2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The purpose of this WIP research paper is to outline the development of a curriculum unit intended to promote student learning about biomedical engineering through the lens of social justice concerns in organ transplantation. This work is grounded in two primary theoretical domains: the Scaffolded Knowledge Integration Framework and research on socioscientific issues in teaching and learning [1], [2].
The Scaffolded Knowledge Integration Framework aims to develop learning environments that make science accessible, make students’ thinking visible, and promote a classroom culture of collaborative, lifelong learning [1]. Correspondingly, the Web-based Science Inquiry Environment (WISE) is one evidence-based design tool shown to be successful in promoting the instructional goals of this framework by situating science learning in the context of social justice advocacy [3], [4]. WISE is a free, open-source platform enabling K-12 science educators (regardless of district resources) to develop lesson plans using pre-existing, customizable modules for engaging learners in the scientific practices embraced by Next Generation Science Standards such as the ability to engage in argument from evidence [5].
Socioscientific argumentation has sustained considerable attention in science education research given its potential to improve conceptual understanding and transform normative beliefs about the nature of science [6]. Despite this, however, the research also notes that middle school science learners frequently struggle to develop more advanced argumentation skills without explicit consideration [7], requiring continued attention to how science instruction might facilitate the development of such skills. Additionally, a growing segment of educational researchers and practitioners have amplified the call for more explicit consideration of social justice issues within science learning to expand the sociopolitical consciousness of learners in relation to science material [4], [8]. Thus, educators and researchers alike have vested interest in incorporating argumentation-based learning activities in K-12 science classrooms which center social justice advocacy.
In response, our work aims to advance a social-justice oriented science curriculum utilizing the WISE platform. In recent months, researchers have been in close consultation with biomedical engineers developing nascent biopreservation technologies and experts in designing web-based science inquiry environments. These conversations have served as the primary mechanism for the initial development of this curriculum unit. Specifically, students in this unit will:
1. Explore the varied structures/functions of organs, organ systems, and scientific arguments;
2. Learn about emergent solutions in biomedical engineering to prolong the storage of human organs;
3. Become aware of historically significant instances where the application of scientific knowledge resulted in negative or unethical outcomes (e.g., Tuskegee experiments, Henrietta Lacks, etc.);
4. Construct evidence-based arguments in the form of policy proposals designed to mitigate racial and/or socioeconomic disparities in organ transplantation (i.e. the ‘Organ Gap’);
5. Engage in structured argumentative discourse in support of/against policy proposals developed by students and their peers.
In the near future, we plan to establish a proof-of-concept for this preliminary unit design by conducting focus groups with middle school science educators for feedback, including the identification of potential problem areas, address any implementation concerns, and to gauge general interest in piloting this unit in future science classes.