This document discusses the legal and ethical issues related to adult learning in the modern era with the introduction of technology. It identifies several key issues: appropriate use of resources to prevent illegal activities; privacy laws like FERPA to protect student information; copyright to prevent plagiarism and ensure proper attribution of others' work; intellectual property regarding ownership of creative works; and the need for ethical policies to promote academic integrity. Addressing these issues through policies helps ensure adult learners have a quality educational experience that is also lawful and upholds standards of honesty.

1. Legal and Ethical Issues in
Adult Learning
By: Robert Mason

2. Why Is It Important?
The introduction of technology has
raised a wide range of legal and ethical
issues that are distinctive to the 21st
century when it comes to adults and
their learning in the new modern day
era.

3. Legal and Ethical Issues to Adult
Learning
• Appropriate Use
• Privacy
• Copyright
• Intellectual Property
• Ethical Policies

4. Appropriate Use
Any modern day education
program must have a policy that
deals with appropriate use.
Appropriate use protects an
institution or program resources
to ensure that they are not
being used for activities that are
for illegal or contrary to
education or business policy. It
help ensures that every user is
responsible for the integrity of
these resources.

5. Privacy
Privacy such as the FERPA
Act(Family Education
Privacy), help protect student’s
privacy as well as make sure that
an adult learner can receive the
same type of
education, regardless of
race, sex, religion, disability or
age.
Privacy is important in the adult
learning process because if not
properly upheld it can cause
lawsuits or civil litigation for any
education entity. Privacy of
student records is a very
important standard that most
universities take seriously.

6. Intellectual Property
The law of intellectual property typically
encompasses the areas of Copyright,
Patents, and trademark law. It is intended
largely to encourage the development of art,
science, and information by granting certain
property rights to all artists, which include
inventors in the arts and the sciences.(World
Intellectual Property Organization, n.d.).
These rights allow artists to protect
themselves from infringement, or the
unauthorized use and misuse of their
creations. (World Intellectual Property
Organization, n.d.).
Promotion of fair use of intellectual property is
important when it comes to the adult learning
process. Teachers and professors have to be
careful in making sure they get proper
permission to use specific property by others
to enhance the learning process and to
prevent their educational institute from being

7. Copyright
With the wide use of the Internet,
the importance about use and
knowledge about copyright law
and its implications for such
activities as Internet research,
downloading literature and
documents, creating Web sites,
and installing software on school
networks has significantly
increased.
Ensuring that the adult learner
understands the laws and impact
of protected written work of
another person or entity will
prevent plagiarism or any other
federal violation of copyright
infringement.

8. Ethical Policies
Ethical policies play a intricate
role in the adult learning process.
Ethical policies set the standard
for integrity and are usually
incorporated in every university’s
student code of conduct. Ethical
policies help ensure that
academic work is honest and
does not violate or infringe on the
work of others, as well as the
law.
By having ethical policies in
place, it helps promote learning
at the highest level, and ensures
that the student is maintaining
academic integrity.

9. Conclusion
By understanding the proper parameters to take
and the important issues when it comes to legal and
ethical challenges in the physical and online
classroom, will help make sure the adult learning
experience is one that is unique and upholds
integrity at the same time.

10. References
Alsop, R. J. (2006). Business ethics education in
business schools: A commentary. Journal of
Management Education, 30 (11), 11-14.
Levine, S.J. (2002). Faith in legal professionalism:
Believers and heretics. Maryland Law
Review, 61, 217-242.
Lindeman, E.C.L. (1926). The meaning of adult
education. New York: New Republic
World Intellectual Property Organization. (n.d.).
What is Intellectual Property?. Retrieved
November 12, 2013, from