What should a code of ethics address
There are many opinions and examples of what a code of ethics should include and how it should be used. For example, Gordon and Sork (2001) in their study of adult educators found that confidentiality and the treatment of learners were of most interest to educators. Instructor behaviour and the learner--adult educator interrelationship are other frequently suggested concerns (Gordon and Sork ,2001). It is also suggested that an ethical code should be aspirational (Sork, 2009; Hatcher and Storberg-Walker, 2011) rather than punitive. This would facilitate setting high the collective ethical ambition of the profession (Hatcher and Storberg-Walker, 2011) while generating pride and optimism in the industry.
In lieu of a universal code of ethics, many institutions or professional bodies have proceeded to develop their own code of ethics. Sork (2009) identifies the Singapore Association for Continuing Education (SACE) as an institution that has introduced a code of its own and Lawler (2001) discusses in detail the code of ethics that the Association for Continuing Higher Education (ACHE) adopted.
In lieu of a universal code of ethics, many institutions or professional bodies have proceeded to develop their own code of ethics. Sork (2009) identifies the Singapore Association for Continuing Education (SACE) as an institution that has introduced a code of its own and Lawler (2001) discusses in detail the code of ethics that the Association for Continuing Higher Education (ACHE) adopted.