EDF4601 Ethics and professional issues
Faculty of Education
EDF4601 Ethics and professional issues is a level 4, 6-credit-point, postgraduate unit from the Faculty of Education, offered in 2023 in Semester 1 at Clayton. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2023
- Semester 1
- Clayton
- Assessment
- Exam 40%
- and 2 other tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2023 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before EDF4601
No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.
After EDF4601
No unit lists EDF4601 as a prerequisite in the 2023 handbook.
Enrolment rules
Prerequisite: Successful completion of an Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) accredited major sequence in psychology.
Corequisite: Enrolment in D5002
Overview
This unit includes a review of the important legislation for psychologists, professional organisations for psychologists, ethics committees and codes of professional conduct. It addresses issues of privacy, confidentiality, privilege and informed consent, professional responsibility in relation to competence, dual relationships and conflicts of interest, the role of the psychologist in court, ethical issues raised by having children as clients, ethical issues in the use of psychological tests, ethical issues in the provision of psychological services to people from a different cultural background, managing the suicidal client, ethical issues in reporting child abuse, the prediction of dangerousness, ethical issues pertaining to service delivery over the internet and by email, and the ethics and responsibilities of supervision. You will pursue a program of readings and assignments which direct attention to ethical, legal and social issues involved in psychological practice. These issues cover relevant legislation, Australian Psychological Society (APS) and other codes of professional conduct for psychologists, registration requirements and some social ramifications of psychological practice.
Offerings in 2023
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| First semester | Clayton | On campus |
Assessment
- Essay on a contemporary issue in professional practice (1600 words or equivalent)40%
- Class presentation of ethical issues (800 words or equivalent)20%
- Examination (ethical and legal issues) (3 hours and 10 minutes) (1600 words or equivalent)40%
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
understand the purpose of legislation relating to the practice of psychology and how to comply with such legislation and appreciate the role of ethics in maintaining the integrity and cohesiveness of the profession
- 2
become familiar with the ethical principles to be adhered to in psychological practice
- 3
understand the psychologist's responsibilities in relation to clients
- 4
develop an appreciation of appropriate professional behaviour in a number of potentially complex situations
- 5
develop decision-making strategies to assist in the maintenance of ethical conduct.
Workload and teaching
- Tutorials24 hours
- Teaching approachActive learning
The minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per teaching period comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study.
Usually, you can expect to engage with:
• 24 hours of scheduled learning delivered on campus via weekly/regular directed learning activities; and
• the remaining hours to be allocated towards self-directed/independent study
Scheduled learning activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.
You will be provided with the opportunity to engage with relevant literature and resources. Further, you will be encouraged to deepen your understanding of topic areas through collegial discussion and debate, and by participating in activities designed to extend your understanding.
Learning resources
Recommended resources
Please visit the unit Moodle site for further information.
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Dr Nicholas Gamble
- Unit Coordinators
- Dr Nicholas Gamble
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for EDF4601?
EDF4601 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is EDF4601 offered?
In 2023, EDF4601 runs in Semester 1 at Clayton.
How much work is EDF4601?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does EDF4601 have an exam?
Yes. The exam is worth 40% of the final mark, alongside 2 other tasks.