A study performed by Stanford University Medical Center
showed that students who studied their own genetic data faired better then
those who studied random genetic data. These students improved their knowledge
of class materials by an average of 31 percent compared to those who did not
undergo genetic testing. Kelly Ormond, co-author of the study and associate
professor of genetics said, "There is always a lot of interest in whether
personalized learning can influence education. ... What our study shows is that
it might have benefits for some self-selected students, and is worthy of
cautious consideration."
Keyan Salari, MD, PhD, a former
student of Stanford created the idea after exploring his interest in his own
genetic testing and saw the educational benefits. By exploring your own genome,
one can learn their health risks and what responses to drugs that might be
predicted. "For instance, I learned I might have a higher risk for
age-related macular degeneration. That led me to read and learn a lot more
about the genetics of that disease than I probably would have otherwise,"
said Salari. Encouraging students to explore their own genome could help
improve their knowledge of genetics in general.
The study also showed that 83 percent
of the students who underwent personal testing were pleased with their
decision. 70 percent of those who underwent the testing reported a better
understanding of human genetics. A survey given after the course asked students
if they had made any behavioral changes based on their findings in which some
reported changes. Although in face-to-face study with the same students, no
behavior changes were reported six months after the course was taken.
Studying your personal data can
definitely help spark interest in a topic. Not only will it be beneficial to
obtaining valuable personal knowledge but by exploring your own genome you
could also choose healthy lifestyle choices by knowing what you’re susceptible
to. Personally I feel that by studying my own genome rather then a random
individuals, I would much more interesting in learning the subject simply because
it’s beneficial to me to explore the stories hidden within my genome. It would
influence me to develop a deeper understand had I otherwise studied random
information. I would believe that by being more involved in studying my own
data I would retain that knowledge better than I would have by studying
randomly generated data out of a textbook.
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