Video-based ethics program increases moral awareness, study finds | Cara Biasucci

A selection of video title slides from the new Ethics Unwrapped series "Scandals Unwrapped." Credit: the McCombs School of Business of the University of Texas at Austin

Aug. 13, 2018 (Phys.org) -- Ethics Unwrapped, a video-based behavioral ethics curriculum created at The University of Texas at Austin and adopted by educational institutions around the world, effectively increases student understanding of ethics and human behavior, a new study shows.

The study published in the Journal of Business Law and Ethics Pedagogy was based on a two-year survey of approximately 8,600 UT undergraduates.

Before being exposed to the Ethics Unwrapped videos, more than half of the students surveyed reported a lack of confidence in their ability to identify, discuss, or apply ethics concepts such as conflict of interest, conformity bias and relativism. After viewing the videos, 88 percent reported feeling either "confident" or "very confident." And 90 percent reported that watching the videos helped them better understand ethics concepts.

An assessment of approximately 40 faculty members at UT and other institutions that use the curriculum revealed that 95 percent found the open-access videos helpful for teaching complex moral concepts. Faculty members from a wide range of academic areas -- business, fine arts, liberal arts, communications, natural sciences and education -- use Ethics Unwrapped.

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