Making Moral Decisions

Making Moral Decisions is a course that introduces learners to ethics. It examines some major ethical theories and concentrates on normative ethics. The impact of religion, values, beliefs and ideas in the political and cultural processes of our world is also considered enabling learners to become active, informed, global citizens

Making Moral Decisions will provide learners with the opportunity to investigate the role of belief and values in society and engage in critical enquiry about a range of ideas. The course aims to develop learners’ understanding of ethical theories and how these theories are evident in a number of world views practised in Tasmania today. They will develop their own reasoned and critical responses to various religious, philosophical and ethical dilemmas. Even though learners may not face some of the dilemmas covered in this course, thinking and working through the processes of making moral decisions may help provide them with an understanding of how decisions are made and the factors that need to be considered when arriving at a possible course of action and a framework to assist with their decision making.

Encouraging learners to come to a clearer and critical understanding of their own values and beliefs, as well as those of others, is a central goal of this course. In order to assist teachers to respond to the diversity of learning needs, Making Moral Decisions has a flexible structure containing a range of dilemmas from which to choose.

On successful completion of this course, learners will be able to:

1. identify a range of ethical theories, and religious and secular world views, whose values may be different from their own
2. communicate ideas and information about morals and ethics
3. select, collect and organise information on ethical dilemmas from a variety of sources
4. apply ethical theories, and religious and secular world views in order to understand ethical dilemmas and their context
5. apply skills in reasoning and enquiry
6. use evidence to support presentation of ideas, arguments and conclusions
7. apply referencing/citation methodology.
8. Additionally, learners may be able to identify their own beliefs, values and experiences.

Making Moral Decisions Level 2 is designed for learners looking for pathways to further study and work. It can lead to a variety of Level 3 senior secondary courses such as Philosophy, Legal Studies and Studies of Religion.

Making Moral Decisions Level 2 has vocational links to such career areas as social work, journalism, community development, social welfare, chaplaincy, teaching, law and politics.

This course has a complexity level of 2.

At Level 2, the learner is expected to carry out tasks and activities that involve a range of knowledge and skills, including some basic theoretical and/or technical knowledge and skills. Limited judgement is required, such as making an appropriate selection from a range of given rules, guidelines or procedures. VET competencies at this level are often those characteristic of an AQF Certificate II.

This course has a size value of 5.

This course is designed to introduce learners to basic ethical theory and will emphasise the important connections between moral beliefs and behaviour. It will give learners a guide to help them understand why ethical dilemmas occur and challenge them to develop their own moral views.

The course has two compulsory content areas:

• an introduction to moral and ethical theory
• contemporary ethical dilemmas.

Area 1: An Introduction to Moral and Ethical Theory

The following topics underpin this course. It is suggested that up to 20 hours is devoted to this content area. Content will include:

1. The need for and purpose of morality

• How does moral behaviour help prevent society from disintegrating?
• How do moral codes help reduce human suffering?

2. How moral decisions are made

• Factors influencing moral decision-making including, but not limited to: conscience; rules and laws; knowledge of particular circumstances; and authority 
• The impact of the beliefs and values from world views on moral decision making.

3. Moral world views: Religious, Humanist and Ethical Egoist

• How ideas about right and wrong come from traditions we follow
• Ethical traditions in Tasmania including Aboriginal, Humanist and Egoist
• At least one other religious world view to be considered: Christian; Buddhist; Islamic; and/or Hindu.

4. Ethical theories: Deontological and Teleological

• A brief overview of Deontological theories such as Natural Moral Law, Kantian Ethics, Divine Command
• A brief overview of Teleological theories such as Utilitarianism, Situation Ethics and Egoism.

Area 2: Contemporary Ethical Dilemmas

This area of study will be constructed to suit learners’ particular needs and interests. Learners must study at least three (3) topics and their context. It is expected that content from Area 1 are embedded within the topics. It is suggested that approximately 30 hours is devoted to this area of the course (around 10 hours per topic).

Content will include:

1. What is an issue?

• social, political and environmental issues
• how general issues such as environmental sustainability differ from specific issues such as single use plastics.

2. What is an ethical dilemma?

• how issues give rise to ethical dilemmas
• how ethical dilemmas involve one or more moral decisions to be made by individuals or communities.

3. Making decisions on ethical dilemmas

• applying the learning from Area 1: An introduction to Moral and Ethical Theory to ethical dilemmas
• considering individual and /or communal responses to ethical dilemmas.

