SOCIALIC: A novel role-playing simulation exercise for ethics teaching in higher education institutions

Abstract

Traditionally, instruction in ethics was considered an essential component across all disciplinary curricula in higher education institutions. This tendency saw a drastic change during the last century due to a significantly higher specialization of programs and a significant expansion of the number of students. Most educational institutions and accreditation boards today recognize the importance and societal demands to improve ethics education, and are in the process of redesigning and expanding their programs in this regard, notably in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields. This thesis analyzes the merits of various instruction methods from a historical perspective, concluding that most have been proven inadequate to effect a positive change in students’ expected moral behavior and equip them with the real-world skills required to conduct their professions ethically. We remark that role-play simulations are one of the most promising instruction methods, and highlight the potential to augment their positive impact by using online interactive environments and artificial intelligence. Finally, we employ the Human Centered Design (HCD) methodology to propose a prototype for a role-play simulation exercise (named SOCIALIC) that may be used to incorporate the teaching of core ethical principles into a non-ethics-focused graduate or undergraduate course.