By Doug Carroll
GCU News Bureau
Five sets of presenters at the seventh Delta Mu Delta Honors Symposium introduced their respective studies on the topic of ethics Monday at the Williams Building lecture hall on the Grand Canyon University campus. Delta Mu Delta is the honors society for the Ken Blanchard College of Business at GCU.
At least two of the presentations are expected to be further developed in time for the annual Research Colloquium in the spring.
Summaries of what was heard Monday:
DR. ANITA CROCKETT
About her: Associate professor at GCU’s Tucson site. Doctorate in nursing research and educational administration from the University of Texas.
Title: “Operational Ethics: The Power of Understanding Others”
Summary: Temperament theory says that in behavior and conversation, the core values of an individual are revealed, especially under stressful circumstances (often found in health care).
Quote: “Groups that work best have a representation of all four temperaments: freedom seeker, identity seeker, control seeker and knowledge seeker. It would be nice to be able to match a nurse’s temperament with that of a patient.”
JOHN STEELE and RICHARD HOLBECK
About them: Both online full-time faculty at GCU. Holbeck is director of online full-time faculty.
Title: “Ethics in Teaching”
Summary: Ethics can be embedded in online curriculum through modeling by instructors, creating a caring classroom, emphasizing the importance of integrity via real-life examples, and integrating faith.
Quote: “Now we’re seeing the importance of the presence of the instructor in online education. Informed and attentive instructors can develop morally motivated students.” (Holbeck)
ELLIOTT GEORGE, LANCE RAO and TYLER OWINGS
About them: All are students in the Ken Blanchard College of Business. George and Rao are seniors; Owings is a junior.
Title: “Perception and Practice of Ethics Among Business Students at a Christian University”
Summary: Previous studies show that male students and younger students are more accepting of ethically questionable behavior. Honor codes and specialized ethics courses can be successful in improving ethical behavior. The trio’s own study is in the works.
Quote: “Age shows that a sense of ethics can develop (over time).” (George)
MARIA QUIMBA
About her: Assistant dean of professional studies for the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions at GCU.
Title: “Education’s Answer to the Call for Radical Transformation in Nursing”
Summary: In a new approach to the instruction of nurses, critical thinking and context are more important — and memorization no longer is sufficient.
Quote: “We are challenging (the status quo in) nursing education. How do we construct curricula for students so that they look differently at patients?”
ALAN GUTHRIE, SHANNA HUSLIG and SHAUNNA ALLUM
About them: All teach in the Ken Blanchard College of Business.
Title: “Faculty Integration of Ethics in Business Courses and Organizational Commitment”
Summary: A qualitative research study of 20 Phoenix-area instructors will examine the correlation between teaching ethics and an instructor’s commitment.
Quote: “Our focus is the academic side (as instructors). Our motivation is to teach well, and hopefully the University does well as a result.” (Guthrie)
Contact Doug Carroll at 639.8011 or [email protected].
