A Class Demonstration Using Deception To Promote Student Involvement With Research Ethics

This article describes an active learning demonstration to increase student interest in and involvement with the topic of research ethics and deception. Students received false, low feedback on an exam and then completed a faculty evaluation form. The class was then informed about the deception and the research issue (the impact of grades on evaluations). Students then discussed their immediate reactions to the experience of deception. Two weeks later students wrote a reflective essay that described how their reactions and views had evolved. The discussion and essays indicated that the demonstration produced a high level of student involvement, empathy toward research participants, and self-examination.