Panel debate in Ethics and Genetics

Short description

In gene and stem cell ethics the students learn to consider an ethical dilemma on an informed basis, while becoming acquainted with some of Denmark’s leading researchers in the field. The course enables students to discuss the possibilities and consequences of future treatment methods and research topics.

Teacher's motivation

An idea was expressed to create coherence between the specialised subject matter in lectures by introducing classroom instruction.
At the same time, there was a wish to incorporate blended learning to create interaction between out-of-class and in-class activities.
Moreover, there was a need to introduce more student-activating learning opportunities.
Finally there was a wish to achieve a higher reflection level in the students, enabling them to develop their cognitive abstract learning level.

Description of the activity

The student teachers organised and developed classroom instruction, as this provided an opportunity to create a better framework for discussions of the specialised subject matter introduced to the students in the lectures.

Before the classroom instruction, the students drew up ethical dilemmas, which they uploaded on a blog in Blackboard.
In the classroom instruction, the dilemmas selected by the student teachers were used as a point of departure.
The students discussed the dilemmas in groups, based on four professional specialisations and one of the following perspectives; the doctor, the genetic researcher, the ethicist and the church minister.
Subsequently, the groups selected a representative to take part in a panel debate in which an ethical dilemma was discussed, including the perspectives of the different professional specialisations.
Finally, all students were invited to take part in the discussion.

Worth considering

When the students prepare dilemmas out-of-class, they become the producers of the content of the in-class instruction.
This results in better planning, communication, collaboration and feedback between teachers and students.
The activity compels the students to reflect, communicate and provide perspectives on ethical dilemmas from the point of views of different professional specialisations.

Basic information

Faculty: Health
Degree Programme: Medicine
Course: Gene and stem cell ethics (elective course)
Study level: BA
Course size: Approx. 35-40 students
Teaching method: Small class teaching
Extent: Activity
Primary type of activity: Discussion
How the case was conduted: Campus teaching

Links and materials

Opgaver til studerende out-of-class (pdf – In Danish)
Eksempler på etiske dilemmaer (pdf – In Danish)

The content on this page was developped by Sara Sloth Høst and Marie Vadstrup Pedersen, student teachers at the Department of Biomedicine, with support from Thomas G. Jensen, head of the Department of Biomedicine.

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Revised 24.11.2023

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