[Teaching by using genetic stimulation]

Abstract

With the advent of the computer as an educational tool, new avenues have been opened in the teaching of biology. The development of instructional techniques using a variety of mathematical models has assisted and stimulated the study of genetics, particularly that of populations. This article refers to an instructional program by simulation of the genetic drift phenomenon, which enables the student to utilize results that would otherwise take a long time to observe. The authors feel that this teaching method is the only efficient way to teach the phenomenon, since its very complexity makes it very difficult to explain in the postgraduate classroom or through the conventional practical task. The program is being used in a graduate course in genetics; however it is felt that it can be applied to other health sciences fields and adopted to the levels of understanding of the students.