First, Jacoby gives students a case study. Jacoby then introduces students to a decision-making model that guides their thinking. Once students have defined the problem, identified questions related to the problem, and considered the facts and possible answers, they are asked to support their positions using a framework for examining ethical questions. Jacoby then asks students to consider what would make them change their minds and to identify the experts that would support their conclusions. Students learn that they're living in a complex time, she says.
Students then research what scientists actually had to say on the subject.
Nelson, therefore, is determined to help her students learn how to stay informed about this newest science so they'll be better equipped to direct the course of scientific advancements. Toward Better Health Creating a Map of Human Genes Many diseases involve genes. Once scientists deliver a complete reference of all human DNA sequences, once they identify all of the estimated 80,000 genes in human DNA, other researchers will be able use that data to find out what the genes do. There is real potential for alleviating human suffering. Begun in 1990, the HGP is a 15-year effort coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health.