Entering into any profession involves formulating a concept of oneself as a high-quality professional who will inevitably confront ethical dilemmas, especially in a career area that is evolving rapidly.  The nature of these dilemmas, as well as the standards by which to evaluate them, provide an ongoing persona and professional challenge which can be alleviated by the existence of group consensus on appropriate actions and values.  If adopted by new entrants into the field in the form of a professional oath, this vision of the ideal professional can provide both guidance and validation throughout a career.


GOALS

• to build a sense of professional community by working together in career-related groups
• to  improve skills in group processes, productivity and product
• to examine the essential skills and attitudes necessary for achievement at the highest personal and professional levels
• to identify ethical qualifications for entrance into a profession as well as for continuing within it
• to locate and review codes of behavior generated by professional associations and/or employers which govern participants' actions
• to rev iew the penalties or sanctions incurred if these codes are broken
• to combine the elements listed above into a description of an idea professional in ethical attiudes, skills and actions
• to codify these elements into an oath which could be taken by a new professional just entering a career or academic field

PROCEDURES

SETUP FOR PROJECT

1. form a work group of 2-3 classmates who share a major and/or career aims, or ones very similar to each other.  Exchange contact information and availability to work together. ( It is possible to work alone if student feels strongly, but this is discouraged since it defeats the goal of using this project to increase skills in group interaction.)
2. identify the field -and possibly the subfield--which will be the focus of this project
3. meet to review group dynamics materials:  "Working in Groups"
4. review requirements for this project
5. discuss, record and email to instructor:
1.  each group member's strengths and weaknesses
2. ways of meeting with each other and keeping in contact
3. division of responsibilities 
4. timelines for completion of sections of project

RESEARCH

1. academic and experiential requirements for entrance into the profession.  Are there "gatekeeping" requirements such as state or national exams, or background checks? Idenitfy ethical dimensions of the implications of these requirements.
2. identify highly admired practitioners; explore the apparent "honor code" which makes them objects of admiration personally and professionally
3. what are typical responsibilities and duties within this profession?  Where do ethical dilemmas typically present themselves?  Give a cogent, recent example or two from your research.
4. locate existing ethical controls on professionals, such as conduct codes generated by professional associations, governing or oversight groups, or law.  What types of behavior do they reward? Penalize?
5. challenge level: look for evidence of evolving situations or discoveries that may impact ethical decisions in the future 
6. the culmination of your groups' presentation will be your creation of an oath which could be taken by anyone entering your field, exemplifying the ighest qualities expected of a practitioner.  First, determine whether any such oath now exists.
7. Next, BE SURE to read Sulmasy's article and ESPECIALLY Clanton's PowerPoint on oaths.  Both are available as a link to "Oaths Research"  from our course home page on Blackboard. Match contents of any existing oaths to Clanton's list of typical elements in oaths.

GROUP SELF CHECK AT MIDPOINT

1. Review and assess group functionality using the Group Dynamics PowerPoint titled "Unit 4: Working in Teams." The link can be found on our class Blackboard site..  
2. Email instructor with results once you have evaluated group successes and areas for improvement in the final stages of planning
3. As a group, review the status of your research on Items 1-5 above; identify gaps and remediate within the week.
4. Begin to plan class presentation.  Start by viewing  "Oral Presentations."
5. Use "Oral Presentations" as a guideline for your own 10-minute group presentation to the class, knowing that it will be used to prepare the scoring rubric.

PRESENTATION GUIDELINES--PERFORMANCE

• Presentations must be 10-12 minutes per group

• Presentations must be given on the assigned date; since the semester is ending, it will NOT be possible to postone  presentations

• Presenters should appear well-dressed and professional in keeping with the professional focus of the topic; materials useed in presentation should be equally carefully prepared

• All group members must participate in a meaningful way that equalizes the work load among members, although all need not speak

• Performance elements will be evaluated using the criteria from "Oral Presentations," as noted above

PRESENTATION GUIDELINES--CONTENT

• Must include a works cited/references sheet including 10 or more resources, including Sulmasy's article and Clanton's PowerPoint.  Make 25 copies to distribute to instructor and classmates during presentation.
• Must include some sort of visual aid--poster, PowerPoint, video clip--that is smoothly and appropriately used to illustrate one or more important points in the presentation
• Should focus on the picture of the ideal professional within your chosen field--personality traits, values, skills
• Should examine the stresses and ethical challenges endemic to the present and/or future of the profession
• Should inform the audience on the ways that the current structure and cultural norms of the profession encourage or discourage optimal performance and values
• Should include behavior codes, oversight groups or other existing controls which favor ethical behavior
• Should culminate in the presentation of the group's oath, with a rationale for its content and, if necessary, its format, plus an indication of the career point at which it should be administered

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