PSIV-B-32 Late-Breaking: Consistency of industry related terminology utilized in assessment questions across instructors of an introductory animal science course
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AbstractThe consistency of instruction between various sections of introductory courses is a concern in higher education, along with properly preparing students to enter careers in industry. The study was conducted at Texas A&M University, using an introductory course, General Animal Science, within the Department of Animal Science. This course was chosen due to the utilization of specific animal science industry related terminology within the course content in support of learning outcomes. The study was a quantitative nonexperimental research method that was conducted over a single semester in 2018. General Animal Science is a large-scale course that contains multiple sections, and this study evaluated assessments created by individual faculty members who instructed different sections, Section A and Section B. These sections were selected as they were composed of both animal science majors and non-majors. Section A had a significantly higher (P > 0.001) number of majors versus non-majors than Section B. Assessment questions were collected from all examinations and quizzes distributed throughout the semester and were compiled into a single document for coding. These specific terms were chosen from literature to provide a benchmark for a potential relationship between student performance on questions containing industry related terminology as opposed to those that do not. Comparing the use of specific industry coded terminology in assessment questions yielded no significant difference (P > 0.05) between the two instructors or sections. These findings demonstrate consistent use of benchmarked industry related terminology in assessment questions across multiple sections, irrespective of individual instructor or student major. This provides a necessary foundation for future analysis of student performance.
