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Ethics Instruction Highlighted at Distance Education Conference
September 3rd, 2008
The Center was well represented at the recent Distance Education 2008 Conference in Madison, WI. The new ethics simulation was demonstrated in a well-attended Design Showcase entitled Using a Gaming Environment to Design an Ethics Simulation and hosted by Deb and Tom. Computer-based simulations are among the hot new teaching strategies in online instruction but are complex to design. Tom also hosted a roundtable discussion entitled Creating Coherent Conversations in a Cacophonous Culture. The popular culture as reflected in the media and the current political climate has done little to encourage civil conversation around tough issues. This roundtable was intended to explore best practices in creating online facilitating respectful online discussion around sensitive and complex issues. Tom explored challenges related to maintaining a safe online space, the importance of instructor presence, and strategies for mediating conflict. Highlights of the discussion will be shared with our own affiliate faculty at our October workshop.
New Book Addresses the Societal Impact of Nanotechnology
June 9th, 2008
In a new book, entitled Nanotechnology: Ethics and Society, Deb Bennett-Woods explores the complex dilemmas associated with the new science of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is projected to revolutionize every major industry and potnetially the global balance of power within the next 20 years. The societal impacts and the ethical dilemmas raised by this power new technology are introduced with a focus on manufacturing and workforce issues, the environment and sustainability, the military and national security and medicine.