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Bioprospecting drives scientific innovation but can be tarnished by ethical challenges (e.g., biopiracy) when prior-informed consent and benefit-sharing are not formally established. Many microbiology courses address bioprospecting, yet curriculum that teaches the ethics of bioprospecting is uncommon. We developed and vetted a bioprospecting case study that can be implemented before students commence discovery-based research. The bioprospecting module emphasizes analysis of situations that warrant prior informed consent and mutually agreed terms. The module was implemented across 13 U.S. colleges with undergraduate students enrolled in the Tiny Earth CURE in diverse course types and institutional contexts. Student gains in knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes were measured using iteratively-refined pre/post knowledge-based instruments aligned to the learning objectives. Students showed significant learning gains with a large effect size. Post-module performance was comparable across student groups and institutional contexts after accounting for baseline knowledge. Students reported increased perceived competence in module learning objectives and positive engagement with the module. This case study provides a scalable curricular resource for embedding ethical bioprospecting and Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR) in college courses, helping students anticipate and navigate consent, benefit-sharing, and stewardship issues in research fueling the bioeconomy.
