DOI: 10.4018/IJOPCD.2017010105 Copyright © 2017, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. International Journal of Online Pedagogy and Course Design Volume 7 • Issue 1 • January-March 2017 Going Online: A Pedagogical Assessment of Bioethics Distance Education Courses for Health Sciences Professionals Shawneequa L. Callier, George Washington University, Washington, D.C., USA Attila Hertelendy, Florida International University, USA Joan Butler, George Washington University, Washington, D.C., USA Thomas D. Harter, Gundersen Health System, La Crosse, WI and George Washington University, Washington, D.C., USA Marcia Firmani, George Washington University, Washington, D.C., USA Melissa M. Goldstein, George Washington University, Washington, D.C., USA ABSTRACT Health sciences professionals work on diverse health care teams and often face ethical dilemmas. Bioethics education in a distance-learning environment is one way that such individuals can obtain relevant, easily accessible, and academically rigorous instruction on ethical decision-making and behavior. Drawing on our expertise as distance educators in George Washington University’s Health Sciences Programs, we discuss our experiences teaching bioethics online for health sciences professionals, assess the existing evidence of best practices in online bioethics education, and provide recommendations for future pedagogical research relevant to diverse health care professionals. KEywORDS: Adult Learners, Bioethics Pedagogy, Distance Education Best Practices, Health Sciences, Online Bioethics Education INTRODUCTION Bioethics is a field of study that addresses complex moral issues at the intersections of health care, medical research, technological advancement, and environmental studies. Access to bioethics training is important for all future and practicing health professionals regardless of their roles. The high demand for non-physician healthcare providers and research professionals in the United States to deliver medical care continues to grow (MacKinnon III, 2013; National Conference of State Legislators, 2013). Accordingly, nurses and health sciences professionals (HSPs) should be as versed in the ethical implications of their choices and actions as physicians (Purtilo & Doherty, 2011). Paramedics, sonographers, physical therapists, clinical research associates, and medical laboratory scientists are just a few examples of the broad categories of professionals in health sciences fields who can benefit from bioethics training. In considering the need to develop bioethics competencies relevant to HSPs, it is also critically important to assess the status and availability of pedagogical tools for bioethics education in blended and online environments. Distance Education (DE) courses are academic offerings where the instructor and students are separated physically and the coursework is offered fully online through an internet- 57