What is an ethical dilemma?

1. IB Learner Profile Trait: Thinkers Students exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions.

2. What is an ethical dilemma? An ethical dilemma is a choice between two (or more) conflicting moral perspectives where neither choice provides a perfect solution Does everyone agree about what is ethical and what is not? Why might people disagree?

3. Why be ethical? It’s not always easy to be ethical, so why bother? Different people have different reasons: some do it to gain respect from their peers, or to increase their own self-esteem. Others believe their good behavior pleases God or brings them rewards like success in school or work. These are all valid reasons. What is your reason?

4. The IBCC Reflective Project Reflective: a. Of, relating to, produced by, or resulting from reflection b. Capable of or producing reflection: Characterized by or given to meditation or contemplation; thoughtful

5. What is the Reflective Project (RP)? How will it help me? • The reflective project is an in-depth body of work produced over an extended period and submitted towards the end of the IBCC. It is a product of your own initiative. • You are required to identify and explore an ethical dilemma associated with an issue that arises from your career-related studies and then develop a well-reasoned argument based on appropriate supporting evidence. • The aims of the reflective project are to allow you to: • produce an extended piece of work • engage in personal inquiry, action and reflection on a specific ethical issue as related to your attitudes, values, and views • develop research and communication skills • develop the skills of critical and creative thinking.

6. What are ethics and an ethical dimension?What is an ethical dilemma? Ethics is based on a set of moral principles of a society or culture that helps to guide behaviors, actions and choices. The ethical dimension refers to the range of ethical aspects related to an identified topic. Within an ethical dimension there are ethical dilemmas. An ethical dilemma is a choice between two (or more) conflicting moral perspectives where neither choice provides a perfect solution. In the context of the reflective project, you are required to examine an ethical dilemma by examining the advantages and disadvantages of each moral perspective.

7. What is required in the RP? • The issue • Explain the issue and place it in context. It is important to realize that the issue itself is not the primary focus of the reflective project. • The ethical dimension • Examine an ethical dilemma associated with the issue and examine two (or more) perspectives in a fair and equal manner. This is the primary focus of the reflective project. • The research • Provide evidence of research that supports the differing viewpoints on the issue and its ethical dilemma. • An evaluation • Evaluate the viewpoints on the ethical dilemma and then articulate your own point of view based on reasoned argument. • References, citations and a bibliography • The project is an academic piece of work and should be presented as such. References, citations and a bibliography ensure intellectual honesty and allow the readers to source the evidence themselves.

8. Developing a good research question Although descriptive projects can be very interesting, they do not fit the requirements of the reflective project. The problem here is that descriptive projects lead to a single answer or an explanation of why a situation has arisen. These projects simply describe a social phenomenon or situation. Interrogative projects, on the other hand, provide a discussion and debate on differing points of view related to an issue that has an ethical dilemma. Students must consciously develop a research question that will lead to an interrogative project not a descriptive project.

9. Research Question: Interrogative or Descriptive? • A student has developed the following research question: “Why are so few women in the UK involved in business?” • This question leads to a descriptive project about what is happening in a specific context and requires some research on statistics to justify the explanation given. A better-formulated question leading to an interrogative project would have been: “Should positive discrimination in the workplace be promoted if it leads to more women in senior company positions?” • A student has developed the following research question: “Is the practice of hotels being exclusively for adult-only, as opposed to child-friendly, widespread?” • Again, this is a question that leads to a simple yes or no answer following a description of the data that has been researched. A better-formulated question would have been: “Are adult-only hotels and resorts discriminatory?” • A student has developed the following research question: “Why do teenagers use cyberbullying to harass others? What are its effects on the victim and what can be done about it?” • This question initially asks simply for the reasons behind a phenomenon and then the consequences of this. It then requires solutions to the situation. A better-formulated question would have been: “Would it be acceptable for school authorities to insist on access to the internet accounts of their students in order to prevent cyberbullying?”

10. A good question on a controversial issue with no ethical dilemma • It is possible to design a question on a controversial issue that has no ethical dilemma. For example: “Would the introduction of video refereeing improve the modern game of football?” • This is an open question that would encourage different points of view and would lead to a good discussion and debate. However, it does not involve an ethical dilemma and, therefore, cannot be used in a reflective project. Make sure that any question you create on an issue does have an ethical dilemma.

