Do the Right Thing- Theatrical Performance for Teaching Responsible Conduct in Research

 

Tested Studies in Laboratory Teaching, 2014, Volume 35

Kuei-Chiu Chen & Laurel L. Hester

Abstract

As teaching students to conduct authentic science becomes one of the major foci in biology education, there is a need for institutions to prepare students for conducting science responsibly. In this mini workshop we use four separate fictional or true stories to cover some of the most common violations of ethical behavior in science. The instructor introduces the background and characters involved in each story. The characters then start their dialogue that often leads to a dilemma. The instructor then presents questions and conducts a poll using student response system (i.e "clicker"). A short discussion follows with students expressing their comments on the story. The instructor then concludes by describing the common professional practice for the specific situations in the play. The plays require little training of the actors, which could be played by other instructors, teaching assistants or volunteer students, and may be performed in a lecture hall setting or in a lab.

Keywords:  bioethics, research ethics, scientific integrity, responsible conduct

University of Calgary (2013)