An Assessment of Changes in Undergraduate Students’ Animal Science Knowledge Throughout an Introductory-level Course
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56103/nactaj.v70i1.276Keywords:
animal science, knowledge, reflection, changeAbstract
Introductory-level animal science courses are taught at universities across the United States. These courses’ foci typically include a broad range of topics, such as animal species and breeds, animal handling, and animal care. Such courses also provide opportunities to incorporate experiential learning practices, such as reflection. Conceptually undergirded by Boud et al.’s (1985) model of reflection, we used a written reflective tool (i.e., a Know-Want to Know-Learned [K-W-L] chart) within two different semesters’ introductory-level animal science courses taught at [UNIVERSITY]. We asked the undergraduate students enrolled in these course sections to complete their K-W-L charts at the beginning and at the end of their respective semesters. We used content analysis and coding procedures to analyze and organize our data. We found that students often entered into the [COURSE] with at least some animal-related background, often sought to learn more about cattle, and most frequently indicated that they learned about animal reproduction and genetics as a result of their course experience. We recommend that our study be replicated with other populations of students enrolled in animal science courses both at [UNIVERSITY] and elsewhere. We emphasize that our findings should not be generalized beyond the students included in our study.
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