SLP 570 Clinic Seminar: Professional Ethics
Gary J. Rentschler, Ph.D.
Fall Semester, 2009

The primary objective of this seminar is to develop your knowledge, understanding, and ability to apply the ASHA Code of Ethics to the professional practice in speech-language pathology. A secondary objective is to develop your critical thinking skills.

We will learn about professional ethics by discussing the basics concepts of ethical thinking and behavior. Case studies will be used as a means of promoting critical thinking and developing your ability to apply the rules, regulations, and ethical standards that impact professional practice. The syllabus gives you a more complete description of the sequence of topics encountered in the course.

The seminar incorporates active learning as much as possible. Active learning focuses on student participation and interaction; compared to passive learning, in which the instructor lectures and students typically sit, listen, take notes (and doze off). We will be doing a lot of small group work and class discussions. As a consequence, it will be important that you complete the reading assignments in preparation for each class to be able to participate in discussions. In the past, it has been painfully obvious when a student hasn't read the material prior to class. Its not a question of if you'll be called upon to contribute in class; its more a of matter of when!

Class periods may sometimes seem unstructured because the flow of the discussions is usually very spontaneous. To assist you in staying on track, learning objectives for each class are offered on the Class Schedule. Additionally, podcasts are available on the student computers in the Resource Room. There is a podcast for almost every class which attempts to summarize the information presented in the class. You are free to download them onto your mp3 player or listen to them with earphones on the computers. Look for the iPod icon on the Desktop to access the podcasts.

Interested in some tips on succeeding in this class? Please notice that many pages have links to other pages where more information can be found. You are responsible for the linked pages too. 'Enlist' in the Seminar Boot Camp for some ideas on how to manage your time effectively and maximize your learning for this class. Also, to understand some of the reasons for how this class it taught, please read my Teaching Philosophy.

This course presents students with the opportunity to meet ASHA Standard III E: Knowledge of Standards and Ethical Conduct. Each student will be expected to meet this standard by:

• describing the purpose and derivation of professional ethics by correctly answering at least 75% of questions on tests and quizzes, and
• identifying at least 75% of the ethical rules and principles in case scenarios.
  

Students with Disabilities. Any student who feels he or she may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss your specific needs. Please contact the Office of Special Student Services at 412-396-6658 in Room 309 Student Union to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. Students with disabilities need to initiate contact at the beginning of the semester.

Academic Integrity. In accordance with School policy, plagiarism will not be tolerated in this course. The Student Handbook defines plagiarism as including "but not limited to: the use, whether by summary, paraphrase, or direct quotation of the published or unpublished work or specific ideas another person without full and clear acknowledgement. It includes the use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic materials" You should be familiar with the University Policy on Academic Integrity.

The textbook for this class is Ethics of Health Care: A Guide for Clinical Practice, 3rd Edition
by Edge & Groves

ISBN: 1-4018-6183-0

© Rentschler, 2009