Tinney, Samantha

English

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Tinney, S. (2018). Impact of educational simulation games on interest in poultry management. Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research, 8, 66. https://doi.org/10.5703/1288284316756Impact of Educational Simulation Games on Interest in Poultry ManagementStudent researcher: Samantha Tinney, SeniorIndiana ranks second in the United States for table egg production. The table egg industry generates a large demand for qualifi ed labor, and a considerable number of jobs are available in the state. However, the number of candidates qualifi ed to fi ll these positions is insuffi  cient to meet the industry’s continually growing need. Introducing college students to poultry management opportunities may be capa-ble of increasing the number of students pursuing careers in the industry. This study explored the eff ects of playing a simulation game on undergraduate poultry management knowledge and inter-est in pursuing related careers. Experts at Purdue’s Envision Center assisted with the creation of a laying hen game sim-ulating welfare- and production-related decisions in a mod-ern hen house. The simulation game consists of modules in which students learn about hen management, industry technology, and housing design. Players interact with mul-tiple parameters to optimize egg production given diff erent scenarios, allowing them to demonstrate comprehension of the material. Realistic estimates for game parameters were derived from peer-reviewed literature and commercial man-agement guides. Questionnaires were given to 88 students enrolled in Introduction to Animal Agriculture in Spring 2018 to gauge student knowledge of poultry management and interest in poultry careers before and after game use. Fisher’s exact tests showed no signifi cant diff erences before and after game use in levels of student interest in poultry careers or content knowledge. Future directions will include improvements to testing procedures, assess-ment of student perceptions surrounding game use, and larger sample sizes.Research advisor Mary G. Erickson writes: “Sam’s research targets a key issue: an insuffi  cient number of qualifi ed ap-plicants are interested in pursuing the many jobs generated by Indiana’s large and rapidly growing poultry industry. Through the use of an innovative management simulation game, this research attempts to impart knowledge and stim-ulate student interest and curiosity.”AGRICULTUREScreenshot of one of the sim-ulation game modules. The player interacts with diff erent parameters to impact outputs and are given a grade based on how close their output values are to the target value.http://dx.doi.org/https://doi.org/10.5703/1288284316756

Impact of Educational Simulation Games on Interest in Poultry Management

https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1315&amp;context=jpur

Impact of Educational Simulation Games on Interest in Poultry Management

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