Course description |
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Next tutorials:
The next set of tutorials will be organised between November 2024 and February 2025. We advise you to sign up for the tutorials as soon as the registration opens (expected just before or after the summer holiday). The opening of the course registration will be announced in the GSSE newsletter in due time. In the meantime, you can already complete the online self-study.
If you need to take the course before November 2024, please sign up for either of the two extra sessions that are organised on June 20 (at Zernike) or July 10 (online).
For questions of problems, contact the coordinator of the PhD Academy (see below).
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!Please read this information carefully!
All PhD candidates at the University of Groningen are required to complete a mandatory training on scientific integrity. At FSE this training consists of an online self-study module followed by an onsite tutorial. You will first have to complete the online self-study, before you can attend the tutorial.
Course set up
Online self-study
To be able to attend the tutorial and to complete this training, you first have to complete an online self-study.
- The online self-study can be found via this link. Please make sure you complete the paid course (not the free course), so you will receive a certificate in the end!
- Select the button 'Enrol for free'
- Sign up for Coursera with your email address and a password.
- Select: ‘Purchase Course €45’ and pay by credit card. If you run into issues, please contact Melina Aarnikoivu (m.m.aarnikoivu@rug.nl).
- You can claim these expenses on your ITB. More information on how to claim expenses can be found on the GSSE website. - This self-study consists of 8 modules and an exam. These modules require appr. ~20 hrs in total, and are advised to spread over 8 weeks. You can work on the modules when it suits you best, but make sure to complete the online self-study at least one week before the start of the tutorial.
- After completion of the online self-study and passing the exam, you will receive a certificate.
- You will have to upload this certificate in Hora Finita yourself:
- Register this course as a new Training Activity; name your activity ‘Scientific Integrity’; upload your certificate and save the training activity.
- Do not add any ECTs, we will do this for you upon completion of the whole course.
- The certificate has to be uploaded one week before the tutorial starts, otherwise you will be excluded from participation. - Be aware that if you want to join the tutorial in December/January, we advise you to start the self-study in September/October!
- The self-study is based on the book ‘Ethics, technology, and engineering: an introduction’ by Ibo van de Poel and Lambèr Royakkers (ISBN 9781444330953). This book is not mandatory, but is available in case you like to get extra information or support. Ask your PhD Coordinator for the book, in addition there are several copies of this book available at the GSSE (Bernoulliborg, room 550).
- Side note: This self-study is focusing on engineering and technology, and might therefore be somewhat further away from certain research fields (e.g., life sciences). However, we believe this self-study covers several general moral dimensions which can be encountered in all work fields.
An alternative online self-study - For groups 13 and 14 we are piloting a new online self-study due to the feedback from groups 1 to 12. Therefore, if you have not yet completed the self-study above, you can instead complete this course (Responsible Conduct of Research by Utrecht University). Otherwise the same instructions apply.
- If you decide to complete this course instead, we would like to hear your feedback on it either during the tutorial or via the feedback form after the tutorial.
Tutorial
The tutorial is one 3-hour session. You can sign up for one of the tutorials yourself (below).
You are only allowed to attend a tutorial if you have completed the online self-study and have uploaded the certificate in Hora Finita at least one week before the start of the tutorial.
Course registration in Hora Finita
Once you have completed the self-study AND the tutorial, we will register the credits (2 ECTs) for you in Hora Finita.
Questions an remarks
For any questions, please contact the coordinator of the PhD Academy (Melina Aarnikoivu - m.m.aarnikoivu@rug.nl).
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Course objectives |
Background information
The effects and implications of science and technology in a globalising society are evermore felt, not only in the scientific but also the public domain. Think of the application of algorithms for social welfare issues or engineering-knowledge in dual-use technologies, in warfare for example. Therefore, professionals need to be trained with the relevant skills to deal with these matters during their careers both in- and outside academia. Scientists and engineers have certain responsibilities towards both (i) the public and (ii) the scientific community. Consequently, an entrenched moral sensibility and skills for ethical analysis are needed to be a professional of high integrity.
In this course on Scientific Integrity you - as a starting PhD student - are firstly taught about the ethical concepts in applied technology and engineering affecting the public. For this purpose the online course ‘Ethics in Technology and Engineering’ enables you to ponder and reflect upon ethical issues and dilemmas of the applied sciences in modern times. This is an online self-study module (~20 hours in 8 weeks).
In the onsite tutorial that follows, we built upon the online self-study and we shall discuss the responsibilities scientists have towards the scientific community in academia. These are matters of Scientific Integrity. Potential research dilemmas that you may encounter are presented and interactively discussed. Think of matters concerning data, authorship and publishing.
In this course, you - get acquainted with societal aspects and effects of science, technology & engineering
- learn about roles and responsibilities of professionals in science & engineering
- reflect on personal moral attitudes, the virtuous character of integrity and professional behaviour
- get acquainted with several types of codes-of-conduct
- become aware of the most common types of deviation from these professional standards (i.e. types of misbehaviour, grey areas) but also with commendable courses of action
- learn and apply basic concepts of ethical theories in decision making, problem-solving and approaching dilemmas
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