Progress 09/01/01 to 08/31/04
Outputs
The goal was to develop and deliver an entirely online college-level farm animal anatomy course. A 4-credit wholly online upper division VS331 Domestic Animal Anatomy course was developed and officially offered at Colorado State University (CSU) to regularly enrolled and distance education students starting spring semester 2004. The course has been officially approved and listed as a regular and distance class to be offered fall and spring semesters ongoing (offered only to distance students summer semesters). Members of the Department of Animal Sciences served on the advisory board and provided content guidance and editorial oversight, resulting in a course that uniquely meets the needs of students completing animal/equine science degrees in addition to those aspiring to be veterinarians. Course components include online lectures, laboratories, orientation, examinations, live chats, and clinical case presentations, all delivered via the WebCT learning management
system. An accompanying optional CD contains all images and videos for rapid downloading (for students with slow Internet access). The course utilizes Flash animations and video briefs in combination with still images and colorful diagrams to capture the visual attention of students. Interactivity is created by inserting mini-quizzes within lectures, summary quizzes at the end of each lecture, weekly online chats, and image manipulation within the laboratories. One of the unique technologies used in the course is three-dimensional anatomical structures students can grasp and rotate, allowing them to view an anatomical image much like picking up a gross specimen in a laboratory. In addition, the course presents a series of case studies prior to each examination. These case studies are intended to help students apply the knowledge gained in previous lectures to actual cases involving relevant anatomy. Students are first presented with Case Quickies, which, for example, may be a series
of videos of lame animals. Students are asked what part of the anatomy must be dysfunctional in order for the biomechanics or movement of the animal to appear as it does in the video clip. Following the Case Quickies, a more in-depth problem-based learning case is presented and leads students through the process of problem-solving. Enrollment in the first 3 semesters of the online anatomy course indicates that it is clearly reaching the primary intended audience, e.g. students in Equine Science, Animal Science and Preveterinary majors. Data in the following categories have been collected and are being analyzed for publication: number of enrolled students, course completion rates, time on task, number of student-faculty/student-student interactions in chats and email exchanges, development of higher order thinking and problem solving skills, learning outcomes, demographic information, and qualitative feedback (obtained from surveys). To date, dissemination has been via professional
presentations (6) and marketing (by CSU and the Division of Continuing Education)
Impacts
This project has had significant impact on CSUs academic programs and students. The delivery medium and year-round availability of the online anatomy course create tremendous opportunities for access. Previously, the on-campus anatomy course was offered once a year, restricting availability and extending time to graduation. The Department of Animal Sciences now lists the online anatomy course as a requirement for completion of all of their degree programs. As a result of this project, strong relationships have been forged between the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVMBS) and the College of Agriculture (CA). Several unexpected alliances have developed. Dr. Terry Engle (CA) is now a member of the Veterinary Admissions Committee and provides valuable insights about how the committee can better select candidates from rural/animal sciences backgrounds. Dr. McConnell (project PI) is currently collaborating with the head of the Animal Sciences
department to develop an online animal physiology course. Working together, the CVMBS and CA have developed the FAVCIP (Food Animal Veterinary Career Incentive Program), the goal of which is to increase the number of veterinarians who can meet the growing veterinary food animal/public health needs of the U.S. As enrollments of distance learners increase, the positive impacts of this project will extend well beyond the boundaries of CSU and the period of this grant, allowing students with diverse needs in agricultural/animal science programs across the U.S. to have access to course content and academic credit.
Publications
- Abstract: Schoenfeld-Tacher, R., McConnell, S. 2002. Developing Science Courses for Online Delivery - Hands Off is Not Minds Off! Proceedings of Ed-Media, World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia & Telecommunications, Denver, CO.
- Abstract: McConnell, S. & Schoenfeld-Tacher, R. 2002. Utilizing Humor and Projection of Personality To Create a Sense of Realism in an Online Science Course. Proceedings of Ed-Media, World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia & Telecommunications, Denver, CO.
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Progress 01/01/03 to 12/31/03
Outputs
Since this project began on September 1, 2001, significant progress has been made in developing and offering the online Farm Animal Anatomy course. Major accomplishments include the following. The advisory board meetings have resulted in establishing a collegial and productive working relationship between the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and the College of Agriculture. Course content was developed and approved. Weekly team meetings have been conducted to ensure timely forward progression of the project and to deal with problems as they arise. The WebCT site and Homepage have been created for the course. The 15 weeks of lectures have been developed and inserted into the WebCT course. The lectures are image-intensive, and include photographs, drawings, virtual reality user-controlled images, and moving Flash images. All laboratories have been completed and are in the final stages of editing. All 4 clinical case lectures are completed.
