Enseñanza popular de la biotecnología

Within a short period of time, the teaching and popularization of Biotechnology has become a need not only for the academic world, but for society as well. The advances in this field have repercussions within the scientific community, as well as politicians, businessmen, manufacturers, lawyers, journalists and the general population alike. At the same time, Biotechnology as a discipline is not stagnant, but evolves with the findings of related disciplines such as Biology, Biochemistry, Genetics, Microbiology, process-related engineering specialties (chemical, biochemical or industrial) and other sciences such as Physics, Mathematics and Information Technology. Given its importance for society and its multidisciplinary nature, designing a method for the popularized teaching of Biotechnology that gives a general approach to this field and not resulting overly complex is a considerable challenge. Such a design, therefore, must take into account the methodological complexity, resulting in courses with very specific objectives and targeted to a certain audience, or conceived with a general structure offering an overall knowledge of this discipline in varying degrees, depending on the cultural and educational level of the learner. The present paper shows our experience in the design of a Biotechnology course, following a methodological conception for the adaptation of the contents to the specific goals of the course for the targeted audience while following a train of thought and a relationship with the facts of everyday life.