Virginia Tech is working to inventory, coordinate, and enhance research integrity activities throughout the university. Existing resources will be linked to one another and will be viewed within a comprehensive matrix of programs for graduate students participating in collaborative research and for international graduate students studying in U.S. programs.

Proposal Plan and Activities

Virginia Tech will adopt a comprehensive approach to imbed student learning outcomes throughout current and planned programs. These efforts will include:

• The Applied Ethics Initiative (AEI) of the Institute for Society, Culture and Environment (ISCE) will serve as the university resource and integral support unit for the research integrity components of externally funded research and training grants. AEI and the Graduate School will coordinate the access, sharing, and exchange of resources and materials pertinent to research ethics and scholarly integrity. These will be captured digitally and available in multiple formats.
   
• Courses in the International Research Abroad graduate certificate will have incorporated student learning outcomes for research ethics specifically focused on global STEM collaborations and means to assess learning.
   
• The process for developing and approving new graduate degrees and certificates, called the Institutional Plan for Graduate Degrees (IPGD), will incorporate review for research ethics education including in dual degrees and international collaborations. The student learning outcomes will be identified and evaluated through existing Dual Degrees in the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics and its international partnerships with Politecnico di Milano in Italy, UniNorte in Colombia, and Jadavpur University in India.
   
• The Transformative Graduate Education (TGE) initiative in the Graduate School will systematically incorporate learning outcomes for research ethics education into courses offered by the Graduate School.
   
• The Graduate Honor system (GHS) housed within the Graduate School will include an ethics educational component for all graduate students. The materials are designed specifically to assist international students in their transition and understanding of the U.S. cultural context regarding research ethics and professional attitudes.
   
• The NSF funded IGERT grants and internally funded Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Programs (IGEPs) will incorporate and assess student learning outcomes in research ethics into their regularly scheduled sections of GRAD 5134, Interdisciplinary Graduate Education and Research (3 cr).
   
• The Graduate School’s Global Perspectives Program (GPP) will incorporate student learning outcomes in research ethics and scholarly integrity. The program will incorporate research ethics education in a global context for the Virginia Tech students as well as those participating from partner universities, especially the University of Basel in Switzerland.