Australian Undergraduate Biotechnology Student Attitudes towards the Teaching of Ethics

Abstract

In recent years, ethics has become part of most tertiary biotechnology curricula. There is, however, considerable variation in the extent and manner of ethics education provided to students in different institutions. In addition, the perceived need that students and employers have regarding ethics education, and the aims and expected outcomes of ethics education, are rarely made clear. This research reports the findings of a questionnaire administered to 375 undergraduate biotechnology students from 19 Australian universities to determine their attitudes towards the teaching of ethics. The results suggest that undergraduate biotechnology students generally regard ethics education to be important and that ethics should be included in undergraduate biotechnology curricula. Students tended, however, to emphasize the professional and industrial side of ethics and not to recognize the personal effects of morals and behaviour. We provide suggestions for rethinking how ethics should be taught.

Acknowledgements

This research was supported with financial contributions from Biotechnology Australia, which is an Australian Commonwealth Government agency. The authors would also like to thank Dr Miles Bore and Dr Don Munro from the University of Newcastle for their helpful contributions and comments made at various points in this research.