Examinations have been developed and are in the final stages of editing. Students in the on-campus undergraduate anatomy course Spring 2003 (which parallels the content in the Farm Animal Anatomy course) had access to the first ten online lectures concurrently with receiving the content in the on-campus lecture environment. This beta test was successful. A qualitative survey was administered, but results have not yet been tabulated. Initial verbal feedback from students was very positive for the online course. The online version of the course was unanimously approved by departmental, college and university curriculum committees. Twenty students have enrolled for and are actively engaged in taking the course as part of the full-scale field test spring semester 2004. The first interactive chat is scheduled for the week of January 26, 2004. A CD has been burned and distributed to currently enrolled students. Baseline evaluation data for the on-campus course has been collected. R.
Schoenfeld-Tacher has provided instructional design guidance throughout the process. Dissemination has begun as evidenced by the presentations/publications previously submitted. The project is on schedule.
Impacts
The online Farm Animal Anatomy course will fill a hole in the needs of students seeking alternative access to academic credentials in animal health careers.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/02 to 12/31/02
Outputs
Since this project began on September 1, 2001, significant progress has been made in developing the online Farm Animal Anatomy course. Specific accomplishments include the following. The first advisory board meeting resulted in establishing a collegial and productive working relationship between the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and the College of Agriculture. Course content was developed and approved. The second advisory board meeting gave strong direction to the ongoing development of the course. Content and format editing are ongoing. The WebCT site and Homepage have been created for the course, along with an online course syllabus and information icon. All but 3 of the lectures have been completely developed for online presentation and are in the final editing process. These lectures are image-intensive, and include photographs, drawings, videos and three-dimensional interactive images. Spring 2002, students in the on-campus undergraduate
anatomy course (which parallels the content in the Farm Animal Anatomy course) had access to the first four online lectures concurrently with receiving the content in the on-campus lecture environment. This pilot test was successful. A diagnostic quiz was administered. Initial verbal feedback from students was very positive for the online course. Student demographics were collected. The entire set of online lectures and completed labs will be tested on the approximately 150 students taking the course on campus Spring semester 2003. A design template for developing the online interactive laboratories has been completed, and the first two laboratories are in the final editing process. A sample CD was burned to see how images could be linked to the WebCT-driven course through the use of CDROM. The test was successful. Weekly team meetings have been conducted to ensure timely forward progression of the project and to deal with problems as they arise. R. Schoenfeld-Tacher has provided
instructional design guidance throughout the process. The project is on schedule.
Impacts
The online Farm Animal Anatomy course will help meet the needs of students seeking alternative access to courses required for animal health careers.
Publications
- Abstracts: Schoenfeld-Tacher, R. & McConnell, S. 2002. "Developing Science Courses for Online Delivery - Hands Off is Not Minds Off!" Proceedings of Ed-Media, Woreld Conference on Educational Multimedia , Hypermedia and Telecommunications, Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education, Denver, CO, pg. 90
- Posters: McConnell, S. *& Schoenfeld-Tacher, R. 2002. "Utilizing Humor and Projection of Personality to Create a Sense of Community in an Onlnee Science Course." Proceedings of Ed-Media, World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications, Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education, Denver, CO.
- Schoenfeld-Tacher, R. & McConnell, S. 2002. "Developing Science Courses for Online Delivery - Hands Off is Not Minds Off!" Proceedings of Ed-Media, Woreld Conference on Educational Multimedia , Hypermedia and Telecommunications, Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education, Denver, CO, pg. 90
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Progress 01/01/01 to 12/31/01
Outputs
Since this project began on September 1, 2001, significant progress has been made in developing the online Farm Animal Anatomy course. Significant accomplishments include the following. The first advisory board meeting resulted in establishing a collegial and productive working relationship between the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and the College of Agriculture. Course content was developed and approved. The WebCT site and Homepage have been created for the course, along with an online course syllabus. Eight weeks of lectures (out of 15) have been written in a style compatible with online presentation. The first 4 lectures have been completely developed for online presentation and are in the final edit process. These lectures are image-intensive, and include photographs, drawings and moving Flash and Authorware interactive images. Students in the on-campus undergraduate anatomy course (which parallels the content in the Farm Animal Anatomy
course) had access to the first four online lectures concurrently with receiving the content in the on-campus lecture environment. This pilot test was successful. A diagnostic quiz was administered, but results have not yet been tabulated. Initial verbal feedback from students was very positive for the online course. Student demographics were collected. A design template for developing the online interactive laboratories is in progress. A sample CD was burned to see how images could be linked to the WebCT-driven course through the use of CDROM. The test was successful. Weekly team meetings have been conducted to ensure timely forward progression of the project and to deal with problems as they arise. R. Schoenfeld-Tacher has provided instructional design guidance throughout the process. The project is on schedule.
Impacts
The online Farm Animal Anatomy course will help meet the needs of students seeking alternative access to courses required for animal health careers.
Publications
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