Question What is a good ethical decision making model for a professor who has been asked to teach a class outside his qualification? This has been mandated by his supervisor stating he is as qualfied as anybody else at the university and he has the open time.

Accepted:
February 15, 2009

Comments

The question doesn't specify what is to be taught. That matters. To take an extreme case, only a fully expert, well qualified, person should teach brain surgery. It would indeed be unethical to ask anyone else, or for the non-expert to comply with such a request. Too much hangs on getting things right.

But that's really a rather exceptional case. Fortunately. And most of us (unless we are very senior or in very big departments) from time to time do have to teach outside our areas of real expertise. Which is no doubt good for us (the effort is rarely wasted, and you can often find surprising connections with your main interests). It can be good for the students too. Being taught by someone who is vividly aware of the difficulties for a beginner on the topic, who isn't in danger of making things too complicated too soon, who is willing to share a real sense of exploring an area together (rather than giving oracular pronouncements as an expert), can all be very positive.

Assuming we aren't talking about something too near the brain-surgery kind of case, I can't see that there's much of an ethical issue, then. If needs must, you do the homework, teach the course, make the best fist of it you can, and be honest with the students if and when you get really outside your comfort zone.

Question What is a good ethical decision making model for a professor who has been asked to teach a class outside his qualification? This has been mandated by his supervisor stating he is as qualfied as anybody else at the university and he has the open time. Accepted:February 15, 2009

Question What is a good ethical decision making model for a professor who has been asked to teach a class outside his qualification? This has been mandated by his supervisor stating he is as qualfied as anybody else at the university and he has the open time.

Accepted:
February 15, 2009