Experiential learning in the animal sciences: Effect of 13 years of a beefcattle management practicum

As the source of students shifts from rural to urban and suburban communiti es, students entering agricultural programs have less practical livestock e xperience. The career goals indicated by most of these students require kno wledge of and experience with practical applications of their course work. The objective of this study was to examine the profile of students enrolled in an experiential beef cattle course 1) to describe the demographic and o ccupational characteristics of students enrolled and 2) to assess the perce ived value of course activities to graduates completing the course as relat ed to their skill attainment and career development. The questionnaire was sent to all 312 students who were enrolled in the course from 1983 to 1996. Over 61% of the respondents indicated they had enrolled in the course to g ain experience working with beef cattle. Over 39% took the course to enhanc e their application to the College of Veterinary Medicine. When asked to ra te the value of the course, as it related to skill development, they noted it was most helpful in teaching cattle handling skills, growth performance measurement, live animal evaluation, nutritional management, carcass and me at product value determination, and breed identification.