Difficulty: Medium

Average Score: 71%

Confidentiality is an ethical concern with which of the following technology-based program evaluation activities?

Rationale

Interviewing students in group counseling sessions using videoconferencing raises confidentiality concerns.

When conducting interviews with students, especially in a counseling context, ensuring the confidentiality of their responses is crucial. The use of videoconferencing can expose sensitive information to unauthorized viewers, making it a significant ethical concern in program evaluation activities.

A (Reviewing local schools' Web sites to identify model mission statements) YOUR ANSWER

This activity involves public information that is already available to anyone accessing the school websites. Since it does not involve private or sensitive data about individuals, confidentiality is not a concern in this context.

B (Conducting a needs assessment with school faculty using an online survey tool) YOUR ANSWER

While this activity may involve gathering information from faculty, it typically does not pose significant confidentiality risks. Faculty responses can often be aggregated or anonymized, ensuring that individual identities and opinions remain protected.

C (Interviewing students in group counseling sessions using videoconferencing) CORRECT

This choice presents a direct risk to confidentiality, as students may disclose personal and sensitive information during counseling sessions. The use of videoconferencing technology can increase the likelihood of breaches in confidentiality, especially if security measures are inadequate or if unauthorized individuals gain access to the session.

D (Sharing evaluation results with school personnel via a shared cloud-server file) YOUR ANSWER

Although sharing evaluation results involves some level of data management, the concern regarding confidentiality depends on the nature of the data being shared. If the results are aggregated and do not contain identifiable information, confidentiality is typically maintained. However, this choice does not inherently compromise individual confidentiality like interviewing students can.

Conclusion

Confidentiality is particularly critical in activities involving direct interaction with students, especially in sensitive contexts like counseling. Interviewing students through videoconferencing can expose their personal information, making it a unique ethical challenge compared to other evaluation activities that involve less sensitive data. Understanding and addressing these confidentiality concerns is essential for ethical program evaluation practices.

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