Teaching about bioethics through authoring of websites

There is growing awareness of the need to equip students to think through the ethical implications of developments in biology. We describe an exercise in which students work in teams to produce websites about current controversial issues within the subject. Participants report a significant improvement in their knowledge of bioethics and acquisition of new generic skills. Additionally, we note not only a broadening of their consciousness about such issues, but also an increase in their use of appropriate scientific terminology. This web-authoring activity could readily be adapted for use with students in a broader range of disciplines at both tertiary and secondary level.