Educating ethically during COVID-19

Abstract

One of the perplexing features of an infectious disease is the damage it causes, not only to physical health, but to mental health and to social relationships. This tension between the separation that is required for safety and the human need for contact is especially felt by institutions of higher education. Many such institutions not only educate students but seek to foster the kinds of communities which have thrived on personal interaction and shared physical space. Different institutions have responded to COVID-19 and its impacts on their members differently. Given that the spring semester will begin months before COVID-19 vaccines are widely available, we offer seven recommendations and argue that for a university, college, or other similarly situated educational institution to ethically respond to the pandemic, it must follow these recommendations. These recommendations are grounded in both scientific research and ethical analysis. Proper ethical analysis, which is necessary for the implementation of good policies, cannot be accomplished without an evidence-based grounding. After describing features of the virus and the situation that faces higher education institutions, in general, we turn to a detailed discussion of transmission. We discuss interventions available to institutions, including masking, hygiene, barriers, and testing and surveillance. Our recommendations are supported by an ethical analysis reliant on four themes: expertise, planning, stewardship, and dignity.

The framing of authority in the ACRL framework on information literacy: multidisciplinary perspectives on truth, authority, expertise and belief

“…Determining the boundaries of expertise becomes especially problematic in complex situations requiring input from a variety of experts, such as the Covid 19 pandemic. As Pilkington et al (2021) note, "understanding who are the proper experts is not always easy" (p. 187). However, they stress that educators must engage these challenges because "institutions of higher education create and foster expertise and so it is necessary that they not only defer to experts, but that they defer to the proper experts" (p. 187).…”

“…Determining the boundaries of expertise becomes especially problematic in complex situations requiring input from a variety of experts, such as the Covid 19 pandemic. As Pilkington et al. (2021) note, “understanding who are the proper experts is not always easy” (p. 187).…”

Exploring social determinants of health: COVID-19 vaccine challenges and solutions

“…For example, consider requirements or requests for masking. 24 Public health policies rooted in the respect for dignity would support masking and other practices that lessen the likelihood that immunocompromised individuals, young children for whom vaccines are not yet available, or others unable to be vaccinated due to health reasons would contract the virus and die. In other words, the suggestion is that the lens through which the health of the public should be considered is one that focuses on the vulnerable.…”

In the midst of imbalance: medical and healthcare students versus SARS-CoV-2

“…The face shield could be related to plexiglass used in supermarkets because both are used as a barrier. Large droplets could be blocked, but barriers such as these would not be effective for aerosolized particles [21]. High-quality cloth masks or surgical masks are preferred over masks with exhalation valves to minimize SARS-CoV-2 spread [22].…”