The effects of course format, sex, semester, and institution on student performance in an undergraduate animal science course

The transition of courses from in-person to an online format due to the COVID-19 pandemic could have potentially affected overall student performance in lecture-based courses. The objective of this case study was to determine the impact of course format, as well as the effects of student sex, time of year at which the course was taken, and the institution it was taken at on student performance in an undergraduate animal science course. The course used for this study was taught at two institutions (University of Florida; UF and University of Nevada, Reno; UNR) over seven years (2014-2017 at UNR and 2018-2021 at UF). Student performance (n = 911) was evaluated using both quizzes and exams from 2014 through the spring semester 2020 and only exams were used for summer and fall semesters of 2020 and the spring and summer semesters of 2021. The final score (out of 100%) for each student was used to evaluate student performance. In addition, students were classified as high performing students if they scored ≥ 95% and low performing students if they scored ≤ 70%. The variables that were evaluated were the effects of semester (spring, summer, or fall), institution (UF or UNR), sex (male or female), number of teaching assistants (TAs; 0 to 13), and course format (online or in-person). The course was taught in-person at UNR and in-person and online at UF. The spring semester of 2020 was taught in-person until March but was switched to online approximately nine weeks after the semester started and was considered an online semester for this analysis. As the course was only taught online at UF, the variable course format was assessed using UF records only. Data was analyzed using both linear models and logistic regressions. The probability that students were high performing was not affected by sex or institution. Interestingly, both fall semester, and the online format had a positive, desirable effect on the probability that students were high performing. The probability that students were low performing was not affected by sex. However, if a student performed poorly in the class, they were more likely to have taken the course at UNR, or at UF with many TAs. Thus, student performance was impacted by changing the course format, as well as institution, the number of TAs, and the semester in which the course was taken.

It’s Animals’ Ten Year Anniversary

About 30 years ago I had a discussion with my then head of department at Bangor University, the late Professor John Bryn Owen, about what an ideal journal would look like in our field, animal science, in the future [...]

The Effect of Mocaf Substitution on Crispness and Organoleptic Quality of Milk Sticks

Milk sticks are one of the dairy products that are served in the form of snacks. One of the ingredients added in making milk sticks is wheat flour which has a high amylose content. It causes the resulting milk sticks to be less crunchy. It is necessary to substitute flour with low amylose content, namely mocaf (Modified Cassava Flour). This research objective was to determine the effect of mocaf on the level of crispness and organoleptic quality of milk sticks. Milk sticks was made in animal science laboratory UNISKA Kediri by adding different percentage of flour: P0 (100% wheat flour), P1 (90% wheat flour and 10% mocaf), P2 (80% wheat flour and 20% mocaf), P3 (70% wheat flour and 30% mocaf), and P4 (60% wheat flour and 40% mocaf) in six replications. This research using completely randomized design (CRD). These results indicated that the substitution of mocaf in the manufacture of milk sticks could reduce the moisture content of the milk sticks so that the substitution of mocaf could increase the crispness. The organoleptic assessment was carried out on the parameters of color, taste, and crispness. There were no significant differences between the color and taste parameters, while the crispness showed that P0 was not significantly different from P1, but it was significantly different from P2, P3, and P4.

Animal industry survey: The importance of technical and soft skills, coursework, and extracurricular activities on the success of undergraduates entering animal industries

A survey instrument was developed to inquire about the skills and experiences needed to be successful in an entry-level position within an animal industry. The instrument called upon industry representatives to rank the importance of skills, experiences, and coursework as they relate to success. A five-point scale was used for ranking (1=not important, 2=somewhat important, 3=moderately important, 4=very important, 5=extremely important). Industry representatives ranked personal and team-based soft skills as the most important skills related to success. Animal science coursework and hands-on animal handling and welfare experiences also ranked very high. Non-animal science coursework, agricultural business skills, collegiate experiences, and scientific/laboratory skills were ranked the lowest in terms of importance, but rankings of these categories still fell in the moderately important range. These rankings indicate the need for well-rounded students that have gained technical and personal skills throughout their collegiate education. This also signals a need for projects, writing assignments, and hands-on animal-related activities that promote development of soft skills within the animal science curriculum.

Implementation of the Surgical Apgar Score in Laboratory Animal Science: A Showcase Pilot Study in a Porcine Model and a Review of the Literature

