Abstract:

OpenSeminar in Research Ethics (OSRE) is an approach to Research Ethics Education utilizing a combination of classroom teaching, an online course and an online community website. OSRE utilizes e-Assignments, a compact Learning Management System which allows an instructor to develop new learning modules with testing capability, or incorporate existing modules from a common source. A design overview was presented at the 2008 UNCTLT (University of North Carolina Teaching and Learning with Technology) conference. Since it was developed, OSRE has been utilized in about a dozen courses at 15 universities with an enrollment of more than 400 students. An assessment of the effectiveness of the OSRE methodology based on survey results from faculty and students will be presented in our presentation. Some of the aspects to be assessed are effectiveness in teaching and learning, use in Distance Education, grading paradigms, ease-of-use of software and comparison to other approaches to Research Ethics pedagogy. Changes which have been made in OSRE resulting from the assessment, including supplemental use of Facebook as an impetus to community building, will be discussed.

Keywords:

Web-based education.