Merson Courtney, Navas Gonzalez Francisco Javier, Orth Emma, Adams Anneli, McLean Amy
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.
Transl Anim Sci. 2020 Nov 21;4(4):txaa218. doi: 10.1093/tas/txaa218. eCollection 2020 Oct.
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.
新冠疫情给各学科的教授和学生带来了挑战，要求他们迅速适应远程在线教学和教育平台。在这个远程教学的新时代，马科学领域面临着更大的挑战：如何有效地分享知识，而这些知识通常是通过让学生接触活体动物实例来展示的。从历史上看，学生和教师都认为，对于该行业（如兽医）未来职业至关重要的技能必须通过实践经验来学习。然而，无法采用面对面的教学方式，因此学生通过Zoom平台进行学习。邀请参加不同层次马科学课程的学生填写一份简短的自愿调查问卷，以衡量他们对由同一位教授在完全在线远程环境中讲授的马科学课程的反应和看法。一组是本科马科学专业的学生（n = 44），他们参加高级马繁殖生理学和/或马企业等高级马科学课程。这些学生，41名女性和3名男性，年龄在20至25岁之间，收到一份自愿调查问卷，询问他们对课堂讲座、现场实验室与远程在线教学实践的感知有效性和个人偏好的看法。类似的问卷也在自愿基础上提供给大学预科学生（n = 17）。这些学生均为女性，是从大一到高三的高中生（年龄在14至18岁之间），她们未来有意在加州大学戴维斯分校主修马科学。这份问卷评估了他们对为期两周的远程同步在线马科学课程的反应，该课程包括多种教学方法，如讲座、小型实验室和完整实验室。两组学生的回答都表明，马科学课程以在线远程课程的形式提供时被认为是有效的。在Zoom上进行的实时（同步）课程和实验室增加了参与度和互动性，但学生们也很感激有机会获取录制的材料。学生们对在线远程教学给予了积极回应，并发现课程能够有效地以引人入胜的方式增加他们对马科学的了解，尽管他们仍然更喜欢面对面教学。
