Overview
Introduction to Animal Agriculture (ANSC 10200) is a large introductory STEM-based course designed to introduce students to the science and industry management of companion, exotic, food, and laboratory animals. Background ANSC 10200 is offered primarily to freshman students interested in majoring in Animal Sciences or Pre-Veterinary Medicine. My teaching philosophy is based on creating a learner-centered mode of instruction and encouraging interaction and relationship building between me and my students. I faced several challenges in the course including, classroom constraints and the large number of students enrolled in the course. My primary goal was to redesign the course in a way that would encourage student curiosity and motivation. Implementation In order to meet this goal, I selected instructional strategies to encourage engagement. Methods, such as lecture case studies, think-pair-share, and the use of iclickers, encouraged student interaction and discussion. I also focused on the laboratory portion of the course and designed lab stations for each session. This allowed smaller group of students to complete hands-on activities throughout the 2-hour lab. Laboratory critical reflections also encouraged students to reflect on the lab experience and how it related to the class as well as animal production. Reflections I used a self-reported post-course questionnaire to investigate the impact of the course changes on student learning and interest in animal science. Student interest in animal science was high at the beginning and end of the course and students perceived the laboratory stations as being most beneficial to their learning. |