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| The Concern | ||
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"If we want a more inclusive and
egalitarian society, we must continue to work to close the digital divide.
Educators in particular have a crucial role to play in this process."
--Kleinman
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| The context of this paper is this: In most of my classes, there are significant online writing components as well as numerous tasks involving a good bit of computer literacy (e.g., web document production, accessing online databases, posting and responding on discussion boards, communicating through email, listservs, participating in online office hours and review sessions). | ||
| These activities great educational possibilities (e.g., greater access to materials and subject area experts for all students, eclipsing certain physical boundaries in the case of some students with special needs, potentially convenient or self-paced learning, and greater synchronous and asynchronous communication opportunities between students and instructors).Due to the importance of these activities, they are assessed, graded, and these assessments, presumably, affect the later performance of students and their attitudes towards the subject matter of the course. | ||
| But what if students don't have access, or have hindered access?
Consider this Continuum of Access |
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| And what are the Assessment Ethics of this type of instructional practice? For example, are we requiring more of those students who have fewer computer skills than we are of our tech-savvy students? Does this give an unfair advantage to some students? And do we really want to grade computer skills in every class we teach? Am I, in essence, teaching (and assessing) the following: What kinds of ethical concerns should shape how I implement the use of technology in my courses?English 101 and computer literacy |
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| Here is what my study found: |
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