INTEGRATING ETHICS INTO GEOSCIENCE EDUCATION – A CASE EXAMPLE

Awareness of the importance of ethics in the education of geoscientists is increasing. Compared to other fields of science, however, this awareness is not as widespread and integration of ethics components into the geoscience teaching curriculum is still in its infancy. At Saint Louis University, two modules dealing with ethics in the geosciences were recently integrated into the geoscience curriculum. The two modules, 1) ethics in research and 2) ethics for the professional geoscientist, were incorporated into the undergraduate course ‘Sedimentology and Stratigraphy.’ This course is the only one required for all students in the degree fields of geology and environmental sciences, ensuring that all undergraduate students will be exposed to ethical issues specific to their field of study. The modules were implemented covering one laboratory period and two lecture periods (210 minutes). Strategies used to introduce and develop the two modules included lecture, discussion, assigned readings, the use of case studies, and video analysis. The module on ethics in research was based on a selected case study. The case study was discussed and analyzed with the aim of instigating critical thinking about different types of scientific fraud committed by the researcher; the role and behavior of co-authors; the negative outcomes for the geosciences; and the role and perception of the whistle blower. This segment was concluded with a broad discussion of all types of scientific fraud and issues of questionable scientific conduct. The module on ethics for the professional geoscientist began with a discussion of the American Geological Institute’s Ethics Guidelines. It was followed by the analysis of an instructional video that presented concepts for developing an ethical analytical framework and introduced the concept of stakeholder analysis. The last component was the discussion of a second case study that raised specific professional ethical dilemmas encountered by a geoscientist working in the environmental consulting industry. Student assessment included a background knowledge probe/intro questionnaire, concept maps, exit questionnaire, a section on ethics on the final exam, and volunteered responses on end-semester teaching evaluations.