Each online simulation presents two (2) ethical dilemmas/situations that introduce students to ethical frameworks, provide them with a framework for making ethical decisions, and reinforce the learning by immersing them in real-world situations.

The first dilemma, “The Case of the Missing Forms,” deals with Issues of Lost Data. The second, “The Case of the Fudged Results,” challenges the participant’s ethical approach to Integrity in Research Anomalies.

In the first of these two dilemmas reports are being completed for Level II Clinical Studies. An assistant at one of the research sites indicates that the informed consent forms have been lost. The informed consent forms are essential if the results are going to be included in the study. Further, the FDA (the Federal regulatory agency) can censure the company if the forms are not properly maintained. The challenge is to determine how to assure the integrity of the clinical studies when the company has not followed, and cannot show that they have followed, protocols for proper research.

In the second dilemma, “The Case of the Fudged Results,” the participant is challenged to determine whether certain anomalies should be included in the study results. In this situation, a small sample of Norwegian males is reflecting negative results. Racial heritage data was not recorded for test subjects who indicated their racial heritage as “white.” Should the study proceed without including this anomalous group?

About the Author: Catharyn A. Baird, J.D., is the CEO and Founder of EthicsGame and Professor Emerita of Business Regis University, Denver, Colorado. She began researching personal and professional ethics when she was a practicing attorney, representing children and parents who found themselves enmeshed in the juvenile justice system. As she worked with families, she became intrigued by the question of why some children seemed to know the “right thing to do” while others did not. [more]