Exploring Genetic Engineering Through a Deliberation in Biochemistry

Well-trained scientists work collaboratively with people of various expertise, balancing their technical knowledge with many other factors when addressing complex problems. However, biochemistry courses are under pressure to cover a wide range of content and traditional pedagogy and may not address the development of this important skill. Deliberation, which is a facilitated conversation that encourages the consideration of different perspectives and approaches to complex societal issues, is one opportunity to engage students in applying their fundamental knowledge together with their lived experience. Here, we apply a polarity mapping model of deliberation to the question of releasing genetically modified mice to control tick-borne Lyme disease in Nantucket. Participants considered the tension between ecological preservation and genetic innovation in this case. Inductive thematic analysis of student responses to open-ended questions after the deliberation highlight positive learning outcomes along three key themes: collaboration, synthesis of ideas and information, and understanding of trade-offs and tensions.