Critical incident

A critical incident is a situation where a student is confronted with a complex, unexpected or emotionally charged situation during an internship or simulation. Here, the student is expected to be able to respond adequately and quickly. You can use critical incidents to test students on their professional skills, learned knowledge and their ability to act in real situations. The critical incident can occur in a real situation such as an internship, but can also be simulated through role-plays, shown through a video or submitted in writing. The method is also suitable for using in a Mixed Classroom setting, for example to discuss hot-moments.

As a form of assessment, you can use it in different ways:

  • A role-play where you assess students directly on their skills.
  • A written assignment where you ask students to write a report on how they would handle a critical incident.
  • A group assignment where you divide students into groups and ask them to solve a critical incident together.
  • Individual presentations where students give a presentation on how they would handle a critical incident.
  • Reflection on their own actions where students reflect on a simulated situation where they were in a critical incident.
  • An assessment interview where you discuss a critical incident.
  • A reflective journal or portfolio in which students keep details of the critical incident.

Some examples of critical incident scenarios:

  1. A law student is faced with a case in which a client is accused of money laundering. The student must act quickly and appropriately to defend the client, gather evidence and build a defence.
  2. A business administration student is faced with a case in which a company where they are doing an internship faces a major cyber-attack. The student must act quickly and appropriately to mitigate the impact of the attack and take remedial action.
  3. A Psychology student is faced with a case in which a patient they are treating threatens to commit suicide. The student must act quickly and appropriately to help the patient and prevent them from harming themselves.
  4. A Political Science student is faced with a case in which a country is facing a political crisis. The student must act quickly and appropriately to analyse the situation and propose solutions.

Want to know more?

See also: Mixed Classroom Techniques, Case assignment [nog in te vullen].

VU Taxonomy?

Interpersonal skills
Oral communication
Written communication
Own reflexive attitude and responsibility in society

What total group size?

More than three hundred
More than one hundred
Between fifty and one hundred
Up to fifty
Up to twenty five

What activity group size?

Individual
Small group (2-4 pers)
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