Teaching ethics when working with geocoded data: a novel experiential learning approach

Vera van den Bemt, Julia Doornbos, Louise Meijering*, Marion Plegt, Nicky Theunissen

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)
410 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Research ethics are not the favourite subject of most undergraduate geography students. However, in the light of increasing mixed-methods research, as well as research using geocodes, it is necessary to train students in the field of ethics. Experiential learning is an approach to teaching that is potentially suitable for teaching ethics. The aim of this article is to discuss how the experiential learning process in a course on Ethics & GPS-tracking contributed to the ethical awareness of third-year undergraduate geography students. We conducted a qualitative study in which we held four focus group discussions with two cohorts of students (2016 and 2017). We explored the students' views on the learning environment in relation to ethics in GPS-based and mixed-methods research. Our findings show how an informal learning environment and collaborative learning in a small group contributed to deep understanding of research ethics. These aspects of the learning environment are tied to an ethical framework that consists of three dimensions: (1) the ethics of collaborative research between staff and students; (2) the ethics of privacy raised by the geo-technology adopted in this research case study; and (3) the ethics of the research process with respect to informed consent and data storage.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)293-310
Number of pages18
JournalJournal of Geography in Higher Education
Volume42
Issue number2
Early online date15-Feb-2018
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018

Keywords

  • Ethics
  • experiential learning
  • GPStracking
  • qualitative methods
  • the Netherlands
  • HIGHER-EDUCATION
  • GEOGRAPHY
  • CURRICULUM
  • MOBILITY
  • STUDENTS

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