ETHICS IN ASSESSMENT

Ethics are defined as a “branch of philosophy regarding how people should behave towards others, as well as judgements regarding actions that are used to develop rules and guide choices,” (Henning & Roberts, 2016, pg. 236). In student affairs assessment there are two foundational frameworks for ethical practice: the general ethical standards for student affairs professionals, and the standards for ethical research,” (Henning & Roberts, 2016).

There are several resources available for the professional guidelines and ethical standards for student affairs practitioners, including the American College Personnel Association’s (ACPA) Ethical Principles and Standards, and The Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS), Statement of Shared Ethical Principles. The second framework in the ethical research of human subjects is primarily founded in biomedical and behavioral research (Henning & Roberts, 2016). There are three primary foundational documents that demonstrate the evolution of ethical research and ethical assessment practices. These are the Nuremberg Code (1947), the Declaration of Helsinki (1964) and The Belmont Report by the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare in 1979 (Henning & Roberts, 2016). The ethical codes for human subject research are regulated and implemented by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and by Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) (Henning & Roberts, 2016). The IRB process is discussed in greater detail in Module 10.

The combined general standards of ethical practice in student affairs, and the ethical standards for human subject research yields the guiding principles for ethical assessment practices. Ethical principles are important when choosing a sample, administering and instrument, protecting sensitive data, or engaging in assessment activities involving human participants or their records (Shuh, Biddix, Dean and Kinzie, 2016, pg.51). According to Kitchener (1985), there are five primary tenets for Ethical Assessment: Respecting autonomy, doing no harm, benefitting others, being just and fair, and being faithful.

Participation in assessments should be completely voluntary, with the exception of some educational experience assessments that are necessary to evaluate a program or service and student learning outcomes. Students should not be coerced or pressured to participate. It is important to recognize the effect of implicit and explicit power differentials (Shuh, Biddix, Dean and Kinzie, 2016).

Privacy must be maintained by following institutional, state and federal laws, policies and procedures. It is necessary to protect participants from harm. Student affairs practitioners are responsible for avoiding negligence or “risking or causing harm to others by not conducting work responsibly or acting carelessly” (Shuh, Biddix, Dean and Kinzie, 2016, pg. 56). Assessments may not inflict pain or cause physical harm, and assessors must be cognizant and must anticipate and mitigate potential psychological and emotional distress or embarrassment that their assessment could cause participants.

There are different types of benefits relevant to assessment, such as intangible and tangible benefits (Henning & Roberts, 2016). An example of an intangible benefit would be reporting on how participant input made a difference, or positive change, or improvement. Tangible benefits for participation in an assessment could be free food or another incentive (Shuh, Biddix, Dean and Kinzie, 2016). Assessments must benefit the participants as well as other individuals.

Assessments should be conducted with “impartiality, equity and reciprocity (that is, adhering to the golden rule),” (Shuh, Biddix, Dean and Kinzie, 2016, pg. 57). The golden rule explains that one should treat others as he/she wants to be treated. Equity includes being mindful of the underserved students, unheard student voices, and under-represented students.

Student Affairs assessment practitioners are to be honest, to share and use accurate data, and to be respectful of sensitive content. Results of assessments should not be falsified or concealed (Shuh, Biddix, Dean and Kinzie, 2016). All results of the assessment should be shared, both the negative results, which demonstrate the opportunity to improve, and the positive results (Henning & Roberts, 2016). It is important to utilize appropriate assessment methodologies and collaborate with other assessment practitioners when selecting a methodology. All participants must be fully informed about the purpose of the assessment, how their information will be used, limitations and any additional information that is relevant for their informed consent (Henning & Roberts, 2016). Individuals have the right to not participate or stop their participation in the assessment at any time (Shuh, Biddix, Dean and Kinzie, 2016).