Alternatives in Education Video

new approaches for a new millennium

Read the video text transcription here.

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Alternatives in Education has been translated into the following languages:
Croatian, Czech, Estonian, French, German, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, and Ukrainian. It will soon be available in Arabic, Georgian, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Romanian, Slovenian and Turkish.
It is available in PAL (European format) and NTSC (US format).

To order a copy, please contact the InterNICHE Co-ordinator or the relevant InterNICHE national contact.

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Alternatives in Education - new approaches for a new millennium

A ground-breaking video featuring state-of-the-art alternatives to animal experiments is today launched worldwide by the humane education network EuroNICHE (1).

University teachers who have newly developed or use multimedia computer software and other products and approaches (2) demonstrate their efficacy and pedagogic advantages (3) over traditional harmful animal use (4). From anatomy to physiology, surgery to pharmacology, the film samples classical experiments where conventional animal use has been replaced by a range of progressive alternative methods. In the current approach to the new academic year, the 33-minute multi-language film (5) is being shown and distributed across Europe, the US, Australia and Japan to teachers and students of biological science, veterinary and human medicine, and to ethics committees, legislators and animal protection groups (6).

Co-ordinator of EuroNICHE, Nick Jukes, said today,
"The life sciences are undergoing a radical change as recent developments in technology offer new and exciting ways to gain the skills and knowledge required for the professions. Ethical and financial concerns have also prompted a re-assessment of conventional practice. 'Alternatives' are now becoming the norm."

For cost and distribution, see (7) below.


Notes for editors:

(1). 'Alternatives in Education - new approaches for a new millennium'. EuroNICHE - the European Network of Individuals and Campaigns for Humane Education - is a non-profit charitable network of students and teachers with contacts in over 20 European countries, the US, Australia and Japan. Working with teachers to introduce alternatives to harmful animal use and with students to support freedom of conscience. A full list of national contacts is available.

(2). Products featured include computer simulation and learning packages, computer-linked human self-testing apparatus, waste organ surgical training apparatus, high-resolution video and a veterinary training model. Full details of the products and producers are available. Further alternative approaches for practical work requiring animal tissue are covered in the film with the sourcing and use of 'naturally-dead' or euthanised animals, and clinical practice.

(3). At least 29 published academic studies evaluating the effectiveness of alternative methods have found that students using alternatives perform at least as well as those using animals.

(4). Worldwide, tens of millions of animals are killed each year for dissection and harmed during experimentation within education. Many students face academic and psychological penalty for objecting to compulsory harmful animal use but recent legislation and legal challenges have often found in favour of students' rights and the use of alternatives.

(5). The film is currently available in (a number of languages)

(6). It has been shown pre-launch at several national-level scientific conferences and will be shown at the forthcoming 3rd World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences (Bologna, 29 August - 2 September 1999).

(7). Cost - Western Europe: £12 (£8 concessions), Eastern Europe: £6 (£4), US: $20 ($15), Australia: A$30 ($20), Other: contact EuroNICHE.