity is the foundation of ethical behavior in education. It means being honest and taking responsibility for your academic work. This includes avoiding plagiarism, properly citing sources, not cheating or engaging in academic dishonesty, and submitting your own original work.

What are the five 5 importance of ethics in student life? ›

Student development theory provides a framework for empowering students in these life tasks. The five ethical principles that inform our work as student life professionals are 1) Autonomy, 2) Prevent Harm, 3) Do Good, 4) Justice, and 5) Fidelity.

What are the 5 ethics in education? ›

The Ethics of Teaching. The five ethics for teachers are fairness, honesty, promise-keeping, respect, and responsibility.

What are ethics expected of a student? ›

treats all other students in an ethical manner, respecting their Integrity and right to pursue their educational goals without interference. This requires that a student neither facilitates academic dishonesty by others nor obstructs their academic progress.

What are the moral ethics of students? ›

What are 5 moral values? Moral values, such as honesty, empathy, respect, compassion, and integrity, serve as guiding principles for individuals. They aid in decision-making, enabling people to distinguish between right and wrong, show kindness to others, and uphold ethical standards in their behavior.

What are examples of ethics for kids? ›

A big part of prioritizing caring is holding children to high ethical expectations, such as honoring their commitments, doing the right thing even when it is hard, standing up for important principles of fairness and justice, and insisting that they're respectful, even if it makes them unhappy and even if their peers ...

What are the big 5 ethics? ›

The Five Factor Model of Personality and Ethical Reasoning

The Big Five model includes five distinct factors, labeled as Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism, Conscientiousness, and Openness to experience.

Why is ethics important for students? ›

Ethics education helps students understand the importance of ethical principles and values, such as honesty, integrity, respect, and responsibility. It teaches students to consider the consequences of their actions and make choices that are beneficial not only for themselves but also for others.

What are the five 5 principles of ethical decision-making? ›

There are five principles to an ethical decision: autonomy (to allow individuals to make their own choice), justice (to treat people in accordance to their needs), beneficence (decisions should be based on one's maximum good), nonmaleficence (to cause no harm), and fidelity (to remain faithful and loyal in the process.

What is ethics in school? ›

"Ethics in educational leadership is understanding the rules, understanding how your actions affect other people and the system as a whole," says Pijanowski. "Then, we've got to understand the various ways in which we all make ethical mistakes. Often, we know what to do, but sometimes do the other thing."

What is ethics for high school students? ›

Ethics are moral principles that determine the standards for human behavior. Even though many ethical standards are similar across societies, there are situations in which ethical views differ. In other words, the rules for right and wrong can be judged differently depending on cultural and even personal beliefs.

What is your work ethics as a student? ›

The ten work ethic traits: appearance, attendance, attitude, character, communication, cooperation, organizational skills, productivity, respect and teamwork are defined as essential for student success and are listed below.

What are the 4 principles of ethics in education? ›

The core of teaching consists of four basic values: dignity, truthfulness, fairness and responsibility & freedom. All teaching is founded on ethics – whether it be the teacher-student relationship, pluralism or a teacher's relationship with their work. Dignity means respect for humanity.

What are the professional ethics of students? ›

treats all other students in an ethical manner, respecting their Integrity and right to pursue their educational goals without interference. This requires that a student neither facilitates academic dishonesty by others nor obstructs their academic progress.

What is the definition of ethics for students? ›

First, ethics refers to well-founded standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do, usually in terms of rights, obligations, benefits to society, fairness, or specific virtues.

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