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Research Ethics Program Ethics
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Assignments

If you find that you will be unable to complete all course requirements, then contact the course instructor to discuss your options as soon as possible.

1. Attendance and Participation

To receive credit for completing this course, you must attend and participate in all seven meetings, including a review of assigned readings before the scheduled class time. Use of computers or phones in class is not permitted unless for course readings, assignments, or questions. Attendance at the first lecture is mandatory. Otherwise, if you must miss a class, please contact the course instructor and review options for alternate assignments at: Missed Lectures

2. Leading Discussions 

You will lead a discussion about a topic of your choice, or one assigned by the course instructor, either individually or as a group of 2-3 people. So that the course instructor can help you in designing and carrying out a creative approach to encourage discussion and interaction, you should:

  1. Ask questions if anything is not clear or you need help. 
  2. Forward an outline of your plans to the course instructor no later than 5 days before your scheduled presentation. 
  3. Forward a final version of your presentation and any other materials you plan to use to the course instructor no later than the day before your presentation. 

Your presentation should consist of 3 components: 

  1. Introduction:
    • Focus on something compelling, essential, or problematic about the topic, as suggested by or evidenced in your readings and/or a current event.
    • Be brief. No more than 2 minutes; if using PowerPoint slides, no more than one slide - with large font.
  2. Current Event:
    • Find something timely (within the past year), interesting, and relevant with Google, Pubmed, Retraction Watch, newspaper, or science publications (popular or professional).
    • To search, just use various combinations or keywords to highlight issues of interest in combination with "research ethics" or "science," etc. It is ideal, but not essential, that the story should be about research.
  3. Discussion:
    • Part of your presentation can be didactic (e.g., brief "lecture"), but the goal is to engage the class in discussion.
    • Many options for promoting discussion are described, on the linked website:Discussion Tools.
    • The focus of your discussion might be the current event, a case study, a video, or some exercise you design.

3. Faculty Panel

Several faculty will be invited to join us for an open discussion of the ethical dimensions of the practice of science during the final class meeting.

  • Your questions must be submitted to the course instructor no later than 2 days before the final class meeting. If questions are submitted late or not submitted, then a make-up assignment will be required.
  • Questions should reflect course assignments and discussion, and will be asked, anonymously if preferred, of the faculty panel by the instructor.

4. Evaluation 

On completion of the course, you will receive a brief questionnaire designed to assess knowledge, perceptions, and/or attitudes relevant to the topics of the course. These questionnaires must be completed and submitted to help assess the impact of the course.