11. Which of these are good research questions? • Essential: Does it explore an ethical dilemma of an issue related to a career study? Does it encourage different viewpoints on a socially significant topic? • Tourism • Your issue could be tourism associated with fragile ecosystems. “Should tourism be restricted in fragile coastal areas?” • Business and marketing • Your issue could be the impact of advertising on young children. “Should advertising be banned on children’s television programmes?” • Media studies • Your issue could be the public interest. “Should the media publish stories that are in the public interest, even if it affects the private life of an individual?” • Police studies • Your issue could be crime prevention. “Should governments install cameras in all public areas, which may impact on freedom and privacy?” • Sport/outdoor education • Your issue could be the education of elite athletes. “Is it appropriate that elite athletes are offered scholarships to attend particular universities?” • Banking • Your issue could be bonuses for executives in government-supported banks. “Is it fair and just to pay bank executives big bonuses?”

12. Which is a better ethical dimension question for your RP? • Is child labor common in some countries? • Knowing that many poor communities rely on income from all family members, should child labor be entirely illegal? • Should we be concerned with the origin of the wood that we use? • Knowing that many communities rely on woodcutting, should we forbid the use of wood that is not from sustainable forests? • Would the introduction of video referring improve the modern game of football? • Should a club be excluded from competitions because of the behavior of its fans?

13. RP Formats: Your ChoiceThere are a variety of formats you can choose from to present your reflective project. Formats allowed are listed below.

14. The Fine Print: Word Count Must Be Between 750 and 3,000 Words (depending on format) • Remember that the examiners will not read beyond the appropriate word limit when assessing the reflective project. • The word count does not include: • acknowledgments • the contents page • maps, charts, diagrams, annotated illustrations and tables • equations, formulas and calculations • citations or references (whether parenthetical or numbered) • footnotes or endnotes • the bibliography • appendices.

15. How is the reflective project assessed or graded? • The reflective project is graded on 10 criteria (see “Appendix C: Assessment criteria”). • Where your reflective project comprises two formats (for example, a radio play with accompanying written report), the assessment criteria will be applied to the overall project. • The levels attainable are 0, 1, 2 or 3 depending on your performance against the criterion in question. There are a total of 30 marks possible. • Grades are determined by the number of marks earned (26–30 = A, 21–25 = B, 16–20 = C, 10–15 = D, 0–9 = E). • Samples of student projects are sent to an IB nominated moderator outside of the school to confirm marking. • Examiners will not read beyond the appropriate word limit when assessing the reflective project. • The IB will award a grade based on the mark. • Any student awarded a grade of E for the reflective project will not be awarded the IBCC.

16. How do I start the reflective project? • 1. read the student guide and become familiar with the expectations • 2. identify a topic and develop a good question for your reflective project • 3. spend time working out the research question • Undertake sufficient preparatory reading on your chosen issue. Read a selection of articles, newspapers, magazines, books and websites that will help you determine the significance of your issue and formulate a good reflective project question. As you read, underline or note down key words, phrases and ideas that can be used to further your search for information. Keep in mind the reflective project guidelines. • Formulate a well-focused research question on an issue. If you discover that it will not be possible to obtain the evidence needed in the time available, the question should be changed. This should be done sooner rather than later. You should not lose time waiting and hoping that something will turn up. Rather, start the research process over again and develop a new question. • choose a new topic and a research question that can be answered if there is a problem with the original topic

17. 10 Criteria • The issue in context • Community awareness • Ethical dimension • Cultural awareness • Reasoning • Supporting evidence • Student voice • Reflection • Communication • Presentation

18. Criterion A: The issue in contextThis criterion assesses the student ’s knowledge and understanding of the issue as well as the ability to analyze diverse perspectives on the issue. Also, this criterion assesses the student’s ability to contextualize the issue, which could be in terms of, for example, education, technology, politics, economics, the environment or the workplace.

19. This criterion assesses the student ’s awareness and understanding of the impact t of the issue on the community. The community could be local or global.

20. This criterion assesses the student’s ability to explore the ethical dimension of the issue using a balanced approach.

21. This criterion assesses the student’s awareness of cultural influences on the ethical dimension of the issue.

22. This criterion assesses the student’s reasoning processes, ability to evaluate material and ability to think logically.

23. This criterion assesses the student’s ability to collect and use relevant information from a variety of sources.

24. This criterion assesses the student’s ability to express a personal view on the issue using a range of relevant evidence.

25. This criterion assesses the student’s ability to reflect on the insights gained through exploration of the issue.

26. This criterion assesses the effectiveness of the language used in the project and the ability to communicate important terms, concepts, ideas and their application.

