Bioethics education in the Biology and Biology Education Study Program, UIN Sunan Kalijaga, Yogyakarta: a reflection

Abstract

On the era of STS movement (Science, Technology, and Society), our science education is seriously in needs to consider bioethics as an essential course. Answering to those needs, Biology and Biology Education at the Faculty of Science and Technology, Islamic State University (UIN) Sunan Kalijaga, Yogyakarta has delivered the course for one semester. One question that emerges during the first meeting of bioethics class tor 2nd year Biology and Biology Education's students at the Faculty of Science and Technology, Islamic State University (UIN) Sunan Kalijaga, Yogyakarta is: How far is students' understanding on bioethics? Unfortunately, most students answer 'no' for such a question. This is common situation pertaining to most of our biology education today. They entered the university level without a basic understanding of what bioethics is. Even when they had entered the university level for 2 years, they still did not have any idea about bioethics. This shows that most students entered university level without any sufficient knowledge about bioethics. This also shows that majority does not have any training in bioethics. Therefore, this paper aims to reflect on bioethics course in university today: how bioethics course in the UIN was carried out, what were the obstacles, and what can the program do to create more effective environment for conducting a bioethics course. And for the Biologyand Biology Education Study Program, the essential question is on how to prepare students with competencies of teaching bioethics at junior high school level. As an institution under the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Republic of Indonesia, Biology and Biology Education at Faculty of Science and Technology, UIN Sunan Kalijaga, Yogyakarta is responsible for producing scientist and teacher, especially madrasah teachers. Therefore, it is important for the programs to deliver a bioethics course that accommodates science, technology, Society, ethics, and religion.