CAI Professional Ethics & Standards 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student asks you to sign off on hours they did not actually complete. What is the ethical response?
- Sign off to maintain the student relationship
- Refuse and explain the importance of honest record-keeping (Correct answer)
- Ask another instructor to sign off instead
- Ignore the request without responding
Correct answer: Refuse and explain the importance of honest record-keeping
Falsifying records violates professional ethics and undermines the integrity of the certification process.
Question 2: Which behavior best reflects a CAI instructor's duty to model conservation ethics?
- Keeping the maximum legal limit of fish on every outing
- Teaching students to prioritize catch-and-release for sustainable populations (Correct answer)
- Encouraging students to fish in closed waters if rules seem outdated
- Focusing only on technique and ignoring environmental impact
Correct answer: Teaching students to prioritize catch-and-release for sustainable populations
CAI instructors are expected to promote sustainable angling practices and serve as conservation role models.
Question 3: An instructor discovers a colleague is teaching unsafe wading techniques. The best course of action is to:
- Say nothing to avoid conflict
- Report concerns through appropriate professional channels (Correct answer)
- Publicly criticize the colleague in front of students
- Compete for the colleague's clients
Correct answer: Report concerns through appropriate professional channels
Addressing unsafe practices through proper channels protects students and upholds professional standards.
Question 4: When advertising your angling instruction services, CAI ethics require that you:
- Exaggerate credentials to attract more clients
- Use only verifiable, truthful claims about your qualifications (Correct answer)
- Imply endorsements you have not received
- Downplay competitors' credentials without evidence
Correct answer: Use only verifiable, truthful claims about your qualifications
Truthful advertising protects consumers and maintains the credibility of the CAI designation.
Question 5: A student with a physical disability enrolls in your course. Under professional ethics guidelines, you should:
- Suggest they find a different activity
- Adapt your instruction to be as inclusive as possible (Correct answer)
- Charge a higher fee for accommodation
- Ignore their needs to maintain consistency for all students
Correct answer: Adapt your instruction to be as inclusive as possible
Inclusive instruction is an ethical obligation; CAI instructors should adapt methods to serve all students equitably.
Question 6: You receive a gift from a student before their final evaluation. The most ethical action is to:
- Accept it to avoid offending the student
- Politely decline to avoid any perception of bias in evaluation (Correct answer)
- Accept it and give the student a higher score
- Accept it privately and evaluate normally
Correct answer: Politely decline to avoid any perception of bias in evaluation
Declining gifts prior to evaluations prevents conflicts of interest and preserves evaluation integrity.
Question 7: Which best describes the CAI instructor's obligation regarding continued professional development?
- Development is only required for new instructors
- Ongoing learning is optional once certified
- Instructors are expected to continuously update their knowledge and skills (Correct answer)
- Development requirements lapse after five years
Correct answer: Instructors are expected to continuously update their knowledge and skills
CAI standards require ongoing professional development to maintain competency and best serve students.
CAI Professional Ethics & Standards 2
A student asks you to sign off on hours they did not actually complete.
What is the ethical response?