A dramatized method for teaching undergraduate students responsible research conduct

Area of Science:

• Scientific ethics education
• Undergraduate research training

Background:

• Undergraduate science and pre-medical students often lack formal training in research ethics.
• Existing ethics training is frequently limited to informal mentor discussions.
• Calls for increased responsible conduct of research (RCR) training have not been met with sufficient studies on pedagogical effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of an interactive theatrical presentation as a pedagogical approach for teaching science and research ethics to undergraduate students.
• To assess the impact of the presentation on students' understanding of key RCR topics.
• To determine the retention of RCR knowledge following the intervention.

Main Methods:

• First-year undergraduate students viewed an interactive theatrical presentation depicting research misconduct scenarios.
• Student understanding of RCR topics was assessed via self-assessment.
• Knowledge retention was measured by surveying students two and ten weeks post-presentation.
• RCR test question scores were analyzed to track knowledge changes over time.

Main Results:

• The theatrical presentation was associated with an increased self-assessed understanding of data treatment, animal protocols, authorship, and plagiarism.
• No decrease in self-reported RCR knowledge was observed between two and ten weeks after the presentation.
• RCR test scores showed only a minimal decline in correct answers from two to ten weeks post-intervention.

Conclusions:

• Interactive theatrical presentations offer an engaging and cost-effective method for introducing RCR concepts to students.
• This approach helps students actively consider ethical complexities before beginning research careers.
• Theatrical interventions appear to effectively impart and sustain foundational knowledge in responsible conduct of research.