Having reviewed the values statements of four very different professional associations (ALT, BRACP, AMED, RAE), some interesting differences in values and focus are evident.
All emphasize, to a greater or lesser extent, the importance of professional being a credit to their association by pushing themselves to be as knowledgeable and wise about their profession as they can be. In some cases this means that professionals have to meet stringent entry standards, and must be prepared to continue their professional development, and to share their knowledge and experience with others in the association.
Of the four, BRACP and RAE have a much stronger emphasis on the service aspects of their duties as professionals (counselling and psychotherapy on the one hand and engineering on the other).
Perhaps because of the intensely personal relationship that a client develops with a counsellor or therapist, there is a heavy focus on the professional relationship with the client and the quality of outcome that the client can expect. Alleviating personal distress and enhancing the quality of relationships between people are explicit examples of this bias. There is also a strong emphasis on a promoting the role and benefit the profession offers to society. Respecting human rights and dignity and striving for the fair and adequate provision of counselling and psychotherapy services are important enough values to be clearly articulated.
All emphasize, to a greater or lesser extent, the importance of professional being a credit to their association by pushing themselves to be as knowledgeable and wise about their profession as they can be. In some cases this means that professionals have to meet stringent entry standards, and must be prepared to continue their professional development, and to share their knowledge and experience with others in the association.
Of the four, BRACP and RAE have a much stronger emphasis on the service aspects of their duties as professionals (counselling and psychotherapy on the one hand and engineering on the other).
Perhaps because of the intensely personal relationship that a client develops with a counsellor or therapist, there is a heavy focus on the professional relationship with the client and the quality of outcome that the client can expect. Alleviating personal distress and enhancing the quality of relationships between people are explicit examples of this bias. There is also a strong emphasis on a promoting the role and benefit the profession offers to society. Respecting human rights and dignity and striving for the fair and adequate provision of counselling and psychotherapy services are important enough values to be clearly articulated.
The Royal Academy of Engineering launches their statement of ethical principles with a description of the role of the engineer as being to "work to enhance the welfare, health and safety of all whilst paying due regard to the environment and the sustainability of resources." And whilst professionalism and professional development is clearly at the heart of their ethical principles, these qualities are described much more from the perspective of the value and service that these principles provide to society (Professional engineers have a duty to ensure that they acquire and use wisely and faithfully the knowledge and skills needed in their work in the service of others.)
The Association for Management Education and Development, a UK association which is open to anyone operating in the field of organisation development, places much greater emphasis on the context in which their work is operating. Their values identify important elements that undoubtedly have a significant impact on the effectiveness of OD initiatives; the relationships between people and the organisation, change as a key catalyst in development, the contribution of development to the changing world. The skills and knowledge of members is not mentioned, although openness to feedback is.
In the case of ALT values, particular focus is given to the integration of the two key areas of expertise - technology and learning, both of which play a part in the effectiveness of the ALT professional. ("Learning technology is the broad range of communication, information and related technologies that can be used to support learning, teaching and assessment")
That duality of competence may also account for the fact that learning from others outside of their background and specialism is seen as an important value. In the rapidly changing territory which technology inhabits, the emphasis on being up to date with developments and being open to inputs from other professionals seems essential if Learning Technology is to emerge as a viable and relevant profession.
1. A commitment to exploring and understanding the interplay between technology and learning
2. A commitment to keep up to date with new technologies
3. An empathy with and willingness to learn from colleagues from different backgrounds and specialisms
4. A commitment to communicate and disseminate effective practice
Since the profession of Learning Technologists is very embryonic in its evolution, its values and principles are likely to be at a similarly formative stage. However, the lack of client or learner focus in the current value statement would seem to be a significant oversight, as is the absence of any higher purpose in the application of the professionals' skills.
Since the profession of Learning Technologists is very embryonic in its evolution, its values and principles are likely to be at a similarly formative stage. However, the lack of client or learner focus in the current value statement would seem to be a significant oversight, as is the absence of any higher purpose in the application of the professionals' skills.
References:
Association for Learning Technology (2006) Documents (online). Available from: http://www.alt.ac.uk/documents.html (Accessed 30th November 2009)
British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (n.d.) Ethical Framework (online). Available from: http://www.bacp.co.uk/prof_conduct/ (Accessed 3rd December 2009)
Royal Academy of Engineering (2007) Engineering Ethics. Available from: http://www.raeng.org.uk/societygov/engineeringethics/default.htm (Accessed 3rd December 2009)
The Association for Management Education and Development
http://www.amed.org.uk/ (accessed 3rd December 2009),
http://www.amed.org.uk/ (accessed 3rd December 2009),
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