All University of California employees — that’s right, all 230,000 of them — are now required to take an ethics course online. This new decree, both a PR move and an attempt to clean up the system, comes after last year’s executive compensation scandal. The course presents the employee with various (un)ethical dilemmas and mulitple-choice answers from which to choose.

The San Francisco Chronicle writes that

The online course warns employees that, “Some activities may be legal, but they may not pass the ’smell’ test. Avoiding the appearance of a conflict of interest or commitment can be a bit tricky. The easiest way to stay out of a trouble spot is to ask yourself, ‘Would I want to read about this in the newspaper or online?’ ‘’

As opposed to, you know, should I really be doing this? Or WWCND (what would Chuck Norris do)? Admittedly, there is the lesser-known WWJD, but that one’s losing its marketability nowadays.

But didn’t the great success of AlcoholEdu teach the UC anything? Online programs — especially when they are required and patronizing — teach diddly squat. A computer telling, say, a UC official that his ethics are out of whack isn’t really going to solve much. Though they should throw AlcoholEdu in there just for kicks. Eh, might as well.