IMPLEMENTATION OF LIVESTOCK-FOCUSED EDUCATION IN HIGH SCHOOL AND VETERINARY STUDENT CURRICULA USING VIRTUAL REALITY PROGRAM

Project Methods
Objective 1: Develop teaching modules for veterinary students on infection prevention and control practices in dairy cattle operations using VR technology.Phase 1: Develop and test ScenariosA team of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) on livestock infection prevention and control will be built including the investigators and the collaborators. The team will have series of meetings to develop multiple ideas on scenarios on the subject in dairy operations. The discussions will be broadly based on potential applications and implementations of VR in veterinary medical education. Some of scenario topics for the veterinary students will be classified into the following examples:Quarantine after purchasing new livestockAppropriate PPE use in the milking parlorMovement of animals within the farmRecord keepingVeterinarian-Client-Patient Relationship (VCPR)Routine Mastitis detectionDisinfection of the premisesHygienic milking processThe scenarios will be easy to follow, less complicated and enjoyable for a veterinary student to learn and apply their knowledge. The scenarios will highlight the complex nature of farm infection prevention and control concepts as well as will provide the hands-on exposure to the veterinary student in designing biosecurity practices on the farm within the VR tool. There will be correct and incorrect options provided to choose the right practices. The scenarios will undergo rigorous validation of content prior to moving to next phase of construction of the VR tool. The finalization of the scenarios will be done by the PI (Dr. Sangeeta Rao) and discussed with the VetVR team lead Dr. Pedro Boscan, IT collaborator and the VR developers to construct the modules. The team will discuss technical details of the scenario with a special focus on how VR cartoons/ avatars could be used in the training, keeping in mind the ethical considerations and limitations of VR as a training tool for students.The VR platform will be designed by creating, building, and rendering all displays for VR activities in the study for the technical modules on dairy herds. Program (codes) will be developed through VR interactions for users to practice infection prevention, control, and biosecurity for dairy cattle herds. Programming of VR headsets-computers-software integrations will be carried out to display content.The VR tool will be constructed in a game format in the following three detailed stages:Stage 1: VR Algorithm Development: This stage will create algorithms describing workflow of the above-mentioned scenarios. For example, if the VR module is about quarantine of newly purchased animals in the farm, it will take into consideration quarantine facility and options to choose days in quarantine, tests to be performed before commingling them with the existing animals. The module will be very close to a real scenario to include Veterinary-Client-Patient-Relationship (VCPR).Stage 2: VR Software Development: VR module will be developed using Unity game engine in Microsoft Windows 10 for Windows Mixed Reality display. VR application will be compatible with multiple headsets for ease and remote use. This means that the application will be able to run on different headset types. This provides flexibility for end users and training programs looking to use the application. Software development will be performed by our developer team. The VR application platform will be developed, and 3D modeling will be supported, which is essential to provide realistic scenarios. The development process will consist of three primary components: development of user interaction and virtual environment to provide a realistic immersion; development of algorithms required for procedures; collection of metrics for user studies and feedback to determine VR application success before field application. All necessary expertise to evaluate the effectiveness of the software will be provided by our VR lead Dr. Boscan.Stage 3: Product Refinement: The common components of dairy farm environment such as pens with cows, milking parlor etc. will be designed, programed, and assessed for infection prevention and control training including biosecurity. Training on these components will enable users to master those infection control methods within dairy herds. This application will open doors for development of other scenarios and modules. The project long term goal is to mimic and train users as in real-life virtual scenarios when they do not know when or what type of situation will occur. The users can choose to play the module multiple times to learn the concept.Objective 2: Construct scenario-based VR educational modules for the high school students on dairy farm practices.Similar to specific aim 1, easy and enjoyable scenarios will be created, and the VR tool will be developed in a gaming format to train high school students in responsible livestock farming on a dairy farm and how it relates to food safety. Scenarios for the high school students will be at a lower technical level when compared to those for veterinary students. Some of the examples to build scenarios are:Veterinarian's role in livestock production, where the high school player could immerse in the role of a veterinarian in a dairy setting examining cowsGood farming practices to improve dairy hygieneMilking cows in a hygienic wayThe scenarios will receive feedback from the investigators and collaborators for improvement. Each scenario will have 3 levels of complexity and the player has to finish level 1 to go to the next level. Final scenarios will be discussed with the VR team to program the tool and build the modules. The tool will be tested on a select cohort of high school students.Objective 3: Validate and evaluate the likeability, feasibility, and applicability of interactive VR modules for veterinary and high school students.The modules developed in the VR tool will not be more than 10 minutes each. To make sure of its applicability, the modules will be tested on a selective group of skilled veterinary students for clarity and reliability. Cognitive load will be recorded to assess the learning and performance of the students. It is important to note that cognitive load experiences are different for everyone. The goal will be to maintain adequate cognitive load for all participants. A questionnaire survey will be used to receive feedback and comments on clarity of the tool. Based on the survey results, the VR tool will be improved to mimic realistic applications.