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Leveraging expertise in animal welfare to create educational equity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 January 2023

JM Siegford ,
AJ Zanella ,
T Bernardo ,
CR Heleski ,
CL Wickens ,
K Laughlin  and
R Malinowski
JM Siegford*
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Science, 1290 Anthony Hall, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
AJ Zanella
Affiliation:
Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, Norwegian School of Veterinary Sciences, PO Box 8146, Oslo 0033, Norway
T Bernardo
Affiliation:
Information Technology Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
CR Heleski
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Science, 1290 Anthony Hall, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
CL Wickens
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Science, 1290 Anthony Hall, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
K Laughlin
Affiliation:
Humane Farm Animal Care, PO Box 727, Herndon, VA 20172, USA
R Malinowski
Affiliation:
Information Technology Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
*
* Contact for correspondence and requests for reprints: siegford@msu.edu
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Abstract

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Globally, veterinarians and professionals in animal-related industries are faced with growing public concern for the welfare of animals, particularly those in production. To prepare professionals, courses in animal welfare should be created to provide consistent education on a global scale in an efficient and cost-effective manner. However, a creative approach to welfare education is needed to reduce the disparity between supply and demand for instruction in animal welfare. Michigan State University (MSU) is piloting a graduate-level, online interactive course in animal welfare assessment to provide students with high-quality science-based education from renowned international animal welfare experts at numerous institutions. Innovative use of technology enables students to interact with material, each other and instructors. Students actively apply their accumulated skills to hypothetical scenarios, enhancing learning effectiveness. Student performance and opinion were examined to determine whether the course meets the stated objectives. Twenty-three students from four institutions enrolled in the pilot course. In the first month, the majority of students found the online course easy to use and material appropriate for a graduate-level course. The students agreed that scenarios helped them integrate lecture material. The MSU course will serve as a model for collaboration in content assembly and course delivery, using technology to leverage global expertise to create educational equity.

Keywords

animal welfareeducationgraduateonlinestudentsveterinary
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 16 , Issue 2: Special Issue: Proceedings of the 3rd International Workshop on the Assessment of Animal Welfare at Farm and Group Level , May 2007 , pp. 241 - 243
Copyright
© 2007 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

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