27. This criterion assesses the ability to organize the project in terms of coherence and structure. Documentation style is also assessed.

28. On your “My Plan” Type: What type of format will you use? Will you be writing an essay? Creating a website? Writing a play? Describe what you are planning to do.

30. My Plan Issue: Explain what is going to be the issue of your project. Remember to tie it to your career-related studies. Ethical dilemma: What is the ethical dilemma you will be addressing in your project? Perspectives: What are the two (or more) sides to this ethical dilemma of the issue that you will be researching? A: B: Others? Type: What type of format will you use? Will you be writing an essay? Creating a website? Writing a play? Describe what you are planning to do. Research/Resources: What are your primary sources? Have you organized a system to keep track of your sources?

32. What is my point of view on this? Can I justify this?What supporting evidence could be gathered? What is relevant data? You are required to find a range of evidence from a variety of sources, which provide contrasting views of the issue and the associated ethical dilemma. The evidence should be referred to all the way through your project and not simply something that is put together at the end of your project.

33. Key Elements to Keep in Mind Early On in the Process of Developing Your Question: How will community awareness be demonstrated? What does your topic and issue have to do with the community? Who or what does it affect? How has local/national culture influenced the perspectives on the issue? What supporting evidence could be gathered? What is my point of view on this? Can I justify this?

34. Some students are studying health care as their career-related study. An area they might encounter in their studies is childhood obesity. The reflective project issue might be “Is it appropriate for the government to ban certain food and beverages from being sold in state schools in the United States?” Apart from exploring the ethical dimension associated with the government enforcing laws to protect the health of young people, the student could also explore different cultural views on food and childhood obesity. Culture in the context of the reflective project could be analysed from a local, national or global perspective.

35. Where could you find relevant data? • This could and should come from multiple sources, such as: • statistics from reputable sources (for example, those provided by government organizations, professional organizations and non-governmental organizations) • an interview conducted with an authority or an expert on the issue in question • this could be conducted by yourself or be an interview that has been published elsewhere. • an essay, article or book on the subject • documentaries • credible internet sites (for example, those provided by universities, museums, non-governmental organizations and the like). • However, you must exercise some critical judgment when using websites to ensure that the information you use is relevant and credible.

36. What are unacceptable practices? Surveys carried out with your friends, teachers, colleagues from your work placement or your parents Although these sources might have ideas or opinions on the issue, for a survey to have scientific validity it has to be conducted on a larger scale and to be socially representative. Source material that is not fully synthesized Examiners do not have to read pages of appendices of statistics so you must summarize the data that you use and ensure it is part of the main body of your argument. This will also make your arguments more effective. Use yourself as a source You cannot use yourself as your principal source. Long passages copied from the internet or books or journals, which are not analysed in any way If you cite a source, explain how it contributes to the issue under discussion. Using other people’s work or thoughts without citing the source You must not take credit for someone else’s work. This is plagiarism. Always cite your sources and use an appropriate referencing system. Talk to your teacher or librarian about using an appropriate referencing system.

37. My Plan Issue: Explain what is going to be the issue of your project. Remember to tie it to your career-related studies. Ethical dilemma: What is the ethical dilemma you will be addressing in your project? Perspectives: What are the two (or more) sides to this ethical dilemma of the issue that you will be researching? A: B: Others? Type: What type of format will you use? Will you be writing an essay? Creating a website? Writing a play? Describe what you are planning to do. Research/Resources: What are your primary sources? Have you organized a system to keep track of your sources?

38. Brainstorm a list of ethical dilemmas related to your field of study: health sciences or computer sciences

39. How and where you do you find material for this project? MPS Home Students Toolbox

40. How and where you do you find material for this project? • SIRS Discoverer: Social Issues and Leading issues and Research guides • BadgerLink • CultureGrams • World book Encyclopedias • Academic Search • EBSCO Databases • eLibrary • ProQuest – Essential Issues • Student Research Center • Points of Vie Reference Center • Opposing Viewpoints Critical Thinking

41. What do I need to know about academic honesty? Academic honesty is a set of values and behaviors informed by the attributes of the IB learner profile. In teaching, learning and assessment, academic honesty serves to promote personal integrity, engender respect for the integrity of others and their work, and ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge and skills they acquire during their studies. All coursework—including work submitted for assessment—is to be authentic, based on your individual and original ideas with the ideas and work of others fully acknowledged. Make sure all sources have been acknowledged, including all audio/visual material, text, graphs, images and/or data published in print or in electronic sources.