How do you build support for a required course in research ethics at an LGU?

Our strategy in LANGURE has been to work from the bottom up and the top down.

From the bottom, we work with the graduate students and then the graduate faculty and directors of graduate programs in PhD-granting departments. We meet with each group to discuss the needs of doctoral students in research ethics education, asking for their input about research ethics education.

1. Bottom up

  • Work with University Graduate Students' Association (UGSA) to pass a resolution asking the university to require 1 credit of research ethics education of all doctoral students.
    • To see the the UGSA resolution passed at NC State, click here for page 1 and here for p. 2.
  • Work with Faculty Senate to endorse UGSA resolution.
    To see a newspaper story reporting on the NC State Faculty Senate's endorsement of the student resolution, click here.
  • Meet with Directors of Graduate Programs to build support for the requirement.
    As of October 2005, nine NC State departments have adopted the requirement.

We believe that as additional departments adopt the requirement, other departments will either follow or explain why their students do not need ethics education.

2. Top down

  • Work with the Dean of the Graduate School, the Associate Deans for Graduate Education in each College, the Vice Chancellor for Research, and the Provost to build support for the requirement.

LANGURE has been fortunate to have on each of our campuses the support of the Provost, Vice Chancellor for Research, and Dean of the Graduate School. Their support is critical; we believe that if the administration did not support the idea of a required research ethics course, it would be unlikely that any faculty effort would succeed in establishing one.

The strategy just outlined has been reasonably successful at NC State but, of course, as different institutions have different cultures, the approach may need modification for other universities.

ADVERTISING THE COURSE

Click here for the U. Wisconsin flyer announcing the first course