Our code of conduct outlines AECT’s expectations for all members and participants at AECT events.
AECT expects members and event participants to communicate professionally and constructively, whether in person or virtually, handling dissent or disagreement with courtesy, dignity, and an open mind; being respectful when providing feedback; and being open to alternate points of view.
- When sharing information about the organization or via public communication channels, AECT expects its members and event participants to share responsibly and clearly distinguish opinion from fact.
- AECT and the AECT community are committed to providing a friendly, safe, and harassment-free environment for all AECT members and participants.
Unacceptable Behavior
AECT does not tolerate harassment of AECT members, AECT staff, or others involved in AECT events and activities.
Harassment includes offensive verbal or written comments and negative behavior, either in real or virtual spaces, including comments and behaviors that are related to or based on gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion, or other group identity. Harassment also includes the display of sexual images in public spaces, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, and unwelcome physical contact or sexual attention.
Sexual language and imagery are not appropriate for any member venue, including events, talks, workshops, social events, and social media.
Consequences of Unacceptable Behavior
If an AECT member or participant at an AECT event, in either a real or virtual space, engages in inappropriate, harassing, abusive, or destructive behavior or language, the AECT Board of Directors under advisement of the Ethics Committee and/or AECT's legal counsel will determine and carry out the appropriate course of action, including warning the offender, suspension or expulsion from membership in accordance with AECT’s Bylaws and Policies with no membership refund, and/or banning the offender from future AECT membership, events, and activities.
All AECT members are expected to observe these rules and behaviors in all AECT venues, including online venues and conference social events where AECT members seek to learn, network, and enjoy themselves, free from any type of harassment. Please participate as an AECT member responsibly and with respect for the rights of others.
What to Do
If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns about an individual’s conduct, academic integrity, or other ethics related matter, please follow the incident reporting procedures below.
To report an incident or problem, please file a written complaint with the AECT Ethics Committee at aect@aect.org or president@aect.org. The Ethics Committee will investigate the concern and may suggest to the AECT Board of Directors to take one or more of the following actions, depending on the findings:
- Contact the complainant and/or the offending member directly for further explanation.
- Convene the AECT Board of Directors for evaluation according to the AECT Member Code of Conduct.
- Revoke the offending member's membership with no refund.
- Remediate any misunderstanding which may have led to the filing of the complaint.
This Code of Conduct is regularly reviewed and revised by the AECT Board of Directors.
AECT Statement of Professionalism
Whether in person, virtually, or within one of our premier publications, the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is focused upon supporting and promoting the professional and constructive global discourse and exchange of ideas and practices within the field of educational technology, communications, and instructional design. Due to the wide breadth of intercultural exchange AECT enjoys as a U.S. based international association, we fully expect disagreements to occur. As such, our association believes handling dissent or disagreement with courtesy, dignity, and self-reflexivity; being respectful when providing feedback; and being able to sit side by side with professionals and intellectuals who may not hold one’s personal views, ideologies, cultural upbringing, or world perspectives is paramount to our ability to operate within the wide and rich array of intercultural diversity our association currently enjoys.
AECT expects all of our vendors, volunteers, partners, staff, members, and event participants to share and uphold our standards related to safety, security, kindness, and professionalism towards all persons within our professional association.