This week’s topic is relatively unfamiliar and obscure to me. Although the ethics problems are unpopular to some extent (compare with the design theories and the like), it is indeed an indispensable aspect we need to concern when we implement an instructional design or intend to improve HPT in a certain context.
Guerra brought me to see the specific standards and ethics in Human Performance Technology, and guided me to glance over the related theories in the field of society and psychology. So what is the relation between the ethics and HPT? I learned that ethics and performance standards are integral to the competence of HPT professionals and the value they add. The ethics and performance standards also could shape the way we view, solve and avoid performance problems like the basic models do to us. Ethics is about the values, and it seeks to analyze what is considered correct and wrong in a moral context. It finally establishes principles of right behavior to guide the actions of individuals and groups. From this point of view, it closely connects with the human performances because ethics is to measure the behaviors of human. We may easily ignore this point, but the ethics is really important to consider during our implementation in HPT. Having or increasing our awareness of ethical and professional standards would enhance our possibility of adding values to our organizations, communities and not least of all ourselves and our families. Therefore, the key factors proposed by scholars should be noted to take a retrospect to measure the appropriateness towards our work as potentially an HPT professional.
Likewise, the standards can help us communicate with our clients, consultants, student peers and other stakeholders in a common sense. The most classic IBSTPI standards for instructional designers are valuable tools for any practitioners to review their competencies and decisions from the aspects of knowledge, skill and attitude. This model went three phases as identification of foundational research, competency drafting and competency validation and rewriting, which are really applied to the practical situations in the workplace. The four categories of resulting instructional designer competencies covered the critical parts we need to cultivate for ourselves. In the ISPI standards for HPT professionals, ten HPT standards can also help to validate a student’s preparations for this field. Overall, they are both of great value to follow the basic regulations in this field for us.
Reference:
Guerra, J. A. (2006). Standards and ethics in human performance technology. In J. A. Pershing (Ed.), Handbook of human performance technology (3rd ed.) (pp. 1024-1046). San Francisco: Pfeiffer.
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