A computer-based approach is proposed
which enables measurement of these conflicting principles
and decision variations
within layered and situationally adaptive moral/ethical test cases.
Proposal
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Test software that can present a layered ethical case on either a serial
or adaptive-multidimensional basis.
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A collaborative layered case building environment.
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An orientation, in the software, to open ended responses, with computer-based
content analysis against a pre-built inventory of possible answers.
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A collaborative answer assessment environment that enables enrichment
of pattern recogntion and of the answer inventory based on student answers.
Things that might be measured:
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Ability to abstract the underlying forces (principles, harms, and/or
competing interests) that are at play in the case.
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Ability to recognize the conflicts or competitions that are set up in
the intersection of these forces.
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Ability to recognize the range of possible decisions that might be made
in the intersection of these competing forces.
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The quality of a decision based on interrater judgments of the reasonableness
of the various decision possibilities.
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As new forces come into play, ability to abstract the new forces, recognize
how they interact with existing forces, and understand how these forces
change the decision landscape.
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Ability to modify a decision in the face of new complexities.