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Integrating Experiential Learning Into Animal Science Curriculum Through a Hands-On Beef Cattle Management and Marketing Contest
According to Illinois Agricultural Education’s 2014 annual report, nearly 61% of students beginning their undergraduate studies in Agriculture at a 2-year college in Illinois came from non-farm backgrounds. Yet, knowledge of and experience in livestock operations is still a requirement for many careers in the animal science industry. In response to this, the Department of Agriculture at Illinois State University has implemented a course that provides students an opportunity to gain hands-on experience with beef cattle management and marketing. The course was designed to enhance learning by requiring students to develop and execute a management and marketing plan for a pen of steers at the University Farm, which encouraged practical application of classroom instruction. The objective of this study was to determine if participation in the course enhanced student learning and knowledge retention. Eight student teams, composed of 3-4 students each, executed their own management and marketing strategies with the goal of obtaining the highest return on production, measured by subtracting expenses from revenue. Quantitative data was derived from gain scores on a pre-test at the beginning of the course and a post-test at the conclusion of the course. Qualitative data was obtained by having the students reflect upon what they had learned. This reflection occurred at the end of each unit using Likert-scale and open-ended questions. Results obtained demonstrated that the contest enhanced learning and knowledge retention. Post-test means improved significantly (p=0.000) over pre-test means with gain scores being the highest in the unit topic areas of meat science, marketing and health. In addition, student reflection indicated the students believed that the contest enhanced learning, noting that it increased their beef cattle knowledge by making them aware of all of the factors that go into raising and marketing feedlot cattle.
Keywords: Feedlot, Teaching, Curriculum