Controversies and scandals as an RRI teaching and learning tool: beyond inspiring

The transition from undergraduate to PhD student in STEM disciplines is a key point for introducing RRI, as we see a natural increase in responsibility and a shift to active research. In this study, one lecturer and eleven STEM PhD students reflect on our experiences of learning about RRI and explor...

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Main Authors: Ioana A. Albu, Rebecca Downs-Ford, Rachel Furmidge, Caitlin E. Jackson, Amy Morgan, Keir Nathan, Yasmine Osmani, Ayesha Patel, Catherine E. W. Pennington, Ryan Weller, Tom Whalley, Alison G. Harvey
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:Journal of Responsible Innovation
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23299460.2025.2464359
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author Ioana A. Albu
Rebecca Downs-Ford
Rachel Furmidge
Caitlin E. Jackson
Amy Morgan
Keir Nathan
Yasmine Osmani
Ayesha Patel
Catherine E. W. Pennington
Ryan Weller
Tom Whalley
Alison G. Harvey
author_facet Ioana A. Albu
Rebecca Downs-Ford
Rachel Furmidge
Caitlin E. Jackson
Amy Morgan
Keir Nathan
Yasmine Osmani
Ayesha Patel
Catherine E. W. Pennington
Ryan Weller
Tom Whalley
Alison G. Harvey
author_sort Ioana A. Albu
collection DOAJ
description The transition from undergraduate to PhD student in STEM disciplines is a key point for introducing RRI, as we see a natural increase in responsibility and a shift to active research. In this study, one lecturer and eleven STEM PhD students reflect on our experiences of learning about RRI and explore how controversies and scandals can be used for teaching, through reflective essays and discussions of nine controversies and scandals. Thematic analysis was used to highlight key challenges in learning about RRI in our context, map the case studies against an RRI framework, and identify four ways to view RRI when learning as a PhD student in STEM: (1) starting point, (2) developing research identity, (3) communities of research and innovation, and (4) bigger picture. We suggest there are rich learning opportunities within studying such cases that go beyond the obvious ‘inspiring and eliciting interest’.
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issn 2329-9460
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publishDate 2025-12-01
publisher Taylor & Francis Group
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series Journal of Responsible Innovation
spelling doaj-art-561cb14a0cec49ea837a236b95ede9412025-08-20T02:30:05ZengTaylor & Francis GroupJournal of Responsible Innovation2329-94602329-90372025-12-0112110.1080/23299460.2025.2464359Controversies and scandals as an RRI teaching and learning tool: beyond inspiringIoana A. Albu0Rebecca Downs-Ford1Rachel Furmidge2Caitlin E. Jackson3Amy Morgan4Keir Nathan5Yasmine Osmani6Ayesha Patel7Catherine E. W. Pennington8Ryan Weller9Tom Whalley10Alison G. Harvey11Department of Materials, School of Natural Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UKDepartment of Solids and Structures, School of Engineering, University of Manchester, Manchester, UKDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UKDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UKSchool of Clinical Dentistry, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UKDepartment of Materials, School of Natural Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UKDepartment of Materials, School of Natural Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UKDepartment of Materials, School of Natural Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UKFaculty of Biology, Medicine, and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UKDepartment of Materials, School of Natural Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UKFaculty of Biology, Medicine, and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UKDepartment of Materials, School of Natural Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UKThe transition from undergraduate to PhD student in STEM disciplines is a key point for introducing RRI, as we see a natural increase in responsibility and a shift to active research. In this study, one lecturer and eleven STEM PhD students reflect on our experiences of learning about RRI and explore how controversies and scandals can be used for teaching, through reflective essays and discussions of nine controversies and scandals. Thematic analysis was used to highlight key challenges in learning about RRI in our context, map the case studies against an RRI framework, and identify four ways to view RRI when learning as a PhD student in STEM: (1) starting point, (2) developing research identity, (3) communities of research and innovation, and (4) bigger picture. We suggest there are rich learning opportunities within studying such cases that go beyond the obvious ‘inspiring and eliciting interest’.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23299460.2025.2464359ControversiesscandalsRRIteaching and learninghigher educationSTEM
spellingShingle Ioana A. Albu
Rebecca Downs-Ford
Rachel Furmidge
Caitlin E. Jackson
Amy Morgan
Keir Nathan
Yasmine Osmani
Ayesha Patel
Catherine E. W. Pennington
Ryan Weller
Tom Whalley
Alison G. Harvey
Controversies and scandals as an RRI teaching and learning tool: beyond inspiring
Journal of Responsible Innovation
Controversies
scandals
RRI
teaching and learning
higher education
STEM
title Controversies and scandals as an RRI teaching and learning tool: beyond inspiring
title_full Controversies and scandals as an RRI teaching and learning tool: beyond inspiring
title_fullStr Controversies and scandals as an RRI teaching and learning tool: beyond inspiring
title_full_unstemmed Controversies and scandals as an RRI teaching and learning tool: beyond inspiring
title_short Controversies and scandals as an RRI teaching and learning tool: beyond inspiring
title_sort controversies and scandals as an rri teaching and learning tool beyond inspiring
topic Controversies
scandals
RRI
teaching and learning
higher education
STEM
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23299460.2025.2464359
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