Ethically involving students in faculty research

SummaryStudents in nursing education programs have a right to privacy as they engage in their learning. At the same time, their faculty may be engaged in nursing education research in order to facilitate student learning. These two goals may conflict when faculty engage students as participants in nursing education research while at the same time facilitating their learning. Faculty as researchers with their students may encounter a conflict of interest in collecting data for their research while providing learning experiences for the same students. As a basic principle, students must be engaged as participants in an ethical manner that respects their rights for privacy. In this article, we explore the issues of faculty as researchers of their students and suggest strategies for addressing these issues.