Faculty and staff who are interested in developing a new Advanced RCR course or having an existing course approved as an Advanced RCR course should refer to the NIH and NSF guidance on responsible conduct of research training.
NIH recommends a discussion-based format for RCR instruction that encourages face-to-face interaction between students and faculty in a classroom setting. Video conferencing, when used effectively, allows for effective discussions and may be incorporated into the teaching plan to meet course objectives, but should not be used as the only approach to course instruction.
NIH also recommends eleven topics that should be included in responsible conduct research discussions. NSF reinforces these recommendations and adds specific emphasis for incorporating strategies to prevent plagiarism into the RCR training curriculum.
In developing an advanced RCR course or workshop, instructors should weigh the importance of the recommended topics with respect to the field of study of the students they will be teaching. For example, engineering students may need only a brief overview of policies regarding human and animal research protection while other topics more closely related to the discipline of study may need greater emphasis.
The Office of Research Integrity (ORI) also provides many RCR resources that instructors can use when planning their course: including, learning objectives for RCR topics of instructions, interactive videos and case studies that can be used as examples during RCR discussions
Faculty and staff are encouraged to contact the Research Integrity office and discuss their ideas, as they develop plans for their course. A final copy of the syllabus for the new course should be submitted to the research integrity office for review and approval.
As courses are approved, they will be added to the RCR curriculum.