On 17th October 2017, Prof. Dr. Obiora Ike, Globethics.net Director, gave a presentation on the importance of introducing ethics and values in the classrooms at the World Conference on Online Learning.
The 3 day conference was hosted at the Sheraton Center in Toronto, Canada during the 16th – 19th October and was part of the 27th edition of the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) World Conference. This year, the focus was on ‘Teaching in The Digital Age – Re-Thinking Teaching & Learning'.
In his detailed +30 page presentation, Prof. Ike gave a deep analysis of the current social and cultural climates, providing insights on the economy, religion, culture, the environment and the world agenda in reference to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The main driving point of Prof. Ike's analysis was pinned on the question of values, specifically what values should we be teaching the next generation of leaders in the rapidly changing world and, equally as important, how?
Prof. Ike shared about the importance of ethics referring to what he perceives as a 'legitimacy crisis in national politics' brought about by globalisation. In the absence of ethics and dialogue, we see 'emerging trends of populism, protectionism, nationalism and far right politics in general'.
Another aspect of the presentation spoke about the role of Globethics.net in the global values crisis; in his words, Globethics intends to address contemporary challenges with 'inclusive dialogue on ethical reflection, action and cooperation to face the challenges posed by a post-globalised world, globally, regionally and locally'.
Further insights gave reference to the work of former Chief Ethics Officer for the United Nations on 'Why be Ethical' and Globethics.net's own institutional document 'Globethics.net Principles of Sharing Values across Cultures and Religions'.
