Case Analysis: A Tool For Teaching Research Ethics In Science And Engineering For Graduate Students

Training in Research ethics should be central to the education of graduate students in science and engineering. Unfortunately, there have been several cases of serious research misconduct. Because research touches upon important aspects of human life, research misconduct can seriously and negatively influence society as a whole. For this reason, it is necessary to introduce graduate students in science and engineering to basic issues in research ethics. At the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez campus (UPRM), an interdisciplinary group of investigators created Graduate Education in Research Ethics for Scientists and Engineers (GERESE) to integrate research ethics into the graduate curriculum in science and engineering. Funded by the National Science Foundation, this project has developed four workshops directed toward graduate students to provide them with decision making tools for reaching ethical decisions. The workshops which build upon one another, (1) help graduate students become aware of issues and problems in research ethics, (2) outline a method of moral deliberation to help them analyze problematic situations, (3) provide students with tools and practice in analyzing real world ethics cases in the research context, and (4) offer a capstone activity in which the students give poster presentations on a case connected to their research interests. This paper focuses on the third of the series, the Case Analysis Workshop, where students analyze ethically problematic situations in the research environment. This workshop prompts them to deploy skills acquired in previous activities toward the solution of fictional and historical cases. This paper will outline the elements out of which cases are built, methods for analyzing them, and novel techniques used in workshop assessment. It concludes by summarizing outcomes from instantiations carried out with student groups at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez. A sample case in research misconduct will be used to highlight the workshop’s central activities, illuminate a step by step analysis program, and outline the special techniques of moral deliberation.