organizing higher education in changing society

Swedish University of Agricultural Scienceswww.slu.se

Organizing higher education in changing society

- Open educational practices in animal welfare

Anne Algers

Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

&

IT-University Gothenburg


Research aim

Analyse open educational practices in higher education for a sustainable, global and inclusive knowledge development in the subject of animal welfare.

More generally the research aim is to better understand new ways of organizing higher education in a changing society.


A few words about animal welfare (AW)

• Animals can suffer and have cognitive abilities (e.g. Pepperberg, 1999)

• Recognised scientific discipline in the 80es (Broom, 1991; Duncan, 1996; Broom, 2005)

• Intensified production and global trade of farm animals (Fraser, 2008)

• Animal welfare is partly normative -animal ethics (Tannenbaum, 1991)

• Animal welfare in its cultural context (Fraser, 2008)


Activity theory (Engeström)

Empowerment and democracy

Social production, contradiction and reflective communication Negotiation, reciprocity and peer review

The very object of activity is unstable, resists attempts of control and standardization

Requires rapid integration of expertise from various locations and traditions

The knowledge domain on animal welfare is typically affiliated in numerous activity systems (farmers, citizens, industry, consumers, researchers, NGO´s) Moving up and outward it tackles multiple interconnected activity systems (e.g. different stakeholders roles in relation to animal welfare)

Moving down and inward it tackles issues of subjectivity, emotion, embodiment, identity, and moral commitment.


Towards a mutual view on animal welfare

CitizensConsumersFarmers Industry

GAPProducer views Non-producer views


Education

Producer views Non-producer views

OVERLAP

Effect of open education


Knowledge gap affected by

• Achieved scientific understanding• Increased and intensified global production• Reduced number of people living close to farm

animals (Israelsson, 2005)• Enhanced concern in society (Eurobarometer, 2007) • Increased incidence of regulations and standards

for knowledge at all levels (EC, 2012)


Infra-structure

Design

QualitySustainability

Standards

Governance

Context

StakeholdersNetworked learning

Intrinsic benefits


Research questionsRQ1 Which are the incentives for animal welfare teachers in higher education to engage in OER and OEP? And which are the implications for HE?

RQ2 What is the need, availability, access and origin of OER in animal welfare?

RQ3 Which are the important quality issues of OER in animal welfare?

RQ4 How can a peer-review process on OER be conducted?

RQ5 Which are the important design features of OER in animal welfare?

RQ6 How can design research be used for the development of an infrastructure for knowledge sharing?

RQ7 Which are the concerns with students as knowledge creators?


Change of paradigm in education

• Responsive to society (Buckley, 2012)• Demand driven (Thomas & Brown, 2011)• Blurring distinction between formal and informal

learning (Jenkins et al., 2009) • Participatory cultures and approaches (Jenkins et

al., 2009)


Participatory culture

• Web2.0 (interact or collaborate ≠ passive viewing of content)

• Students and citizens as prosumers (Lane & Law, 2012)

• Most effective when they are value-based

• Networked learning (Jones, Dirckinck-Holmfeld, Lindström, 2006)


Open Educational Resources

• “The phenomenon of OER is an empowerment process, driven by technology, in which various types of stakeholders are able to interact, collaborate, create, and use materials and pedagogic practices, that are freely available, for enhancing access, reducing costs, and improving the quality of education and learning at all levels”

(Kanwar et al., 2010)


Internet and Animal welfare

• Science and values

• Media carrying information

• Participatory cultures, OER and social media

• Impact - Change in attitude


Internet and Animal welfare


Animal welfare at slaughter

Welcome to a learning resource in animal welfare at slaughter!

Biological principles Legislation Ungulate animals Poultry Game/Ostrich Rabbit Fur animals Index

From 2013 a new Council Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at the time of slaughter comes into force and is directly applicable in all EU Member States. It requires e.g. that any person handling animals at slaughter and killing should have taken a course and has a certificate of competence. To ease the transition, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences developed training materials, which are freely available for anyone to use to gain the necessary knowledge in the subject and a common ground to stand on. The material, which is web based, is available on this site to everybody who want to learn more about animal welfare at slaughter and killing.

Instruction how to use

About the content

Authors behind

Course registration


The learning resource

• Target group

• Goal

• Theory

• Survey on attitudes

• Provocation model

• Aid functions

• Development of own case

• From Learning resource to course

• OER


Survey on attitudes

Pre-test

Personal profile

Provocation

Answer

New personal profile


Role-play games

• Animal Ethics Dilemma– Ethical theories as a starting point– Single player game – Five+2 cases– Choice between standard “text-book” arguments– Development of personal case

Food Ethics Dilemma – Stakeholder perspectives as a starting point– Multiplayer game – Three cases– Development of personal arguments– Real time discussions– Development of joint statements


Joint statements in FE-dilemma


Open Learning Platform

– developed together with UNESCO

Anne [email protected] meeting 8th December 2010, Dublin

www.porktraining.org


Paper I Inventory of OER´s on farm animal welfare. (Algers et al. 2011)RQ: What is the need, availability, access and origin of OER in animal welfare.

Paper II Incentives for a new strategy on teaching animal welfare based on OER (Algers & Lindström, 2010)Paper III The development of a new methodology for knowledge sharing in the interface

between university and society - an example from the meat sector (Algers et al., 2013)RQ: How can design research be used for the development of an infrastructure for knowledge sharing?

Paper IV OER – value, usage and quality aspects – a study based on survey to teachersRQ : What evidence is there of use (and re-use) of OER and how are they used?RQ : Which are the incentives and the barriers for using OER and which are the implications for HE??RQ : Which are the quality expectations on OER?

Paper V Quality issues related to OER on farm animal welfare – a peer review process on OER for teaching animal welfare to children.

RQ: Which are the quality issues of OER in animal welfare?RQ: How can a peer-review process on OER in animal welfare be conducted?

Paper VI Work-based learning through partnership, from university and industry point of viewRQ: Which are the concerns with students as knowledge creators in food science?

Paper VII Students’ experience and view on being prosumers of knowledgeRQ: Which are the students views on accuracy versus legitimacy in knowledge production in food

science?

Published and planned papers


• Only few OER are available within the subject of animal welfare

• Contextual differences between cultures are of great concern

• A standardized quality evaluation tool can be used for the

assessment of quality of OER in animal welfare

• Trust is of great importance for sharing and reuse of OER and the size

of communities and the subject may be of importance for trust

• Students can be part of knowledge creation ….but different stakeholder

opinions on e.g. accuracy versus legitimacy is under analysis

Some reflections so far….


Looking forward to open discussions!

It’s a privilege to be here!


Animal Welfare in a Global PerspectiveWageningen UR Livestock ResearchRapport 240, 2009http://edepot.wur.nl/49888

organizing higher education in changing society

Education

accuracy versus

agricultural

organizing

farm animal

higher education

design research

swedish university

animal welfare