SPC Professional Standards & Ethics 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A corporate client asks a speed reading instructor for individual employee performance scores. The instructor should:
- Clarify data-sharing terms agreed to in advance and obtain participant consent before disclosing (Correct answer)
- Hand over all scores since the company paid for training
- Sell the data at a premium rate
- Fabricate scores to make the program look successful
Correct answer: Clarify data-sharing terms agreed to in advance and obtain participant consent before disclosing
Individual performance data should only be shared according to pre-agreed terms with participant consent.
Question 2: What is the primary ethical problem with a speed reading instructor claiming their course replaces the need for careful study reading?
- It misrepresents the appropriate scope and limits of speed reading techniques (Correct answer)
- It undercharges for the value provided
- It violates copyright law
- It requires too much homework
Correct answer: It misrepresents the appropriate scope and limits of speed reading techniques
Ethical instructors acknowledge speed reading suits some materials but not deep analytical study.
Question 3: An instructor uses copyrighted book excerpts as practice texts in paid course materials without permission. This violates:
- Intellectual property rights and professional integrity standards (Correct answer)
- Student confidentiality rules
- Informed consent requirements
- Dress code policies
Correct answer: Intellectual property rights and professional integrity standards
Using copyrighted material in commercial course content without permission breaches intellectual property law and professional ethics.
Question 4: A student demands a refund, claiming the course did not work despite skipping most practice sessions. The most professional response is to:
- Apply the stated refund policy consistently while reviewing the student's participation record fairly (Correct answer)
- Refuse and publicly criticize the student
- Refund only if the student threatens a lawsuit
- Alter attendance records to deny the claim
Correct answer: Apply the stated refund policy consistently while reviewing the student's participation record fairly
Professionalism requires applying published policies consistently and reviewing the facts fairly.
Question 5: Which situation represents a conflict of interest for a speed reading instructor?
- Receiving undisclosed commissions for referring students to a specific eye clinic (Correct answer)
- Recommending free public library resources
- Encouraging students to practice daily
- Teaching multiple classes per week
Correct answer: Receiving undisclosed commissions for referring students to a specific eye clinic
Undisclosed financial incentives behind recommendations create a conflict between the instructor's interest and the student's.
Question 6: How should an instructor handle a testimonial from a student that exaggerates results far beyond what actually occurred?
- Decline to use it or edit it to reflect verifiable results with the student's approval (Correct answer)
- Publish it prominently since the student wrote it
- Add even bigger numbers to strengthen it
- Attribute it to a fake expert instead
Correct answer: Decline to use it or edit it to reflect verifiable results with the student's approval
Instructors remain responsible for the accuracy of testimonials they publish, regardless of who wrote them.
Question 7: Maintaining professional competence in speed reading instruction primarily requires:
- Staying current with reading research and updating methods accordingly (Correct answer)
- Repeating the same curriculum unchanged for decades
- Avoiding all contact with academic literature
- Focusing solely on marketing skills
Correct answer: Staying current with reading research and updating methods accordingly
Ongoing engagement with reading research keeps instruction accurate, effective, and honest.
SPC Professional Standards & Ethics 3
A corporate client asks a speed reading instructor for individual employee performance scores.
The instructor should: