The JST sponsored Research Integrity Symposium "Learning from Examples of Advanced Efforts in Research Ethics Education" was held on 2 November 2018, with the aim of enhancing research ethics education at universities and research institutes. In the lectures during the first half of the symposium, examples of advanced research ethics education from two universities were introduced. In the panel discussion during the second half, effective approaches to research ethics education were discussed in part 1, and effectiveness measurement of research ethics education was discussed in part 2.

Lecture 1: Aiming for Research Ethics Education throughout the entire Educational Curriculum - On University-wide efforts at Kanazawa Institute of Technology -

　Professor Hidekazu Kanemitsu of Kanazawa Institute of Technology introduced the university's efforts.
　At Kanazawa Institute of Technology, the values that should be shared as the university's code of conduct are defined as KIT-IDEALS they are working on beings actively shared within the university. In order to achieve these values through education, we conduct research ethics education for students in stages tailored to their level, such as first-year education, professional ethics education, and graduate education.

　In the first year of education, new students are given a foundation through topics such as how to effectively study at university, and how to write and discuss reports. In particular, many new students were not aware of citations until after they graduated from high school. Therefore, carefully teaching about improper usage (plagiarism) from the point of distinguishing the opinions of others (what should be quoted) from your own.
　In professional ethics education, a compulsory course called "Ethics of Science and Technology" has been established for third-year students that teaches a seven-step guide with examples on how to make decisions with ethical judgment when faced with situations where it is difficult to decide the best solution.

　In graduate school education, students create their own research ethics program. Through this course, students become aware of the role that their research plays in society and can think of research ethics and its direct relation to their own research.
　Furthermore, the process of creating a detailed research ethics program in the laboratory to which the student belongs makes opportunities for the entire laboratory, and faculty members, to think about research ethics due to the necessity of communication with the principal investigator (PI) and seniors in the laboratory.

　Professor Kanemitsu explained that Kanazawa Institute of Technology provides progressive education throughout the entire curriculum based on the university's code of conduct (KIT-IDEALS). In the future, he said that he would like to promote efforts to incorporate elements related to research ethics into aspects of classes other than the Research Ethics Division, such as materials, assignments, and tests.

Lecture 2: Tohoku University's commitment to Fair Research Activities -Establishment of Systems and Institutions and their Current Status -

　In the first half of the lecture, Professor Motoki Usuzawa, Project Lecturer and Chief URA, explained the characteristics of Tohoku University's systems and institutions.
　To realize sustainable research ethics education across the university, Tohoku University offers education for all students and faculty, from undergraduate students to faculty members, divided into six stages for each course and position (see table on right).
　In addition, as a large-scale research university with a multidisciplinary department, each department conducts research ethics education based on its own uniqueness, rather than having the university headquarters provide uniform research ethics education. The headquarters supports the departments by establishing university-wide regulations and preparing materials. In addition, each department has its own research integrity advisor. Based on their understanding of ethics in their field of specialization and their understanding of various cases, they advise other researchers and lead the way in promoting responsible research activities. In this way, the departments and headquarters have formed a cooperative system to promote fair and responsible research activities.

　Two years have passed since Tohoku University started the current research ethics education systems and institutions in 2017. In the latter half of the lecture, Professor Takahiko Sasaki of the University gave a report on the current situation. While research ethics education for level 1 to 4 students to newly appointed faculty members is generally going well, it has become clear that education for level 5 and 6 faculty members has some challenges that need to be overcome.
　Level 5 is for veteran research supervisors, such as professors and associate professors, so repeating standardized educational content does not attract interest. To motivate students to attend the seminars, Tohoku University has devised measures such as including a wide range of subjects into seminars.
　At Level 6, research integrity advisors are required to provide advice on research misconduct and inappropriate conduct before such misconduct. However, research methods, culture, and field characteristics differ from field to field depending on the field of specialization. It has become clear that even in similar cases, judgment may differ depending on the field. Currently, we are aiming for mutual understanding of advisors' field characteristics.

　Professor Sasaki said that he is conducting career-stage-specific education with the aim of realizing sustainable research ethics education throughout the university. Lastly, the professor concluded the lecture stating that it is difficult to completely eliminate research misconduct through research ethics education, just as it is difficult to eliminate crime even if crime prevention measures are taken, but it is important to continue research ethics education on a daily basis with the aim of developing a culture with a high awareness of research ethics.

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Panel Discussion Part 1: Approaches to Research Ethics Education

1. Necessity and direction of research ethics education

　Following the lecture, a panel discussion was held with five members, with three speakers including Professor Jun Fudano of Tokyo Institute of Technology and Professor Koichi Setoyama of Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine.
　First, Prof. Fudano, the moderator, explained why (necessity) and what purpose (direction) research ethics education is conducted.
　Regarding the necessity of research ethics education, Prof. Fudano gave various reasons such as "preventing research misconduct" and "the importance of guidelines." They exchanged opinions on the reasons why it is an indispensable foundation that should be placed at the core of the training of researchers and reaffirmed the importance of research ethics education in research activities.
　In addition, they expressed the view that "not only preventive ethics but also aspirational ethics are also necessary" and exchanged opinions on how to balance both. *
* Balance of Preventive Ethics and Aspirational Ethics: In addition to ethics aimed at preventing injustice (preventive ethics), it is also necessary to think about what you should do to live a good life as a researcher (aspirational ethics).