4. Conducting investigations in Contemporary Ethical Dilemmas
Three or more topics will be chosen from the following list:

• Issues of environmental sustainability, such as overpopulation or pollution
• Issues relating to personhood, such as abortion, euthanasia and human cloning
• Issues of discrimination, such as those based on gender, age, religion or race
• Issues of responsibility to others, such as those affected by disadvantage
• Issues of moral citizenship, such as obeying the law or attempting to change the law
• Issues of online ethics, such as information privacy or cyber bullying.

Criterion-based assessment is a form of outcomes assessment that identifies the extent of learner achievement at an appropriate end-point of study. Although assessment – as part of the learning program – is continuous, much of it is formative, and is done to help learners identify what they need to do to attain the maximum benefit from their study of the course. Therefore, assessment for summative reporting to TASC will focus on what both teacher and learner understand to reflect end-point achievement.

The standard of achievement each learner attains on each criterion is recorded as a rating of ‘C’ (satisfactory standard) or ‘A’ (high standard) according to the outcomes specified in the standards section of the course document.

A ‘t’ notation must be used where a learner demonstrates any achievement against a criterion less than the standard specified for the ‘C’ rating. The ‘t’ notation is not described in course standards.

A ‘z’ notation is to be used where a learner provides no evidence of achievement at all.

Providers offering this course must participate in quality assurance processes specified by TASC to ensure provider validity and comparability of standards across all awards. To learn more, see TASC's quality assurance processes and assessment information.

Internal assessment of all criteria will be made by the provider. Assessment processes must gather evidence that clearly shows the match between individual learner performance, the standards of the course and the learner’s award. Providers will report the learner’s rating for each criterion to TASC.

The following processes will be facilitated by TASC to ensure there is:

• a match between the standards of achievement specified in the course and the skills and knowledge demonstrated by learners
• community confidence in the integrity and meaning of the qualification.

Process – Each provider is responsible for ensuring the integrity and validity of their assessment results against the requirements of the course, including standards, and for maintaining records and documentation that will demonstrate the integrity, accuracy and validity of the award decisions they make each year.

Where TASC identifies sufficient potential for concern about the integrity or validity of a provider’s award decisions it will undertake an investigation. After such an investigation is completed, TASC may take action under Section 33 of the Office of Assessment, Standards and Certification Act 2003 as it considers appropriate, including but not limited to:

• giving the school/college a direction in relation to the provision or assessment of the course (section 33 (2))
• refusing to accept results for this course from the provider (section 33 (4)).

The assessment for Making Moral Decisions Level 2 will be based on the degree to which the learner can:

• 1. identify ethical theories, and religious and secular world views
• 2. identify responses of religious and secular world views to ethical dilemmas
• 3. use evidence to support presentations of ideas
• 4. use reasoned argument to discuss ethical dilemmas

Making Moral Decisions Level 2 (with the award of):

HIGH ACHIEVEMENT

SATISFACTORY ACHIEVEMENT

PRELIMINARY ACHIEVEMENT

The final award will be determined by the Office of Tasmanian Assessment, Standards and Certification from 4 ratings

The minimum requirements for an award in Making Moral Decisions Level 2 are as follows:

HIGH ACHIEVEMENT (HA)
3 ‘A’ ratings, 1 ‘C’ rating

SATISFACTORY ACHIEVEMENT (SA)
4 ‘C’ ratings

PRELIMINARY ACHIEVEMENT (PA)
2 ‘C’ ratings

The Department of Education’s Curriculum Services will develop and regularly revise the curriculum. This evaluation will be informed by the experience of the course’s implementation, delivery and assessment.

In addition, stakeholders may request Curriculum Services to review a particular aspect of an accredited course.

Requests for amendments to an accredited course will be forwarded by Curriculum Services to the Office of TASC for formal consideration.

Such requests for amendment will be considered in terms of the likely improvements to the outcomes for learners, possible consequences for delivery and assessment of the course, and alignment with Australian Curriculum materials.

A course is formally analysed prior to the expiry of its accreditation as part of the process to develop specifications to guide the development of any replacement course.

The accreditation period for this course is from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2022.

During the accreditation period required amendments can be considered via established processes.

Should outcomes of the Years 9-12 Review process find this course unsuitable for inclusion in the Tasmanian senior secondary curriculum, its accreditation may be cancelled. Any such cancellation would not occur during an academic year.