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This multi-campus proposal seeks to support ethics teaching and learning within existing modules across three core disciplines at MTU: Engineering, Nursing and Social Care. The professional and regulatory basis of the disciplines is a key focus, together with action-oriented ethics based on the Giving Voice to Values (GVV) work of American academic Mary Gentile. GVV is an innovative approach to values-driven leadership. It acknowledges that value-conflicts exist in the work-place – when we know the right thing to do but often feel constrained in taking moral action. The methodology seeks to empower people to act on their values even when faced with adversity.
Central to the project is a Learning Community of MTU colleagues interested in exploring GVV methodology and how this work can be applied across MTU.
Why is this project important?
The project goals support local, national and international priorities.
- At local level, the project will assist in meeting strategic department goals, as it is directly related to the achievement of learning outcomes across the three core disciplines.
- The project outputs will also support the accreditation process associated with graduate professional registration in engineering, nursing and social care (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) 2016, Social Care Workers Registration Board (SCWRB) 2017b, Engineers Ireland 2018).
- The project also supports the Mission of MTU; To lead change and, through education, empower people for a successful future in a globalised world (MTU 2020). Empowerment is central to the GVV approach as it seeks to instil the competencies necessary to enable graduates/staff to act as moral agents, despite adversity in professional life.
- MTU’s mission is also committed to the realisation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The 17 goals and associated 169 targets collectively represent the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. Central to their achievement is a sense of responsible citizenship. This project’s focus on professional ethics in real world settings will help create the moral/ethical motivation for this.
- The project’s focus on professional ethics will also assist MTU to realise its Public Sector Equality and Human Rights Duty (PSD) in accordance with Section 42 of the Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014. The PSD requires public bodies to work to eliminate discrimination, promote equality and protect the human rights of staff and other stakeholders.
- The project imbeds the four key strategic priorities of the National Forum Strategy 2019-21: Professional Development; Teaching and Learning in a Digital World; Enhancement Within and Across Disciplines and Student Success.
What will be delivered or different at the end of this SATLE project?
The project aims to produce an open-access, digital repository of resources to support educators across MTU to meet module learning outcomes of relevance to professional ethics. Essentially GVV methodology offers something new – a move beyond analytical approaches to ethics education towards a focus on action. This action acknowledges/addresses enables and disablers in practice/industry and is supported by peer coaching, pre-scripting and rehearsal. In this sense, the project has a wider reach in terms of fostering the competencies required of our graduates to support moral action as registered professional.
Already the project has garnered interest beyond the 3 core disciplines initially envisaged, as MTU staff express an interest in GVV for a verity of professional and personal roles.
Project News
The project is up and running and well-received by MTU staff to date!
- 29 staff members across MTU attended the project Launch with Professor Mary Gentile on October 5th
- The Project Steering Group agreed more immediate and short-term goals, including dissemination plans
- 18 MTU staff members joined the initial Learning Community Meeting on November 17th
- MTU professional and academic staff members are currently completing the Online Giving Voice to Values MOOC and engaging in reflection on its application in an MTU context - https://www.coursera.org/learn/uva-darden-giving-voice-to-values
- Work on the resource repository has begun…
- Not too late to get involved! – Contact Project-lead – Anna-Marie Greaney – anna.marie.greaney@mtu.ie
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PROJECT LAUNCH EVENT: TUESDAY 5TH OCTOBER (14.00 – 15.00 VIA ZOOM) To learn about Giving Voice to Values (GVV): An innovative approach to values-driven leadership, we held a session delivered by Professor Mary C. Gentile (Ph.D.), creator/director of Giving Voice to Values and the Richard M. Waitzer Bicentennial Professor of Ethics at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. The session formally launched the recently funded SATLE 2020 project: Professional Ethics at MTU: Giving Voice to Values (GVV) in an Irish Context. We were delighted to welcome Professor Mary C. Gentile to lead the session. Among numerous other awards, Mary was named one of the "Top Thought Leaders in Trust: 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award Winners" by Trust Across America-Trust Around the World, January 2015, one of the "Top Minds 2017" in ethics leadership by Compliance Week and was recently inducted into the “Thinkers50 Hall of Fame”.
Her most recent text: 'Giving Voice to Values: An Innovation and Impact Agenda' (Goodstein and Gentile 2021) reflects on the success of GVV to date, and shifts attention to the future of GVV providing insights from practitioners and experts in business ethics and the professions on the possibilities for sustaining its growth and success. This project is part of MTU’s ‘Strategic Alignment of Teaching and Learning Enhancement’ funding from the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching & Learning, coordinated by the Teaching and Learning Unit. |
Who is part of the team?
The project involves an iterative process of co-creation among a number of stakeholders. The Project Lead works in tandem with the multi-disciplinary Project Steering Group, wider MTU Learning Community and External member, Prof Mary Gentile, to realise the project goals. This group includes a cross-campus, cross-discipline and cross-function representation. Members of the Project Steering Group are Listed below.
PORJECT LEAD: Dr Anna-Marie Greaney, Department of Nursing and Healthcare Sciences, MTU Kerry Campus – anna.marie.greaney@mtu.ie
STEM
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ANNE MARIE COURTNEY Department: Nursing and Healthcare Sciences MTU Kerry campuses Email: anne.marie.courtney@mtu.ie |
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PAUL KEANE Department: Mechanical, Biomedical & Manufacturing Engineering MTU Cork campuses Email: paul.keane@mtu.ie |
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DR SEÁN LACEY Department: Mathematics MTU Cork campuses Email: sean.lacey@mtu.ie |
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DR HUGH O’ DONNELL Department: Mechanical, Biomedical & Manufacturing Engineering MTU Cork campuses Email: hugh.odonnell@mtu.ie |
Nursing, Social Care and Humanities
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DR DAWN FARRELL Department: Nursing and Healthcare Sciences MTU Kerry campuses Email: dawn.farrell@mtu.ie |
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ASHLEY GASKIN Department: Creative Media and Information Technology MTU Kerry campuses Email: paul.keane@mtu.ie |
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MAURA JENKINS Department: Applied Social Studies MTU Cork campuses Email: moira.jenkins@mtu.ie |
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DR PAT McGARTY Department: Humanities and Social Sciences MTU Kerry campuses Email: patrick.mcgarty@mtu.ie |
Graduates
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KELLY LANE Quality/Manufacturing Engineer in Boston Scientific Graduate: Dept of Mechanical, Biomedical & Manufacturing Engineering, MTU Cork campuses Email: kelly.lane@mycit.ie |
Collaborative Members
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PROF MARY GENTILE Professor of Practice, Creator/Director, Giving Voice to Values, Darden School of Business School, University of Virginia https://www.darden.virginia.edu/faculty-research/directory/mary-gentile |
