Ethics Policy Simulation

Students struggle to make connections between particular cases and broader ethical considerations or theories. Students can struggle to identify ethical relevant features of the case, and they can get caught up responding to particular features of the given case, as opposed to using the case as a chance to apply general ethical values, principles, or views.

• Hold a debrief. Save time at the end of section to review and/or discuss important ethical ideas that came up in students’ policies or statements. Use this as an opportunity to draw explicit connections to course material or broader ethical ideas in general.

• Recognize the difficulty. During discussion of students’ statements or policies, intervene and explicitly note points where students are missing an important connection or failing to notice an ethically relevant consideration. This can serve both as an opportunity to make clear the complexity of careful, applied ethical reasoning while also modeling such careful reasoning for students.

Students are hesitant to ask questions or provide feedback to other student groups on their policies. Students can feel uncomfortable being critical of fellow students’ work, especially when that work can express personal views on substantive, real world ethical cases.

• Model questions and feedback. After allowing time for other students to respond first, raise questions or concerns to presenting students yourself. Put forth questions and concerns that are indicative of the kind of questions/concerns that are valuable in a discussion of ethical issues (e.g., make sure any concern you raise is explicitly aimed at the content of the statement/policy, not at the authors of that statement/policy).

• Run a simulation test case. Before running the main policy simulation discussion, run a shorter sample simulation where you provide a policy/statement in response to a different (but relevantly similar) case, and invite students to direct questions/concerns toward your own policy/statement. This can encourage students to feel comfortable in the general discussion format, before having to directly address their peers.