PSVI-4 Assessment of undergraduate student learning in an animal science major

Abstract

Abstract With changing demographics of undergraduate students in the animal science major, it is important to evaluate the curriculum and student learning. The objective of this study was to assess perceived knowledge gained by students in the animal science major. Students took a survey during a senior seminar course that was required for all majors to be taken in their last year of their degree program. Results of this evaluation have been compiled from years 2015–2017 with 253 students responding. There were no significant differences over time in the categories of: understanding, skills, attitudes, integration and knowledge based questions. A majority (62.3%) of the students reported a 3.01 GPA or above across all semesters. Results from all students surveyed indicate that enrolling in the animal science major improved the areas of their understanding, skills, attitudes, integration of learning and knowledge. Students noted a higher rate of understanding when applying biology and chemistry to life sciences and their animal sciences courses than in their biology and chemistry courses alone. The highest percentage (82 to 96.9%) of students noted a great deal of to a lot of improvement in understanding of specific animal science disciplines and terms. Students’ ability to recall what was previously taught has stayed steady through the years based on completion of posttest. While students are confident in how the animal science department has prepared them in certain aspects, a focus on bringing other science backgrounds into use during animal science class is not as strong. At the completion of their degree program, students were enthusiastic about animal science and confident in their future success in an animal science career (greater than 80% agreed). Addressing the strengths of the department will help students in understanding the benefits of the program as they progress through their degree.