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233 Late-Breaking: A first required animal welfare undergraduate course in a BIG10 animal science program.

Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Amid growing societal concern with practices for farm animal management and a decline in undergraduate students with hands-on livestock experience, animal science faculty at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln undertook a curriculum revision that resulted in significant changes and new offerings, including the department’s first required course addressing animal welfare. The development and delivery of this course was guided by student learning outcomes for all animal science undergraduate students established through a collaborative effort of faculty during the recent curriculum review process. The course, Fundamentals of Animal Behavior and Welfare (ASCI 270) was offered for the first time during the spring semester of 2025. Of 63 students enrolled, 12 students (19%) were freshmen, 17 (27%) were sophomores, 29 (46%) were juniors, and five (8%) were seniors. A majority of students (54 of 63; 86%) were enrolled in an animal science major or minor degree program, though 9 students (14%) in the course were not even enrolled in an animal science minor program. For students not enrolled in an animal science minor, the additional programs represented were agricultural education, grassland and range science, fish and wildlife studies, education, engineering, and veterinary and biomedical sciences. To reinforce concepts presented in lecture and encourage curiosity, an AI-assisted discussion board was utilized. This platform used instructor-generated prompts to encourage students to create one original post, and comment on two peer posts. The platform featured a real-time AI writing coach that provided feedback on grammar and writing, allowed the class to award ‘sparks’ for posts they liked, a feedback mechanism that today’s learners find rewarding. Grades for the course were based on a total of 850 points, with the following allocation: 150 points for participation in weekly discussions, 150 points for weekly hands-on activities, 250 points for short essays, 100 points for quizzes, and 200 points for exams. This distribution of points was provided to ensure that students with diverse learning styles had equal opportunity for success in the course. At the midterm, the average grade for the class was 91%; lost points were accounted primarily by late or missing assignments. ASCI 270 was the target course for a formal peer-review process, and as part of that effort, student responses to prompts about the course were solicited frequently throughout the semester. Feedback from non-agriculture faculty was found to be of great value for determining the efficacy of the course at preparing students to address current issues related to animal use that are front of mind for the general public.
DOI: 10.1093/jas/skaf300.375
Language: English
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4414831102
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