Mr Mcel Ethical Dilemmas

There are many other things for Mr. Mocel to consider when making his decision about Lauren’s online test failure and his decision will ultimately reflect his morals. This ethical dilemma deals with professionalism, syllabus policies, and personal relationships. The stakeholders in this ethical dilemma would include Lauren, Mr. Mocel, other current students of Mr. Mocel’s biomechanics online course, other professors and administrators in the department of Exercise Science. In this specific ethical dilemma, the best solution for Mr. Mocel and Lauren is not so visible. There are many different people and situations to consider when making this decision for Lauren. The 3 following solutions address the dilemma that Mr. Mocel faces. These include, Mr. Mocel letting Lauren re take the final examination in hopes that Lauren keeps the re-take private, Mr. Mocel not letting Lauren retake the final examination because he doesn’t want to go against his policy but allowing her to complete an alternate assignment to achieve a passable, or that Mr.

Mocel not letting Lauren retake the final examination and making her retake the course.
When assessing the first solution mentioned to Mr.

Mocel’s ethical dilemma with Lauren, Carol Gilligan’s Ethics of Care framework supports the decision to let Lauren retake the final examination. The Ethics of Care framework highlights the importance of everyone having a voice and being listened to and respected (Gilligan, 2011). In this solution, Lauren wants Mr. Mocel to believe her in what happened with her laptop and respect her as the hardworking student that she has proved herself to be to state the fact that she deserves another chance to take the final. In the same light, by Mr. Mocel allowing Lauren to re-take the final examination, Mr. Mocel wants Lauren to understand the risks associated with his decision which might potentially get him in trouble. Likewise, by allowing Lauren to retake the final examination, Lauren needs to respect Mr. Mocels privacy and promise to keep the re-take of the exam between the two of

them.
Additionally the ethics of care framework agrees with the ideas that as humans, especially in relationships, we are naturally empathic and geared to cooperate with others as best as we can (Gilligan, 2011). Mr. Mocel cares a lot about Lauren due to fact that she has managed to work part time and take six courses while achieving at such a high level. Mr. Mocel trusts Lauren and knows that Lauren would not lie about her laptop crashing. Even the fact that Lauren tried to set up a meeting time to take the hardcopy of the test shows that she was concerned about her laptop failing and tried her best to find another outlet. This solution supports that Mr. Mocel’s decision on letting Lauren re-take the final examination is based on Mr. Mocel’s individual and personal experiences. This solution shows Mr. Mocels own higher moral ground, honest reflection, sincere respect and desire to help Lauren’s plans after graduation come true.
In terms of evaluating the second solution, many consequentialist theories would support Mr. Mocel’s decision. In The Ethics of Teaching by Strike & Soltis, it states that, “Consequentialist theories hold that the rightness or wrongness of an action is to be decided in terms of its consequences” (Strike & Soltis, 2009, p. 11). If Mr. Mocel did not let Lauren retake the final examination because he did not want to disobey his own policy in his syllabus, but instead allow Lauren to complete an additional assignment to provide her with a chance to still pass would be an example of a consequentialist decision. In this solution, Mr. Mocel is not disregarding his syllabus, but rather making an extension for Lauren. In other words this decision allows Mr. Mocel to still follow his policy while providing a chance for Lauren to achieve a B or higher in his course which stresses the idea of benefit maximization. Benefit maximization agrees that the best actions are the ones that produce the best overall results to a situation (Strike & Soltis, 2009, p. 11).
Mr. Mocel knows that if he does not allow Lauren a chance to re-take the test or submit another assignment, he will force Lauren to have to retake this course next semester which will make her work more to pay off the fees and in essence set her plans for after college aside. From the relationship Lauren and Mr. Mocel have gained from the past year, he knows that he has to be able to find a way to help and fix Lauren’s online failure problem with the final examination. If Mr. Mocel were to let Lauren complete another assignment in substitution of the final examination and agreeing to keep the situation private amongst classmates and professors, Mr. Mocel would be producing the most good. Mr. Mocel would not feel guilty in going against his policy or feel guilty in suppressing Lauren’s graduation plans, moreover, Mr. Mocel’s actions would be creating the best set of consequences compared to any other decision made.
The third solution mimics the viewpoints of most nonconsequentialist theories. If Mr. Mocel were to not let Lauren re-take the final examination which will result in her to re-take the whole online course again would suggest that Lauren should be treated like all other students despite the close relationship that Mr. Mocel has with Lauren. Nonconsequentialism expresses the thought of a “common moral idea,” (Strike & Soltis, 2009, p.14) meaning that most actions and ideas should follow a universal law regardless to the circumstances and or situation at hand. Mr. Mocel not giving Lauren a chance to re-take the final examination would be restating the policies that he strictly implemented to show that all students will be treated equally regardless of their work ethic and any online difficulties that might have experienced while completing quizzes and assignments for his course.
Another concept that is widely known in many nonconsequentialist arguments is the concept of the “Golden Rule,” that has been established by German philosopher Immanuel Kant. According to Kant, “The Golden Rule requires that we act in ways that respect the equal worth of moral agents” (Strike & Soltis, 2009, p.15). This idea is generated into the principle of equal respect for persons which exemplifies Mr. Mocel implementing the most consistent decision that follows having equal respect and opportunity for all persons by not permitting Lauren to re-take the final examination. For example, Mr. Mocel is only familiar with Lauren’s situation due to the mentoring that Mr. Mocel has been doing for Lauren. In a nonconsequentialistic viewpoint, it would not be fair for Mr. Mocel to give Lauren a chance to take the final examination because there might be other students experiencing the same difficulties that Mr. Mocel is unaware of. Even though this solution is highly understanding in terms of equality, it does not aid towards helping Lauren reach her goals after graduation, nor aid towards the relationship that Mr. Mocel and Lauren share.
In conclusion, with support from the Ethics of Care Framework, and views from the consequentialism and nonconsquentialism, the solution for Mr. Mocel to not allow Lauren a chance to take the final examination but to allow her to be submit another assignment so that she still has a chance to pass the course allows for the most benefit maximization. Mr. Mocel will have to come up with an additional assignment and Lauren will most likely have to take off work so that she can complete the assignment on a harcopy in Mr. Mocel’s office. This solution also allows for Mr. Mocel to respect his policies and respect other students who were able to complete the final examination. Making Lauren complete the assignment in substitution for her test, shows how much Lauren wants to get a passing grade and heightens her respect that she already has for Mr. Mocel as a professor and mentor. Some may think this is solution is still not fair to the other students in the class or too time consuming for Mr. Mocel and Lauren to address at the end of the semester, but this solution by far presents the most advantages for Mr. Mocel and Lauren.