Dilemmas and Challenges in Supporting Courses of Ethics, Deontology and Academic Integrity

Abstract

Like any trend and major change in human history, information society and globalisation bring advantages and disadvantages for the individual and for society as a whole. With the extremely rapid circulation of information, increased access to huge databases, the emergence of remote communication media that allow stakeholders to interact in real time, to transfer large volumes of data, situations have also arisen in which individuals or groups have abused these facilities and exploited them for unethical purposes, affecting institutions, academics, individuals from various professional areas, both in terms of image and heritage. Training and integrating future specialists, today students, in the labour market, in the economy, in education, in health or in administration, requires not only the body of knowledge related to the field of study, it is also necessary to train appropriate behaviours, characters and attitudes related to integrity, ethics, and professional deontology. This is achieved by educating, raising awareness among and stimulating young people, in order to build moral values to virtues, so as to have an increased contribution to the performance of the unit in which they operate, while improving the organizational culture of which they belong. Not all students will work in research or education. This is not relevant when we talk about the need to develop long-term ethical behaviours. Today's student, the future professional, may be a serious element of positive influence and appropriate training for future generations, from the department, from business, from an undertaking or from a public institution