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CARE is an online course designed for students using animals or animal tissue in research projects. The use of animals in research requires careful consideration of a range of legal, ethical and technical issues. In Australia, there is a national Code which sets out the principles which guide the decision to use animals and how they are used. This Code also outlines the pivotal role of Animal Ethics Committees in the oversight of all aspects of animal use and to provide an important link to the wider community. This Code and the Animal Ethics Committee system set the ethical, social and scientific framework for our use of animals is research. The welfare of the animals used in research projects is of paramount importance. As a researcher you are ultimately responsible for the welfare of the animals you use. CARE consists of a number of separate modules. They consider ethical and social issues or focus on specific research situations. |
CARE has been developed to introduce you to the system which governs the use of animals in research in Australia. It is a system in which you as a researcher are actively involved. The course material has been developed to alert you to your responsibilities and to assist you in understanding the scientific issues and exploring the ethical challenges.
This course comprises of Core problems which have been designed to give you an appreciation of the general issues of the use of animals and to understand the important link between these issues and practical considerations to ensure high standards of animal welfare.
Each problem has a set of specific learning objectives. There is also a set of tasks (eg. questions, assignments etc) to test whether you have achieved these objectives. For each problem, you should read the learning objectives before you start and look at the tasks which will help you to focus on the important aspects of the problem.
Remember: Approval for the use of animals or tissues from animals MUST be obtained from the Animal Ethics Committee before any experiments can begin.
When you have worked through the relevant problems you should have achieved:
- an awareness of the depth and variety of ethical issues surrounding the use of animals in research and teaching
- an awareness of your own ethical values
- an understanding of the procedures for the ethics approval in your institution
- an understanding of the importance of good animal welfare
- an understanding of your responsibilities as a researcher
To help you assess how you are achieving these goals, each problem has a set of specific learning objectives and tasks.