Back in the saddle: student response to remote online equine science classes.
Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged professors and students of all disciplines to adjust quickly to remote online teaching and education platforms. In this new era of remote teaching, a greater challenge has been presented in the field of equine science; how to effectively share knowledge that is most often demonstrated by providing students access to live, in-person animal examples. Historically, students and teachers believed skill sets, which are vital for future careers in the industry (e.g., veterinarian) must be learned through hands-on experience. However, in-person methods were not available, so students were taught through the Zoom platform. Students enrolled in various levels of equine science classes were invited to complete a short voluntary questionnaire measuring their response and perception to equine courses taught in an entirely online remote setting by the same professor. One group was comprised of undergraduates majoring in the field ( = 44) in upper level equine science courses, Advanced Equine Reproduction Physiology and/or Equine Enterprise. These students, 41 females and 3 males, ranged in age from 20 to 25 yr, were provided a voluntary questionnaire seeking responses related to the perceived effectiveness and individual preferences of in-class lectures and in-person labs vs. remote online teaching practices. A similar questionnaire was offered on a volunteer basis to precollege students ( = 17). These students, female, high-school students from freshman to senior status (14-18 yr of age), were interested in equine science as a major at UC Davis in the future. This questionnaire evaluated their response to a 2-week remote synchronous online equine science course, which included multiple teaching methods, including lectures, mini labs, and full labs. Responses from both populations suggested that equine courses were perceived as effective when offered as online, remote courses. Live (synchronous) classes and labs offered on Zoom increased engagement and interaction, but students also appreciated the opportunity to access recorded materials. Students responded positively to online remote teaching and found courses to be effective for increasing their knowledge about equine science in an engaging manner, despite their continued preference for in-person instruction.
© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science.
Publication Date: 2020-11-21 PubMed ID: 33403358PubMed Central: PMC7717350DOI: 10.1093/tas/txaa218Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The article presents the findings from a study exploring how students responded to online remote learning for equine science courses in light of the transition to this method during the COVID-19 pandemic. The general perception of effectiveness towards remote online lessons among the students was positive, although they still hold preference to traditional in-person instruction.
Context
- The research was carried out amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, when all education had to be switched to remote online teaching platforms to maintain social distancing.
- Typically, equine science classes use live, in-person examples of animals as part of their teaching approach. This was not possible during the pandemic, posing a challenge to both students and professors.
Methodology
- The researchers carried out questionnaires among two groups of students enrolled in equine science classes. This was to gather insights into how they had found learning via such remote platforms without the in-person, practical-elements ordinarily included in the curriculum.
- The first group included undergraduate students (44 in total) who were majoring in the field, while the second group contained pre-college students (17 in number) who aspired to study equine sciences in the university in the future.
- The researchers used Zoom as their main platform for remote teaching and the questionnaires sought to gauge the students’ responses to this method of teaching.
Findings
- The research found that despite the abrupt change and the lack of physical contact with the animals, both groups perceived the online courses as effective.
- Live synchronous classes and labs increased engagement and interactions among the students.
- Additionally, the flexibility offered by the ability to access recorded materials was appreciated by students.
- Despite the positive response to this mode of learning, the students expressed their continued preference for in-person teaching.
Conclusion
- The article concluded that online remote teaching could be an effective method for teaching equine science, as demonstrated by the positive student responses garnered during the pandemic. Despite the unique challenges presented in the form of the lack of hands-on experience, online teaching could still impart knowledge successfully.
- The research could provide valuable insights for educators in the field, especially during similar situations of restricted in-person interactions in the future. Despite this, the traditional in-person method of instruction still holds a lot of importance and preference among the students.
Cite This Article
APA
Merson C, Navas Gonzalez FJ, Orth E, Adams A, McLean A.
(2020).
Back in the saddle: student response to remote online equine science classes.
Transl Anim Sci, 4(4), txaa218.
https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txaa218 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- University of California Davis, International Division of Continuing and Professional Education, Davis, CA.
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain.
- University of California Davis, Animal Biology, Davis, CA.
- University of California Davis, International Division of Continuing and Professional Education, Davis, CA.
- University of California Davis, Animal Science, Davis, CA.
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Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- Abdull Mutalib AA, Md Akim A, Jaafar MH. A systematic review of health sciences students' online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. BMC Med Educ 2022 Jul 3;22(1):524.
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