Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate students' perceptions of their learning experience through engagement in an active learning strategy termed deliberative activity, designed to foster the development of moral reasoning. This strategy was implemented in an elective ethics course within a higher education setting. To evaluate the experience, we conducted a pilot case study using two qualitative analysis instruments: an individual survey and a focus group to capture students' perspectives. The qualitative analysis identified three key themes: (1) Pedagogical Design; (2) Application of Ethics to Real-Life Contexts; and (3) Openness to Dialogue. The findings suggest that the proposed strategy could serve as an effective pedagogical tool for incorporating applied ethics into the higher education curriculum, especially in interdisciplinary contexts. Additionally, the results indicate that further research should focus on specific disciplinary contexts and emphasize the need to improve feedback practices during the development of the deliberative activity. This improvement could be achieved by adopting an assessment-for-learning approach, allowing for ongoing feedback throughout the learning process.