BACK TO QUEBEC CITY 2002 TITLES
The impact of the Animal
welfare Judging Team experience on undergraduate students
R. Waltman, C.R., Heleski
and A.J. Zanella
Michigan State University,
East Lansing, MI, USA
A novel way to integrate animal welfare teaching into the mainstream of animal welfare curricula was developed. Our primary objective is to enhance the knowledge of animal welfare science among undergraduate students. Judging teams offer a unique way to challenge students to critically evaluate animal welfare issues. Relevant information from behavioral, physiological and ethical standpoints can be integrated in this competitive exercise. We predict that through this endeavor students will broaden their awareness of practices within the animal agriculture industry, increase their knowledge of animal welfare issues, and improve their abilities to debate on various welfare topics.
Eighteen students from Purdue, University of Wisconsin, University of Guelph, and Michigan State competed in the first animal welfare judging contest in 2002. The competition began with all the contestants judging scenarios on CD-ROM, which provided the students with indicators of welfare, such as heart rate responses to handling, stress hormone responses to interventions.
All eighteen participants were surveyed before and after the event to assess their experience using this novel teaching tool. Through this activity students gained experience with public speaking, learning how to debate, and 94% of the participants stated that their knowledge of animal welfare had increased. Students felt that by having the contest they stimulated interest in animal welfare among their peers. Students acknowledged in the survey that animal behavior and welfare discussions elicited by their welfare judging activities were extended to a mean of 3.8 people a week. Most (61.1%) of the competing students’ views on animal welfare were altered as result of participating in the contest. Post-contest surveys indicated that housing, stockmanship/handling, elective surgeries, pain management, health of the animals, dilemmas between welfare and production, and public knowledge/education of agricultural animal welfare were viewed as the top welfare concerns for agricultural animals. All of the participants agreed that developing this contest was a good idea and all of the participants pointed out that they would recommend another student to participate in future contests.
This study was a pilot investigation and a more comprehensive assessment on the impact of the teaching exercise will be carried out in future contests.