Code of Ethics: Privacy Policy

Employees Privacy

In every career there are certain rules that needs to be followed if wanted to excel in their field. The policy is set to protect the teachers and when breached teachers are penalized when found guilty with changeable degrees of reprimand. In some cases, a teacher could have their license cancelled depending on the crime or infraction or a teacher may lose portion of their salary. They can even be placed on suspension. (Beatrice 2013). Some students confide in teachers which may be personal and not in system records. For instance, the student might disclose private information about a personal matter about their families. 

In 2010 there was a report from a high school in Cohasset, Mass., that a supervisor of the name of Talvitie-Siple, was force to resign due to remarks she wrote on Facebook that a parent had sited. (Ki, Dalia 2010). Ethical rules usually prohibit teachers from revealing information about students unless legally required.

Employee Code Of Ethics : Privacy Policy

To maintain and promote the University of Belize's reputation for excellence; the group made suggestions on the corporate ethics code on privacy that its employee are supposed to follow. Breaking the code of ethics can result in termination or dismissal. The code of ethics is important since it distinctly lays out the rules for behavior and provides the preliminaries for a warning.

• Employees will treat UB’s plans and information as confidential, and will not disclose them to people outside of the organization unless when authorized to do so.
• Employees will not disclose students’ information to others for personal use.
• Employees should ensure to protect the integrity and security of any information, pertaining to students and the institution, when travelling, or working in public places.
• Employees will protect their computers, laptops, other mobile devices, and passwords to ensure that sensitive information cannot be stolen.
• All employees will uphold the integrity and the reputation of the University during and after working hours.

Students Privacy

The school system collects information from students e.g., grades, misconduct, etc. The students are evaluated for education outcomes and important goals. Personal information is limited however it depends on the current situation or violation of the code of ethics. (Sandra 2011). In a news article, an Ohio University student was expelled because of the accusation of plagiarism. It was only a short line but due to the honor code that was clearly stated; she had to be kicked out of the Sea Program and sent back to her homeland Greece. ( Alison 2008). Becoming fully aware of the code of ethics can prevent these situations and prepare students for a professional career.

Student Code Of Ethics : Privacy Policy

The University of Belize is an outstanding educational institution, is based upon certain core values, including disciplined individuals, integrity, honor, mutual respect and leadership. These and other core values are a foundation of the University community and the ethical standards of the University and its members. The students acting on behalf of UB is responsible for their ethical conduct uniformed with these policies.

• Personal honor and professional integrity
• Students should maintain high ideals of  personal honor and professional integrity.
• Students should always respect others.
• Appropriate academic conduct
• Not commit academic misconduct, including cheating, plagiarism, falsifying or fabricating data.
• Appropriate use of university facilities
• ‘computing facilities’ use of computing, network, communications and other facilities in the University only when properly authorized, in a correct and safe manner and in accordance with any relevant procedures or policies. This includes use of computing accounts, electronic mail and web access.
• Uphold principles of this code of ethics
• Uphold and promote the principles of this Code of Ethics, and report to the proper authorities those who violate this Code of Ethics or other University regulations or policies.

Conclusion

The University of Belize clearly outlines in both its employee and student code of ethics what is expected from both parties. The employees must keep data confidential by not disclosing any of it to either students or a third party and as well as keeping all assigned laptops or computers safe and with passwords.

Students should maintain an expected level of integrity and conduct themselves appropriately as it pertains to academic misconduct namely cheating, plagiarism, etc. Students should also be aware that they should follow proper procedure when using computers on campus inclusive of the labs and their personal devices.

The University has all of this information readily available online and it is up to the individuals at hand to read, understand and follow the ethic codes which are simple ethical procedures that should be maintained.

References

• Arnold, Beatrice. (2013, October 18). Do's and Don'ts of Teaching. Retrieved from http://amandala.com.bz
• Heussner, Mae Ki. Fahmy, Dalia. (2010, August 19). Teacher Loses Job after commenting about students, parents on Facebook. Retrieved from https://abcnews.go.com
• Go, Alison. (2008, August 14). Two Students Kicked off Semester at Sea for Plagiarism. Retrieved from https://www.usnews.com
• Fulton, Sandra. (2011, May 24). Students have Privacy Rights, Too. Retrieved from https://www.aclu.org
• Photo Credit: https://www.ub.edu.bz/
• Photo Credit: https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/facebook-firing-teacher-loses-job-commenting-students-parents/story?id=11437248