PSIV-31 Do community-engaged learning courses benefit the equine student over a traditional laboratory setting?

Abstract

Abstract Vocational training is essential in developing both the skills and confidence to perform these activities within a profession. This type of training can be achieved through a traditional laboratory setting or within a laboratory centered around community engagement activities. While the benefits of both types of pedagogical strategies have been documented, comparison of these approaches to teaching in the equine environment is limited, and yet, development of skills and confidence is essential to the equine student as they step into the equine industry. Therefore, the objective of the study was to compare development of students’ confidence levels and skills through a traditional equine laboratory-setting to that of a community-engaged pedagogy. The study was conducted over the fall semester. A survey instrument was given at the beginning (pre-) and end (post-) of each semester for a weekly 2-hour traditional equine laboratory (TL; n = 36) and an equine course with a weekly 2-hour equine community engagement activity (CE; n = 47). Students in both course types completed a total of 30 hours handling horses during the semester. The survey consisted of 18 questions evaluating the student’s confidence in their perceived equine horsemanship skills. Students ranked their confidence from 1–5 with 5 indicating higher confidence. A skill assessment was completed by course instructors in conjunction with the students’ self-evaluation surveys. The skill assessment consisted of 10 questions with instructors ranking skills from 1–4 with 4 indicating higher skill level. Paired samples t-tests showed significant differences by the end of the semester in the skill assessment scores for both the TL and CE courses (P < 0.01) and in the student-perceived confidence levels for the CE course (P < 0.01). Although results indicate that both pedagogical strategies can be beneficial in equine skill development, community-engaged learning courses can provide a more effective approach to improving confidence in equine students.