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

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Foreword<strong>Exploring</strong> <strong>Bioethics</strong> is the most recent addition to the <strong>NIH</strong> Curriculum Supplement Series. This series brings thelatest medical science and research discoveries from the <strong>National</strong> Institutes <strong>of</strong> Health (<strong>NIH</strong>) into the high schoolclassroom. <strong>NIH</strong> plays a vital role in the health <strong>of</strong> all Americans and seeks to foster interest in research, science,and medicine-related careers for future generations. The <strong>NIH</strong> <strong>Office</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Science</strong> <strong>Education</strong> (OSE) is dedicated topromoting science education and scientific literacy.<strong>Exploring</strong> <strong>Bioethics</strong> gives students an opportunity to grapple with some <strong>of</strong> the most challenging and engagingethical issues our society is facing as a consequence <strong>of</strong> advances in the life sciences. We designed <strong>Exploring</strong><strong>Bioethics</strong> to complement existing high school biology curricula and to align with the <strong>National</strong> <strong>Science</strong> <strong>Education</strong>Standards. High school science teachers, bioethicists, education specialists, scientists, representatives fromthe Department <strong>of</strong> <strong>Bioethics</strong> in the <strong>NIH</strong> Clinical Center, and curriculum-design experts from <strong>Education</strong>Development Center, Inc. (EDC), created it over three years. The collaborative development process includedgeographically dispersed field tests by teachers and students.The structure <strong>of</strong> these modules enables teachers to facilitate learning and stimulate ethical inquiry. Real-life casesintroduce a core set <strong>of</strong> ethical considerations that are important for analyzing ethical issues in medicine and thelife sciences. Design elements emphasize key bioethical concepts and analytic methods, cutting-edge sciencecontent, real-world scenarios, and built-in assessment tools. Activities promote active and collaborative learningto help students develop their ethical-reasoning and critical-thinking skills.Each <strong>of</strong> our curriculum supplements comes with a complete set <strong>of</strong> printed materials for teachers, includingextensive background and resource information, detailed lesson plans, and masters for student worksheets. TheWeb site accompanying <strong>Exploring</strong> <strong>Bioethics</strong> includes additional material such as sample answer keys, detailedbackground information, additional lesson extensions, updates, and corrections (as needed). The supplementsare freely distributed to educators across the United States upon request. They may be copied for classroom usebut may not be sold.We welcome your feedback. For a complete list <strong>of</strong> curriculum supplements and ordering information, or to submitfeedback, visit http://science.education.nih.gov or write toCurriculum Supplement Series<strong>Office</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Science</strong> <strong>Education</strong><strong>National</strong> Institutes <strong>of</strong> Health6100 Executive Blvd, Suite 3E01Bethesda, MD 20892-7520We appreciate the valuable contributions from the talented staff at EDC. We are also grateful to the <strong>NIH</strong>ethicists, advisors, and all the other participating pr<strong>of</strong>essionals for their work and dedication. Finally, we thankthe teachers and students who participated in field tests to ensure that these lessons are both engaging andeffective.I hope you find our series a valuable addition to your classroom and wish you a productive school year.Bruce A. Fuchs, Ph.D.Director<strong>Office</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Science</strong> <strong>Education</strong><strong>National</strong> Institutes <strong>of</strong> Healthv

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