© koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2023 | doi:10.1163/9789004682580_049
chapter 44
History of AECT Professional Ethics
Vicki S. Napper, Abbas Johari and Andrew R.J. Yeaman
Abstract
This history of the Professional Ethics Committee has its roots in the National Educa-
tion Association Code of Ethics from 1929 until 1970 when the Association for Edu-
cational Communications and Technology was formed. This chapter highlights the
creation of principles of ethics from 1929 onward through to the current Code of Pro-
fessional Ethics adopted by AECT. The various principles discussed grew out of ethical
concerns about technology usage in educational settings over time. This chapter also
provides a discussion of the principles from the 2001 and 2018 version of the Code, a
copy of the Code of Conduct, and a description of the development of the Professional
Ethics Committee. A listing of scenarios developed to illuminate the Code principles
in work and educational settings is provided also.
Keywords
code – ethics – conduct – principles – guidelines – code of ethics
1 Introduction
The modern Code of Professional Ethics for the Association for Educational
Communications and Technology (AECT ) is a product of the membership’s
group experiences gained through interaction with technology, educational
processes, and people. They are not laws but rather statements of concern and
guidelines for action. Our professional organization is distinct from both edu-
cational institutions and technology developers because we have integrated
those disciplines into a unique blend of principles that focus is on the ethics
of educational communication with technologies and technology-related edu-
cational processes.
This discussion of Professional Ethics within AECT is a companion piece
to the history of the formation of the Professional Ethics Committee and our
Code of Ethics as presented in Professional ethics and educational technology
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