Apa Code of Conduct

The APA Code of Conduct has a specific provision when it comes to Education and Training and this can be found under Standard 7. One of the standards talk about accuracy of teaching where psychologists must "take reasonable steps to ensure that course syllabi are accurate regarding the subject matter to be covered..." The standard however does not preclude the professor modifying the syllabi when the need arises. Thus if the professor believes that assigned readings for example may be too difficult for the students then he or she must modify such in order to the students to advance. Modifying the syllabi or the requirements does not violate the standard set as long as the students are made aware of the changes (Fisher, 2009). This standard is important because it determines how and what students learn. What this standard entails is that the professor must always adjust the course not only to the academic level of the students but also based on their interest. For example a professor may want to teach about development theories but the students may be expecting an introduction to psychology instead. Thus the professor has to alter the course or face the risk of alienating students and getting them uninterested in the course. This is the essence of accuracy of teaching. Those who plan to teach psychology must always be reminded that not all students will have the same motivation as they have. The course or syllabi must meet the requirements of all the students in the class and not just a particular number. One way to do this would be to encourage "information giving" rather than "information getting." Thus instead of providing students answers, the instructor must teach students how to find the answers (Ware & Millard, 1986). Thus to better abide by the code, instructors must teach using a knowledge approach instead of a content approach. The challenge therefore for those who want to teach psychology is learning how to implement alternatives or modifications to the...