Design Brief: Vaccine

Vaccine

Context

The widespread manufacture of vaccines is a significant reason for the increased lifespan of humans during the past century. Vaccines for a variety of diseases are now required for babies born in the United States. The theory behind many vaccines is to expose the person with a weak version of the virus so his/her immune system can build antibodies to protect against the virus in the future.

Challenge

Working with cultures that are utilized in many vaccines is not feasible in a classroom for several reasons. Fortunately, you can learn about vaccine production through the use of interactive software. The public television program NOVA has developed a series of animations to help you learn about vaccine production. The diseases included are as follows:

· Small pox

· Measles

· Polio

· Tetanus

· Hepatitis B

· HIV.

Your challenge is to log into the NOVA vaccine Web site and go through the animations for each of the above diseases. The Web site is listed below in the Materials section.

Objectives

Upon completion of this design brief, students will be able to do the following:

· Use interactive, Web-based instructional materials.

· Describe the common methods used to produce vaccines.

Materials

· Computers with Internet connections

· NOVA Online. Making Vaccines. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/bioterror/vaccines.html

References

· Hill, W.E. (2000). Genetic Engineering: A Primer. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Harwood Academic Publishers.

· NOVA Online. (2003). Bioterror: Making Vaccines. Public Broadcasting Service. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/bioterror/vaccines.html

Evaluation

Use the rubric below to evaluate student work. The left column lists the performance elements that correspond to the objectives above. Additional assessment could come from an instructor prepared quiz or test.

Excellent / Average / Unacceptable
Use interactive, Web-based instructional materials. / The student completed all six tutorials. / The student completed four of the six tutorials. / The student completed three or fewer of the six tutorials.
Describe the common methods used to produce vaccines. / The student can accurately describe how all six vaccines are produced. / The student can accurately describe how four of the six vaccines are produced. / The student can accurately describe how three or fewer vaccines are produced.

Bioengineering (8467) Technology Education Service

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