COIT20249 Portfolio 3: Applying ACS Ethics to a Ghostwriting Case

This assignment provides a detailed response to an ethical scenario presented in COIT20249 Portfolio 3. The scenario involves a student discovering that their friends are using ghostwriters to achieve good grades. The response outlines the decision to report this academic misconduct, justifying it with elements from the ACS (Australian Computer Society) Code of Professional Conduct, emphasizing honesty, public interest, and responsibility towards the university and hardworking students. The solution also considers the potential loss of friendship but prioritizes ethical conduct and academic integrity. It further explores the negative impacts of cheating and suggests attempting to dissuade friends from such practices before reporting them. The response references specific ACS documents to support the ethical decision-making process.

Running head: PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
Professional skills for Information and Communication Technology: Portfolio 3
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
Portfolio 3
If I get to know about the situation that my friends are paying ghost writers to get good
marks, I will never support them as they are choosing unfair means in getting good marks. This
is mainly because it is completely unfair to the students who are working hard to get a good
grade in the examinations and the assessments. Furthermore, cheating is a serious form of
academic misconduct and therefore, it should not be tolerated, even if my best friend is involved
in it. I will prefer not to hide this matter from the lecturer so that necessary actions can be taken.
I will be choosing to inform my lecturer even if that might result in losing my friends as
according to the ACS code of professional conduct, an individual should be responsible for
working for the public interest with utmost honesty (Acs.org.au, 2018). I should therefore
maintain honesty in my professional carrier and therefore I cannot allow my fellow class mates
to get good marks by cheating. Those classmates further know that it is a serious offense to cheat
on the assignment and even knowing that fact, they chose to cheat and therefore it cannot be
tolerated. According to the code of ethics, a person should not indulge in unfair means and
should accept the responsibilities towards the work. Therefore, my decision of informing the
lecturer about the unfair means and unfair practice is quite justified. I know this will result in loss
of friendship but it will give me an inner satisfaction that I have not involved in any unfair
practice.
The elements of ACS that I will consider the basis of my decision includes by
responsibility towards the public of maintaining honesty in my every action. Furthermore, one of
the aspects of professional code of conduct is that I should encourage my colleagues in
development of their professional careers by honest ways and not by cheating. According to the
ACS document, I should therefore, not tolerate any unprofessional behavior and not promote the

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PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
same as well (Acs.org.au, 2018). Therefore, it is my responsibility towards my University and
the students, who are working hard day and night to get good marks, to unmask the reality of the
students who are getting good marks by simply doing nothing. This will the ethical decision and
will be a correct approach that I should take. I would feel bad that I will lose my friends. I might
therefore try to make them understand the negative impacts of involving in unfair means before
informing the lecturer. If they understand the situation, I might change my decision of informing
the lecturer about the unfair means that the students are using to get good marks.

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PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
References
Acs.org.au. (2018). [online] Available at: https://www.acs.org.au/content/dam/acs/acs-
documents/Code-of-Ethics.pdf [Accessed 28 May 2018].
Acs.org.au. (2018). [online] Available at: https://www.acs.org.au/content/dam/acs/acs-
documents/ACS%20Code-of-Professional-Conduct_v2.1.pdf [Accessed 28 May 2018].