Conference: Broadening Accessibility to STEM Ethics Training for Educators, Students, and Professionals

Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers FL

Investigators

Abstract

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) practitioners, including students, and secondary school and non-profit educators, have limited access to ethics training resources that are necessary for active learning activities, events, and supervising research or other forms of work. To broaden access to ethics resources and enhance ethical awareness, the research team will offer a one-day interdisciplinary, collaborative conference for regional STEM educators, students, and other professionals. The conference will provide a resource foundation, demonstrate a range of perspectives, and highlight the importance of ethics and responsible conduct of research. It will also bridge the gap between ethics in learning atmospheres and professional endeavors. Training on ethics and responsible conduct is critical for scientific progress and public trust in STEM education, research, and work. To expand teaching of STEM ethics and responsible conduct of research to include K-12 educators, students, and community partners, the project team will develop a conference around four main objectives. First, to identify the need areas of educators, students, and practitioners, the team will use a pre-conference survey to inform and prioritize session content and a post-conference survey to assess effectiveness and future needs. Second, the conference will provide ethics training across disciplines. Its format includes a broad collection of invited speakers, expert panels, and breakout sessions. Third, to equip participants with resources to support ethical STEM activities, and identify and share effective training practices, the team will employ active learning sessions, networking breaks, and program materials that facilitate connections between members of STEM and research integrity communities. Through engagement with conference presenters, attendees will be better prepared to navigate research integrity challenges. This project is funded through the ER2 program by the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.