The Human Genome Project: Human and Scientific Dimensions

The MCET and a community of academics, researchers and practitioners have designed an interdisciplinary educational program about the ethical, social and legal implications of the HGP. Using multiple telecommunications networks and manipulatives of print materials, MCET will provide a comprehensive series of programs for the general public, including students, their families, teachers, and health care providers. The cornerstone of this project is a one-semester, bi-weekly elective biology telecourse for senior high students on The Human Genome: Exploring the Human and Scientific Dimensions. The course, to be offered in the fall of 1992 and 1993, will be developed from MCET's prototype course piloted in 1991. Through its satellite and computer networks, MCET is currently linked to 120 school districts in New England. This number is expected to grow, potentially reaching 34,000 teachers and one million students overall. The project design also includes laboratory placements for students, two week-long summer institutes for teachers, public fora and family teleconferences, field trips to laboratories, research sites, and counseling centers, and national teleconferences featuring leaders in the field of genetics research, counseling, bioethics, jurisprudence, and public policy.