Course Development

Classroom Assessment Techniques for Distance Education: Everyday Ethical Dilemmas

Karen Hallett
Instructional Consulting

Descriptions

Students are presented with an abbreviated case study that poses an ethical problem related to the discipline or profession they are studying. Students respond briefly and anonymously to these cases, and faculty analyze the responses in order to understand the students' values. The CAT prompts students to identify, clarify, and connect their values by responding to course-related issues and problems that they are likely to encounter.

Teaching Improvement

• better uses of available technology (effective uses)
• uses of appropriate strategies for distance education environment
• provide more contact with students, accessibility
• provide information about tailoring instructional activities to meet student's needs

Improving student learning

• improve opportunities to ask questions
• improve opportunities for input and feedback
• provide more contact with students accessibility

Criteria

• equally accessible from both sites
• immediacy of use
• adaptable to a wide range of learning situations
• require minimal time investment of students/instructor
• has continued use as learning tool for students, instructional resource for instructor.