The OpenSeminar in Research Ethics
The OpenSeminar in Research Ethics (OSRE) is an online library of guided readings and exercises (openseminar.org/ethics). Designed primarily for graduate students in face-to-face instructional settings, it is also available in versions for post-doctoral fellows and undergraduates. A free, asynchronous, self-guided course, OSRE can be used by viewers not enrolled in classes. It requires about 14 hours to complete, the equivalent of a one-credit course.
Developed with support of the U. S. National Science Foundation,* the site is the creation of an international collaboration involving a hundred research ethicists. Continuously modified and upgraded, the website is intended to welcome junior researchers, acculturating them into their respective scholarly communities. Twenty-eight modules and dozens of interactive assignments support and empower young investigators. Interactive exercises provide practice in the habits of question-formation, critical analysis, and writing. Topics include the rewards of and obstacles to research; the causes and consequences of misconduct; the rights and obligations of professionals; the habits of excellent mentors; and the social mission of the university. The course is cumulative, beginning with each student's own motives for going into research and ending with the social responsibilities of the professions to the environment and future generations. Along the way, a three-step method is employed, and explained, for making moral decisions: my interests; our interests; all interests.
* Land Grant University Research Ethics (LANGURE) and Extend and Assess Research Ethics Education (EAREE)