Long-Term Experiences of Basic Education in Laboratory Animal Science.

Area of Science:

• Laboratory animal science education
• Animal experimentation training

Background:

• Mandatory education in laboratory animal science is required for animal experimentation.
• European and national regulations stipulate course content for various stakeholders.
• Accreditation by competent bodies is possible and recommended upon fulfilling content requirements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present experiences with an EU-Function A/C/D accredited course (practical training with mice and rats) and an introductory seminar for undergraduates.
• To evaluate the effectiveness and satisfaction levels of long-running in-house courses.
• To identify areas for improvement in laboratory animal science education.

Main Methods:

• Systematic retrospective evaluation of in-house accredited courses and seminars.
• Assessment of student satisfaction and knowledge acquisition through testing.
• Analysis of challenges in conveying specific topics like legal regulations and animal welfare.

Main Results:

• Courses demonstrated a high degree of student satisfaction and knowledge acquisition over ten years.
• Specific topics such as legal regulations, housing, feeding, transport, GM animals, breeding, and severity classification were identified as challenging.
• Dummies were helpful but could not replace live animal training; on-site lectures were preferred over online sources.

Conclusions:

• In-house accredited courses in laboratory animal science can achieve high satisfaction and knowledge transfer.
• Continuous evaluation and adjustment are key to effective training.
• Maintaining high educational standards through accreditation facilitates certificate transferability.