Pre/post-Test Evaluations of Agricultural Biosecurity Curriculum

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Education
• Biosecurity
• Public Health

Background:

• Agricultural biosecurity knowledge is crucial for public health, food security, and agricultural safety.
• Effective educational strategies are needed to impart this knowledge to students and future agricultural workers.
• The Gearing Up for Safety program developed educational content to address this need.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the efficacy of in-person versus virtual educational methods in enhancing agricultural biosecurity knowledge among students aged 12-20.
• To compare knowledge gains resulting from different delivery formats of the Gearing Up for Safety program content.
• To identify areas for curriculum improvement in both educational modalities.

Main Methods:

• A combined study involving 692 participants (aged 12-20) using the Gearing Up for Safety curriculum.
• In-person group (459 students): 50-minute session with pre- and post-tests.
• Virtual group (223 students): Two 40-minute sessions with pre- and post-tests.

Main Results:

• In-person learning significantly increased knowledge from 55% to 77% (P < .001), with 19 of 20 questions showing significant learning.
• Virtual learning increased knowledge from 53% to 66% (P < .001), but only 10 of 20 questions showed significant learning.
• In-person instruction demonstrated a superior ability to enhance general biosecurity understanding.

Conclusions:

• Both in-person and virtual learning enhance agricultural biosecurity knowledge, with in-person methods yielding greater knowledge gains.
• Virtual education requires focused improvement on topics such as vaccination, pest management, and community preparedness.
• Findings inform curriculum enhancement for the Gearing Up for Safety program to better prepare young agricultural workers.