Long-Term Experiences of Basic Education in Laboratory Animal Science

TL;DR

This paper shares a decade-long experience in teaching laboratory animal science, highlighting successful methods and challenges in in-person training and accreditation.

Contribution

The paper provides insights into the long-term organization and improvement of an accredited laboratory animal science course.

Findings

On-site lectures are preferred over online learning for practical training.

Dummies are useful at the start of training but cannot replace live animals.

Accreditation improves knowledge transfer and certificate recognition across institutions.

Abstract

To adequately convey the fundamentals of laboratory animal science, a basic course accredited by competent bodies was offered in-house for more than ten years. Here, we present our experiences, the improvements made to the course following evaluations, the general preference for lectures presented on-site (not online), and our handling of special circumstances, such as the pandemic. Our data show that dummies might only be used successfully at the beginning of practical training. Analyses of the mandatory exam help to understand the extent of knowledge transfer and to identify which modules are obviously difficult to learn. Since laboratory animal science is not part of the curriculum, a corresponding seminar was offered to students of biology at the beginning of their studies, leading to a significant acquisition of knowledge. Follow-up surveys showed the sustainability of all the courses presented. The aim of this study is to share our experiences on how to offer, handle, and improve basic education in laboratory animal science with others, as well as to show the benefits of international accreditation, including the better transfer of knowledge and skills to a high standard.

Adequate education in laboratory animal science and subsequently the attendance of relevant courses are mandatory prerequisites for animal experimentation. The course content for different stakeholders is stipulated by European and national regulations. If all of this content is covered, accreditation by competent bodies is possible and recommended. Here, we present our experiences with an EU-Function A/C/D accredited course (practical training with mice and rats) and an introductory seminar for undergraduate students, which have been running for more than ten years. All courses were organized in-house and were very relevant to the students and their needs but were also very labor intensive. The courses were systematically (and retrospectively) evaluated, showing a high degree of satisfaction and a great acquisition of knowledge, and the organizer was able to re-adjust the courses as needed over the years. Tests demonstrated the students’ progress and highlighted some parts of the lessons that were difficult to convey, such as those on legal regulations, housing and feeding, transport, GM animals, breeding, and the classification of severity. Dummies were proven to be very helpful at the beginning of the training but could not fully replace training with live animals. On-site lectures were favored over online sources, which were needed due to the pandemic. High standards in education are mandatory, and the accreditation process allows for the transferal of certificates to other institutions.

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