Disc Alternatives to Dissection: An Interview with Cheryl Ross
of HSUS
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) stands opposed to
schools requiring that students perform animal dissections in order
to pass biology-related courses. Is there a viable alternative?
HSUS proposes using one of many excellent CD-ROM programs that allow
students to learn about the biology of creatures through guided
interactive multimedia. To make the process more accessible, they
offer a lending library of topnotch CD-ROM titles examining an extensive
number of creatures and targeted at different grade levels. Cheryl
Ross, an assistant researcher at HSUS, oversees the program, the
Humane Education Loan Program (HELP), which is designed to reduce
the reliance on traditional laboratory dissection, a practice that
many students (as well as adults) find morally reprehensible.
Thanks to HELP, virtual dissection can be as instructive as the
real thing, without harming any animals. The program has grown steadily
since its introduction in 1995, "With the greater compassion shown
by students today, and the new breed of teachers around the country,
this issue is getting further advanced. There are three other alternative
loan programs in the U.S., not including us. Obviously, there is
a need for this kind of program. I feel that the key is providing
more information and getting the word out that there are alternatives
available. And that is what we are trying to do."
The program got started in 1995 by Dr. Jonathan Balcombe, a former
HSUS staff member. HELP currently has about 100 items and materials,
alternatives to dissections, ranging from CDROMs to videos to models.
They loan them out completely free of charge to students or teachers
(save for shipping and handling).
Part of the success of this program stems from the sophistication
of the latest generation software. DissectionWorks, a Mac and Windows
hybrid disc that runs directly from the CD-ROM, gives students a
choice of performing a virtual dissection on a crayfish, pig, earthworm
fish, or frog. Video clips provide help if the student gets stuck
at any point. A magnifying glass tools lets the user get a close-up
view of any anatomical detail, and virtual scalpels and scissors
reveal the underlying body structure. The Digital Frog 2, targeted
to student at the Grade 10 level, includes sections on Dissection,
Anatomy, and Ecology. The Ecology section lets students explore
a pond to learn more about topics such as biodiversity, habitat
loss, and the effect of pollution on wildlife. A supplementary workbook
reinforces the learning objectives of the CD-ROM contents.
"When somebody borrows something from our program, I send them
an evaluation form. They rate it as to how well it worked for their
unit and they usually send it back to me. We're compiling the information
and we're going to be putting it up on the Web so that students
and teachers can look at this information and decide which model
or which CD-ROM would work best for their unit."
Eight states now have student alternative choice bills that have
been enacted. If there is a dissection in the classroom, the student
must be warned three weeks in advance, although it differs from
state to state. If the student wants to, they can use an alternative
instead. "We list the eight states on our Web sites and we link
to the state laws. When I was in high school, we had to perform
dissections to pass biology courses—unfortunately, we weren't
given a choice. Now, we're trying to educate people to give the
students a choice."
More information on the HSUS HELP program can be obtained from
their Web site at www.hsus.org
(click on Animals in Research to reach the dissection topics). DissectionWorks
details can be found at www.scienceclass.com.
Check out www.digitalfrog.com
for more information about The Digital Frog 2.
Republished by permission of Disc
Makers.
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