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=Sam Martin's Page= =__Background and Research Questions__= There is a problem in the appraisal community and the public at large. That problem is: Can ethics be conveyed in an online environment, specifically in a Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) course? USPAP is one of the required courses to obtain the introductory appraisal license. Currently, USPAP instruction conveys information about rules and regulations, but does not address morality in a direct, practical sense. The level of morality of appraisers does not seem to be rising. This problem affects appraisers and those who rely on appraisals because appraisals form the basis of property valuation in the US. There are many possible factors contributing to this problem, among which are the lack of morality education in USPAP courses, and the possibility that ethics is not being conveyed in an online environment. This study will contribute to the body of knowledge needed to address this problem by administering Defining Issues Tests (DITs) pre-course and post-course, to see if morality levels are indeed affected by online instruction. James Rest (1974) has developed the DIT and the subsequent DIT2 over a span of decades as measures of morality, and a way to convert the DIT results into the Stages of Morality propounded by Lawrence Kohlberg. (1975) Therefore, the purpose of this experimental study is to test if online USPAP instruction can affect student morality levels. The research question is: Does online ethics instruction affect the morality level of pre-license appraisal students? The null hypothesis is: There is no significant relationship between online ethics instruction and morality level of students. The alternative hypothesis is: There is a significant difference in morality levels between people who participate in online. The independent variable is: online ethics instruction. The dependent variable is: ethical levels. The applicable populations would be: students taking online USPAP courses, obtained from appraisal schools, including proprietary schools and colleges. The data analysis would include a dual-sample t-test, used to compare DIT results pre- and post-USPAP instruction. If one tracks measurements over time, an ANOVA would be in order.

=__**Theoretical Framework**__=

The general theoretical framework underlying the research is Constructivism, wherein learning is not concerned with the result, but rather with the process. The DIT measures an individual's level of morality, but such a measurement cannot be viewed in a vacuum. Morality is a process, and is malleable, the DIT being a snapshot. " How one arrives at a particular answer, and not the retrieval of an 'objectively true solution', is what is important." (Murphy, 1997) The ability of the DIT results to change, and the ability to measure such changes and infer the reason for said changes, is the linchpin of the study.

References: Kohlberg, L. (1975). //The Cognitive--Developmental Approach to Moral Education//. Bloomington: Phi Delta Kappan. Murphy, E. (1997). Constructivst Learning Theory Retrieved June 13, 2009 Rest, J. (1974). Judging the important issues in moral dilemmas: An objective measure of development. //Developmental Psychology, 10//(4), 491-501.