In 1994 Videodiscovery received NSF funds to produce a new high school curriculum for Genetics. The NSF wanted students to explore the bioethical and social aspects of new genetic advances. It's companion product, Bioethics Forums, provides motivating scenarios to inspire biology learning and to assess whether students are able to apply their science knowledge in real life situations. While the goal for STS Forums was to persuade, the goal for Bioethics Forums is to think and understand. Bioethics Forums is adapted from the decision making model from the Hastings Foundation curriculum New Choices New Responsibilities and from the NSF funded decision-making curriculum Decision Research.
Students complete a bioethical analysis worksheet as they research and view multimedia resources.
Identify the decision and the decision maker, 2. Identify the stakeholders, their values, and priorities 3. Identify the alternatives and the tradeoffs and, 4. Propose a solution that is the most acceptable and explain it to the stakeholders. This model leads students from general scientific research and problem solving skills to higher level thinking in which they must deal with the real world of people, their personal agendas and values.