A Qualitative Analysis of Ethicality and Interpersonal Skills in Online Higher Education

https://doi.org/10.9743/JEO.2023.20.4.17

Abstract

It is unclear how online higher education faculty members perceive ethical behavior. Currently, there are no federal or state requirements for faculty to adhere to a set of ethical teaching standards in the United States. This basic qualitative study explored faculty perceptions of ethical behavior and the ethical use of interpersonal strengths in online higher education. The data analysis for this study was 229 written responses from the survey used in Or et al.’s (2022) quantitative study. The findings show that faculty members subjectively viewed ethicality and the related influences on and implications of ethical behavior. While interpersonal skills were viewed as essential to ethical behavior in online higher education, these skills are demonstrated by varying means and have different styles based on class context and the beliefs of students.

Keywords: ethics, online higher education, interpersonal skill, character strengths, online faculty