Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
J Agromedicine. 2024 Jul;29(3):384-391. doi: 10.1080/1059924X.2024.2329153. Epub 2024 Mar 19.
In this combined study, the efficacy of different educational methods in enhancing students' agricultural biosecurity knowledge, which is vital for public health, food security, and agricultural safety, was assessed.
In-person and virtual learning methods, utilizing educational content developed for the Gearing Up for Safety program, were investigated with 692 total participants. In the in-person learning method, 459 students aged 12-20 received a 50-minute in-person training session using the Gearing Up for Safety lesson on agricultural biosecurity. A 20 question pre- and post-test gauged knowledge gain. In the virtual learning method, 223 students, aged 12-20 received two, 40-minute virtual training sessions using the same content.
Results of knowledge gain from the in-person method improved significantly from 55% to 77% (t(458) = -22.37, < .001). Chi-squared analysis showed 19 out of the 20 questions significantly contributed to learning. Results of knowledge gain from the virtual method also showed a notable knowledge gain increase from 53% to 66% (t(222) = -11.86, < .001). However, a chi-squared analysis revealed that only 10 of the 20 questions significantly contributed to learning. In-person learning effectively supported better understanding of general biosecurity.
Virtual education improved general understanding but required enhanced focus on topics like vaccination, pest management, and community biosecurity preparation for comprehensive knowledge. Both in-person and virtual learning resulted in an increase in agricultural biosecurity knowledge, with in-person learning exhibiting a higher proportion of significant knowledge gains. These findings emphasize the importance of diverse educational methods in preparing future agricultural workers to ensure safety and health in agricultural settings. Results were used to enhance the curricula content being made available as part of the Gearing Up for Safety program for young and beginning workers.
本联合研究评估了不同教育方法在增强学生农业生物安全知识方面的效果，这对公共卫生、食品安全和农业安全至关重要。
本研究共纳入 692 名参与者，采用现场学习和虚拟学习方法，使用专为“安全准备计划”开发的教育内容。在现场学习方法中，459 名 12-20 岁的学生接受了 50 分钟的现场培训，使用“安全准备计划”中关于农业生物安全的课程。通过 20 个预测试和后测试问题来衡量知识的获得。在虚拟学习方法中，223 名 12-20 岁的学生接受了两次 40 分钟的虚拟培训，使用相同的内容。
现场学习方法的知识增益结果从 55%显著提高到 77%（t(458)=-22.37，p<0.001）。卡方分析显示，20 个问题中的 19 个对学习有显著贡献。虚拟学习方法的知识增益结果也显示出显著的知识增益增加，从 53%提高到 66%（t(222)=-11.86，p<0.001）。然而，卡方分析显示只有 10 个问题对学习有显著贡献。现场学习有效地支持了对一般生物安全的理解。
虚拟教育提高了一般理解能力，但需要更加关注疫苗接种、病虫害管理和社区生物安全准备等主题，以实现全面的知识掌握。现场学习和虚拟学习都增加了农业生物安全知识，现场学习显示出更高比例的显著知识增益。这些发现强调了在培养未来农业工人确保农业环境安全和健康方面，采用多样化教育方法的重要性。研究结果用于增强“安全准备计划”中为年轻和初学者提供的课程内容。
