Interactive learning about ethical issuesin genetic modification using a democs card game

• Donal Bruce ^[1]
  1. [1] Edinethics Ltd.
• Localización: Educating for Ethics, Critical Thinking and Responsible Action in the Anthropocene: Climate, Food Systems, and Democratic Challenges / coord. por Aline Jelenkovic Moreno, María Eugenia Ibáñez Pérez-Zamacona, Leire Escajedo San Epifanio, Alaitz Poveda Zabala, Amaia Inza Bartolomé, 2025, ISBN 978-84-1319-669-5, págs. 27-39
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • This chapter describes the use of Democs card games as an interactive way of teaching studentsabout the ethical and social issues arising from genetic technologies. The Democs game conceptis a semi-structured small group discussion which uses cards as the medium. It was first devisedin 2001 as novel method to enable public discussion on emerging technologies, with no priorbackground knowledge, and has been used in many such contexts. But it has also proved veryeffective as a pedagogical tool in which groups of 6-8 students engage together with the subjectusing different sets of cards which generate group discussion. Story cards introduce the subjectthrough case studies of people involved. Information Cards provide necessary factual andcontextual information. Issue Cards present a range of ethical issues and viewpoints. Each playerselects from hands of cards and these are discussed with the group. The group is asked to comeup with opinion statements as a consensus, and each student is invited to vote individually onpolicy options and applications of the technology, and to write their reasons. The game is effectiveas a participative learning tool. Learning in a group and the emphasis on searching for consensusamong differing views are especially important features. The focus on real life situations andethical dilemmas through the cards makes it accessible to different disciplinary learning situations,for example for science students learning about ethics, or ethics and social science studentsengaging with cutting edge technologies. A game is described on genetic modification andgenome editing in plants and animals, which has been used to teach MSc students on sustainabledevelopment courses at Edinburgh University from different disciplines and countries over 20years. Several games are played in parallel and the outcomes discussed in plenary. Some of thevoting results summarised as illustration.