Introduction to Human Research Ethics

This online course provides an engaging introduction to human research ethics. Practically, it helps researchers submit quality research ethics applications. More fundamentally, it helps academics and students reflect on how they can design, conduct, and report their research in an ethical way.

Participant perspective

One of the most important tasks of human research ethics is to consider a project from the perspective of participants. This can be legitimately challenging, especially where participant cohorts are diverse or have specific needs, or where researchers are working with data that seems far removed from the people whose data it is.

This course helps researchers design their projects with participants in mind.

  • Currently, we have two specially customised versions of the course:

    The Australian version is designed according to the principles and elements of the National Statement on Ethical Conduct on Human Research.

    The UK version (forthcoming) is designed according to the suite of regulations and guidelines that apply to human research in the UK, including the UKRI, the ESRC framework, the UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care Research, the Human Tissue Act, Clinical Trial Regs, etc.

    We can make custom versions to suit other locations. Let’s discuss!

  • Chapters of this course include:

    • Welcome

    • Your project

    • Your participants

    • Recruitment and consent

    • Using existing data

    • Identifiability and data management

    • Revisiting risk & benefit

    • Applying for approval

    • After approval (including ‘what if things go wrong?)

    • Quiz

  • If your institution has a Learning Management System (a place that records online training for staff and students), this course will almost certainly work for you.

    Using your own systems will keep your learner data private and secure, and provide consistency with your other courses.

    The course runs on desktop, laptop, tablet, mobile, etc.

    You can test before you commit.

Clear explanations

Human ethics involves some complex considerations. This course breaks down difficult topics into clear activities and engaging multimedia.

It provides a framework to help learners apply ethical concepts to their own research projects and ethics applications.

Value time and quality

The course provides a concise and reliable source of information — online, any time. It's there whenever researchers and students need it. They can dive in and out of specific sections as they design their projects and draft quality ethics applications.

It also reduces the burden on your support staff to provide general ethics advice, and frees their time for more specialist inquiries.

Designed for researchers

Introduction to Human Research Ethics makes responsibilities clear.

Content is delivered as snappy videos, clear text, meaningful interactions, and optional activities for learners with particular areas of interest.

The content is based on the research literature, and provides a framework for thinking through complex issues. It's specifically designed for time-poor academics and research students who conduct human research.

Multidisciplinary approach

Examples are drawn from a broad variety of fields, from the humanities to the hard sciences.

Participants are invited to consider disciplinary differences and how these might affect transdisciplinary research collaborations.

Help supervisors help students

Supervisors have a responsibility to help their research students apply for ethics approval, but that’s hard to do!

We provide resources to help supervisors help students.

This one-page discussion primer makes it easier for supervisors to discuss key ethical considerations during the design phase of a research degree.

Assess learning

The course includes ‘knowledge checks’ along the way, and then concludes with a short quiz, which is a condition of course completion.

Participants are asked 10 multiple-choice questions at random from a broader pool. The quiz is designed to test application of practical integrity issues.

Let’s discuss!

We offer this course to research institutions under a non-exclusive, non-transferable license, usually for a period of two years. A license grants unlimited use by staff and students for the license period, and includes customisations. Our prices are very competitive.

We’d love to discuss how this course could be specially customised to suit your needs.