2. Subjects and methods of research ethics education

　Then, opinions were exchanged on subjects and methods of research ethics education.
　One of the issues discussed was the that of education by career stage, which was introduced in the Tohoku University report. Education by career stage is an excellent educational method, but one issue to be overcome was "how can veteran faculty (senior faculty) participate in research ethics education?"
　It is necessary to raise motivation for research ethics education for anyone, but especially for senior faculty members, research ethics education is thought to be a repetition of what they already know and has less motivation as a result. During the discussion, the panelists provided examples of ideas that could be useful or interesting to senior faculty members. For example,

• utilizing teaching young researchers specific methods and materials in educating them about research ethics (for example, a workshop in the United States for principal investigators (PI) where they teach young researchers about research ethics, rather than educating the principal investigators themselves) to improving research ethics of educators and leaders,
• or "using their wealth of knowledge and experience to point out the shortcomings of existing textbooks to make them more realistic."

　In addition, the venue also proposed "informing senior faculty members of the revisions of systems and changes in the situation overseas as an opportunity for education."

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Panel Discussion Part 2: Measuring the Effectiveness of Research Ethics Education

　In the second half of the panel discussion, the theme was measuring the effectiveness of research ethics education.

1.Professor Setoyama ~Topic: Necessity, current status, utilization, and issues of research ethics education evaluation

　First, Prof. Setoyama gave a presentation titled "Purpose, target, method, cost, and utilization of Research Ethics Education Effectiveness: Significance and Limitations" as follows.

[Necessity for Measurement and Evaluation]

　To review and improve the content of research ethics education, it is necessary to measure the progress of students' learning achievements and evaluate the effectiveness of research ethics education. In addition, to secure people and budget for research ethics education at universities and institutions, it is important to show management the effectiveness of education through these evaluations.

(current state of measurement and evaluation)

　"Knowledge" and "skills" (cognitive domain) are now able to be measured and evaluated to a certain extent. However, it is difficult to measure and evaluate values and attitudes (emotional domain) at present. * (See right table for cognitive and emotional domains)
* Measurement and evaluation of the emotional domain: Measurement and evaluation of whether the acquired knowledge and skills can be reflected as concrete actions in actual research activities, sharing the values that should be emphasized as a researcher, and having the proper attitude

　The main issues addressed in evaluation are as follows.

• As for measurement and evaluation methods, the cost and burden of measurement and evaluation are incurred in the case of commentary questions, which must be judged from the answers or the entire text of the report, compared to questions such as multiple-choice questions, in which the correct answer is precisely determined
• Regarding the evaluation scale, the difference in the scale by the person scoring affects the results in essay questions, where the correct answer is not precisely determined
• If measurement and evaluation become the main purpose, it will be limited to teaching materials and learning contents that are relatively easy to measure and evaluate, and the necessary education and learning may not be implemented even if measurement and evaluation are difficult

(Use of Evaluation and Raising Issues)

　Demonstrating effectiveness leads to increased motivation for both educators and students, and evaluation analysis helps to review and improve educational content. In the future, by utilizing the evaluation results, it is possible to provide optimal education according to the level of understanding and achievement of each individual student.
　On the other hand, the ethical awareness of students is not established only by the research ethics education conducted, but also by the influence of people around them, and the effectiveness of ethics education may be lost or, conversely, may be enhanced. For example, a situation where even if someone takes a research ethics class, returning to a laboratory in which their seniors and the researchers around them are behaving in a problematic manner could cause one to believe that the material they are learning does not really matter. (Hidden Curriculum*)
　This is an issue that needs to be considered to establish a sense of ethics. Therefore, it is important not only to educate individuals, but also to improve the environment around them, because the ethical awareness and behavior of the people around them have a large impact on the ethical consciousness of students.
*Hidden curriculum: A concept that is attracting attention as a factor that causes injustice and deviation. Learning from the statements and actions of senior doctors and other researchers outside of formal classes and training, recognizing that problematic behavior is acceptable and influencing attitudes and behaviors.

2. Discussion

　Next, the moderator, Professor Fudano, explained the distinction between measurement and evaluation, the targets and methods of measurement and evaluation, and the time required for the evaluation that was classified and organized.
　The discussion began with an exchange of opinions on the actual situation of measurement and evaluation of research ethics education.
　The panelists said that they are currently measuring and assessing knowledge and skills (cognitive domain), and that the education received takes time to show up in action, while other factors also have influence There was the opinion that it is difficult to measure and evaluate "values and attitudes" (emotional domain).

　"Values and attitudes" are difficult not only to measure and evaluate, but also difficult to teach. The discussion shifted to the importance of "values and attitudes" education, and the panelists expressed the opinion that "values and attitudes" should be cultivated in ethical education. In response to the difficulty of cultivating "values and attitudes," another panelist pointed out that taking initiative on efforts to eliminate "'bad (research) habits' that could lead to research misconduct" to prevent research misconduct before it happens. * It is expected that this initiative will lead to the cultivation of "values and attitudes."
* Bad research habits that could lead to research misconduct: Researchers tend to face many problems daily, such as insufficient investigation in previous research, poor management of data, and inappropriate statistical processing, that do not necessarily fall under specific research misconduct (fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism)

　At the end of the symposium, the moderators and panelists commented the fact that many people participated in the symposium and had a place to share the current situation and issues of research ethics education is a good start. The symposium ended successfully with a call to action to the participants, "let's make steady progress using the knowledge we have gained today."