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> In an attempt to further improve surgical outcomes, a variety of outcome prediction and risk-assessment tools have been developed for the clinical setting. Risk scores such as the surgical Apgar score (SAS) hold promise to facilitate the objective assessment of perioperative risk related to comorbidities of the patients or the individual characteristics of the surgical procedure itself. Despite the large number of scoring models in clinical surgery, only very few of these models have ever been utilized in the setting of laboratory animal science. The SAS has been validated in various clinical surgical procedures and shown to be strongly associated with postoperative morbidity. In the present study, we aimed to review the clinical evidence supporting the use of the SAS system and performed a showcase pilot trial in a large animal model as the first implementation of a porcine-adapted SAS (pSAS) in an in vivo laboratory animal science setting. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> A literature review was performed in the PubMed and Embase databases. Study characteristics and results using the SAS were reported. For the in vivo study, 21 female German landrace pigs have been used either to study bleeding analogy (<i>n</i> = 9) or to apply pSAS after abdominal surgery in a kidney transplant model (<i>n</i> = 12). The SAS was calculated using 3 criteria: (1) estimated blood loss during surgery; (2) lowest mean arterial blood pressure; and (3) lowest heart rate. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The SAS has been verified to be an effective tool in numerous clinical studies of abdominal surgery, regardless of specialization confirming independence on the type of surgical field or the choice of surgery. Thresholds for blood loss assessment were species specifically adjusted to &#x3e;700 mL = score 0; 700–400 mL = score 1; 400–55 mL score 2; and &#x3c;55 mL = score 3 resulting in a species-specific pSAS for a more precise classification. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Our literature review demonstrates the feasibility and excellent performance of the SAS in various clinical settings. Within this pilot study, we could demonstrate the usefulness of the modified SAS (pSAS) in a porcine kidney transplantation model. The SAS has a potential to facilitate early veterinary intervention and drive the perioperative care in large animal models exemplified in a case study using pigs. Further larger studies are warranted to validate our findings.

Perceptions of animal welfare and animal welfare curricula offered for undergraduate and graduate students in Animal Science departments in the United States

While perceptions of animal welfare have been assessed in veterinary students and students internationally, there remains a gap in research concerning undergraduate and graduate student perspectives of animal welfare in animal science programs at colleges and universities across the United States. A survey was developed to assess current animal science student perspectives of the importance of animal welfare as part of their education, their knowledge of available educational opportunities, and resources they think should be included in animal welfare curricula. An online survey was distributed to a national listserv of university administrators of animal science programs in the United States. A total of 624 survey responses were statistically summarized. Most respondents were undergraduate students (78.0%, n = 487), between the ages of 18 and 24 (85.9%, n = 536), and female (86.1%, n = 537). Results indicated that despite most respondents not taking an animal welfare course previously (60.7%, n =379), most students strongly agreed that the inclusion of an animal welfare course is an important part of the animal science curriculum (72.0%, n=449), that animal welfare is an important component of their education (63.1%, n =394), and that animal welfare courses would be helpful for their future careers (70.0%, n =437). When asked what attributes would be most important in an animal welfare class, students identified many different types of information and resources. The majority of respondents answered that discussing current hot topics in animal welfare (76.1%, n=475), ethical discussions (76.0%, n=474), and practical, applied questions (75.3%, n=470) were important course components. Suggestions for future research include investigating how animal science student perceptions change before and after taking an animal welfare course and exploring opportunities to expand formal welfare education in animal science departments. Inclusion of animal welfare into the curriculum is critical as many of the students currently enrolled in animal science departments will become the future stakeholders in animal-focused industries.

Alternatives in Education—Evaluation of Rat Simulators in Laboratory Animal Training Courses from Participants’ Perspective

In laboratory animal science (LAS) education and training, five simulators are available for exercises on handling and routine procedures on the rat, which is—beside mice—the most commonly used species in LAS. Since these simulators may have high potential in protecting laboratory rats, the aim of this study is to investigate the simulators’ impact on the 3R (replace, reduce, refine) principle in LAS education and training. Therefore, the simulators were evaluated by 332 course participants in 27 different LAS courses via a practical simulator training workshop and a paper-based two-part questionnaire—both integrated in the official LAS course schedule. The results showed a high positive resonance for simulator training and it was considered especially useful for the inexperienced. However, the current simulators may not completely replace exercises on live animals and improvements regarding more realistic simulators are demanded. In accordance with literature data on simulator-use also in other fields of education, more research on simulators and new developments are needed, particularly with the aim for a broad implementation in LAS education and training benefiting all 3Rs.

Effect of Storage Time On the Hatchability of Eggs of Two-Line Dual-Purpose Combination for Production of Male Chickens for Meat

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of the storage time on the hatching traits of eggs obtained from a two-line dual-purpose combination for production of male chickens that will be utilized for meat. The trial was carried out in the experimental poultry farm of the Institute of Animal Science-Kostinbrod, with a total of 150 Lohmann Brown Classic layers, at the age of 54 weeks. Hatching eggs were gathered for three weeks and were stored for 5, 10 and 15 days at 15-18°C ambient temperature prior incubation. The storage time had no effect on the fertility of the set eggs, however, it adversely affected the hatchability. Prolonged storage led to significant decline in the total hatchability (P=0.0027) and the hatchability of the fertile eggs (P<0.0001) which was lowest after 15 days of storage prior incubation. The viability of the chickens was influenced by the storage of the eggs prior incubation (P<0.0001), and decreased considerably when the chicks were hatched from eggs stored for 15 days.