Moral Obligations in Instructional Design

I really appreciated the Osguthorpe article we read (Osguthorpe, R. T., Osguthorpe, R. D., Jacobs, W. J., & Davies, R. (2003). "The Moral Dimensions of Instructional Design." Educational Technology, 43(2), 19-23.) about the importance of conscience in designing instructional systems and materials.

Osguthorpe identifies 5 consciences, which I think are not really distinct entities, but rather 5 facets of a larger virtue - "conscience," maybe, or "morality." I think I would identify the concept as stewardship.

We're used to hearing it as a religious concept, but I think the idea of stewardship applies very well in the professional world. Think of a small business owner versus the manager of a giant national chain store. The owner of the business has a lot of personal interest, and everything he has hinges on whether his business image succeeds or fails. The manager of a chain store, while his own accountability may vary depending on the company, has a certain amount that is out of his hands, and thus a certain area where he is unconcerned with the professional "consciences." (This, coincidentally, is why cashiers at Target talk to each other while they ring up your purchases and don't really care that you're there, while the lady at the independent toy store asks about how old your little sister is and whether she liked that game you bought for her last month.)

It's tempting, especially when you start getting a little prestige that comes with a master's or doctorate degree, to feel like the world owes you something. It's tempting, when you've landed a nice job, to start feeling like the job is there to pander to your personal whims and comforts. It's so easy, especially in my generation, the Entitlement Generation, to neglect our consciences and the entire industry suffers when we do.

This is why I appreciated the Osguthorpe article, and I think we should work to spread this idea and keep reminding ourselves why we're really here.