What follows is a presentation of the course format and goals for our course in research ethics.
Because the use of goals may be unfamiliar to may scientists (as they were to the scientists on our team)
it deserves some explanation. Scientists are, for the most part, used to teaching in a lecture format. This
is because in science courses we are presenting information based on data and statistics with the aim of
increasing a student’s body of knowledge. In ethics teaching, as described in previous sections, we are
teaching a process, a way of thinking through a problem, and are less concerned with teaching a body of
knowledge. Making use of course goals is therefore essential. This is because teaching through case
analysis involves far more than simply presenting the case and waiting for the students to say something
about it. A successful discussion leader must center the discussion around a set of goals as the case
unfolds. At the end of the class session a successful discussion leader will have related the case to each of
the goals and drawn the students into analysis on a number of points related to the goals. In this way
discussion of the case will have proceeded, not as a random and fruitless exercise, but rather, as a forum
for instruction in the issues of central importance to the course. Teaching through case analysis requires a
great deal of time, attention, and planning. Crucial to teaching via case discussion is identification of the
goals for each session.