The ETHics Resource Platform encourages students to consider ethics in the research environment. It is a living resource collection that collates materials supporting ethical decision making. The diverse set of resources include case studies, games, digital materials, codes of conduct, regulations, etc. – reflecting the breadth of ethical issues and context that students may face
Background
In late 2019, we, the Health Ethics & Policy Lab, launched the first prototype of the ETHics Resource Platform. Led by Prof. Effy Vayena and supported by former rector Prof. Sarah Springman, the goal was to motivate students to learn about ethics and promote the many resources that can assist students with ethical decision making. With the help of the Print+Publish Interactive Media Design Lab, we created a prototype, which we user-tested and developed into what you now see at ethicsrp.ethz.ch.
What can I do on this platform?
- Explore resources
- Make collections
- Share collections
- Suggest new resources
- Find ethics courses at ETH
How the platform supported teaching during Covid-19
The Ethics Resource Platform was crucial in digitalising our lab’s teaching activities during the Covid-19 pandemic. In our online ethics workshop ‘The impact of the digital life on society,’ students used the platform to read and analyse case studies, access role-playing games, and explore relevant regulations and codes pertaining to course topics. Students also used resources from the platform to write an ethical reflection essay. Feedback revealed that students enjoyed using the website, preferred it to traditional pdf hand-outs, and intend to use the platform in the future.
Ultimately, our experience shifting to an online setting showed us the value of using this platform alongside other multi-media formats to motivate continued engagement.
Outlook
The platform is a living project which we continuously update to reflect the diversity of topics and research at ETH. Are you aware of other ethics resources that we should add to the platform? Are there topics or guidelines central to your field that the platform does not yet represent? If so, we would love to hear from you!
Made possible thanks to…
Gérald Achermann, Julia Amann, Alessandro Blasimme, Caroline Brall, Dorothée Caminiti, Anina Eglin, Agata Ferretti, Peter Gantner, Felix Gille, Marcello Ienca, Shannon Hubbs, Sara Kijewski, Ellen Lapper, Constantine Landers, Rebecca Patterson, Effy Vayena, Lutz Wingert, Manuel Schneider, Robert Schikowski and Joanna Sleigh.
ETH Supporters
Ethics Commission, Office of Research, Good Scientific Practice Commission, Interactive Media and Design Lab, and Office of the Rector
