Exploring Bioethics - NIH Office of Science Education - National ...

Inform students that they will now carry out a brief activity that conveys thecurrent situation with liver transplants in the United States.Place one card (created using Master 3.4) on each student’s desk, with the outcomeside face down. Explain that students are “patients” awaiting liver transplants.Tell them not to turn the cards over yet.Create a three-column chart with these column heads: “Question,” “Predicted %,”and “Actual %.” Give students a minute to silently jot down their predictions.Read each question aloud, ask students for a quick show of hands for each answer,and record the answers in the Predicted % column.Tell students to turn their cards over. As they do so, write the correct percentagesin the Actual % column.Engage students in a brief discussion of their reactions to their status, the actualpercentages, and the current scarcity of livers. Explain that they need more informationbefore they can evaluate allocation policies.Give each student a copy of Master 3.5 and a copy of Master 3.6. As a class,read the first six scientific questions and answers on Master 3.5.Page 3-10, Step 3Page 3-10,Steps 4–5Page 3-11,Steps 6–7Page 3-11, Step 8Page 3-11, Step 9Page 3-11,Steps 10–11Page 3-12,Steps 12–13Give students time to begin working—in small groups—on Master 3.6. Page 3-12, Step 14Closure: Remind students of the importance of understanding the relevant factsand criteria. Announce that in the next session, the class will review the answersto the homework and examine liver-transplant scenarios.Homework: Finish reading Master 3.5 and filling out Master 3.6.Page 3-12Page 3-12Involves copying a master3-14 Exploring Bioethics