Data Ethics in Practice: Data Clinics as a Collaborative Teaching Format

This poster presents an innovative teaching format that takes data ethics out of the textbook and into hands-on interdisciplinary collaboration: the data clinic. Pioneered by the Ethical Data Initiative (EDI), ‘data clinics’ are an interactive problem-solving and teaching format designed to bridge theory and practice in the realm of data governance and ethics. Clinics bring together students from across a range of disciplines to collaborate with partner organisations on a pressing ethical challenge for the organisation. The goal is to empower participants, both students and practitioners, with actionable insights to reflect and handle complex issues emerging from data work and datafication processes. More broadly, the EDI’s data clinics aim to integrate active ethical reflection into every stage of data work, as against the tendency to treat ethical considerations and actions as merely an add-on to technical concerns. The poster presents pedagogical activities and exemplary outcomes from recent data clinics: for instance, students analysed what is involved in making energy transition data openly available and accessible in a public-facing online ‘dashboard’ in partnership with Goal100; and explored issues around digitizing the Berlin Museum für Naturkunde’s collections from colonial contexts, such as sensitivity in metadata and labelling, and alternative accessibility governance options. The poster was presented at the Research Data Alliance 27th Plenary Meeting (P27) held in London from 6th to 8th October, 2026.