Teaching ethics

Harvard’s Most Popular Course is a Class on How to be Happier

Can Happiness Be Taught? Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar has taught Harvard University’s most popular course: a course on Positive Psychology; that is, he taught his students how to be happy. The course, called PSY 1504 – Positive Psychology,is described as follows: “The course focuses on the psychological aspects of a fulfilling... Read more →


Paradigm Shift in Ethics Education

Giving Voice to Values The benefits of the Giving Voice to Values approach to ethical decision making is it involves students directly by providing them with the tools to speak out against improper behavior. Rather than a focus on ethical analysis in a sterile way, the GVV curriculum focuses on... Read more →


EDI Courses in Higher Education: Are They Doing Any Good?

Boise State's Experiences Last month it was announced that Boise State University was suspending a course following allegations that the in-class instruction had humiliated and degraded some students over their beliefs and values. The suspension affected roughly 1,300 students in 52 sections of UF 200: Foundations of Ethics and Diversity,... Read more →


Creating an Immersive Experience and Active Participation of Students in E-Learning During COVID-19

Engaging Students With Online Instruction My “Ethics Sage” blog this past Tuesday addressed some of the questions for instructors in preparing to create e-Learning experiences using Zoom. Here are those questions. What techniques are available for E-Learning? What are the limitations of E-Learning? How can we develop and nurture an... Read more →


Tips for Teaching Ethics

Why Ethics Education is So Important Today! Earlier this week I blogged about “What Should Be the Goals of Ethics Education”? In today’s blog I expand on those thoughts to address tips for teaching ethics. First, let’s look at whether the way ethics is traditionally taught is the best approach.... Read more →


Cheating During the Pandemic: An Ethical Dilemma in Academia

Do the Ends Justify the Means? It’s no surprise to me that many college students are finding ways to cheat during online testing in our COVID-19 environment. According to a survey by Wiley, 93 percent of instructors think students are more likely to cheat online than in person. One-third said... Read more →


How to Write an Ethics Paper

The Ethics of Writing a Paper on Ethics The following guest paper was written by Kristin Savage. She addresses the underlying values that make for a strong paper on ethics. Given that many colleges and universities already require courses in ethics, this blog describes useful guidelines in writing the best... Read more →


Online Instruction During COVID-19

Advice to Institutions of Higher Education Eighty-six percent of college students claimed in a recent survey they have cheated in some way while in school. According to Kessler International, a firm that provides private investigation services, forensic accounting and digital forensics: “The advent of online schools and increasingly sophisticated mobile... Read more →


Case Study for Use to Teach Ethics of the Coronavirus

Ethics and the Coronavirus I am the author of a textbook on Accounting Ethics (see below). I prepared the case below for accounting instructors to teach students about the ethical issues surrounding the spread of the coronavirus. For additional information, including suggested answers to the questions, contact me at: [email protected].... Read more →


Should a Professor Use Their Own Book For a College Course?

Evaluating Conflicts of Interest Am I guilty of having a conflict of interest in using my own Accounting Ethics textbook for that course? I’ve thought about this a lot in the past and agonized over the answer. Before I share my beliefs, let’s get certain things clear. The choice of... Read more →