Development and implementation of multimedia content for an electronic learning course on rodent surgery

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Surgical Training
• Biomedical Research

Background:

• Increasing demand for rodent surgery expertise due to new disease models and surgical technology.
• Limited availability of traditional in-person rodent surgical training courses.
• Need for accessible training to enhance skills in laboratory animal research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of an electronic (e-) learning rodent surgery course.
• To assess e-learning as an alternative to in-person training for rodent surgical techniques.
• To determine if e-learning can improve expertise in biomedical research.

Main Methods:

• An e-learning rodent surgery course was implemented in a training class for undergraduate and graduate students (n=51).
• A portion of the course was also presented to laboratory animal professionals (n=15).
• Effectiveness was assessed via written examinations and post-course surveys.

Main Results:

• E-learning course knowledge transfer was comparable to in-person lecture courses.
• Participants responded positively to video content, procedural photographs, and course accessibility.
• Areas for improvement included video resolution and voice-over quality.

Conclusions:

• Electronic learning is a viable and effective method for rodent surgical technique training.
• E-learning courses can supplement or replace traditional training, improving accessibility.
• Continued development of e-learning for rodent surgery is supported for the research community.