Overview
This unit will provide you with an holistic approach to evaluating and maintaining livestock health and well-being. You will learn about the key concepts of livestock welfare and their applications, and the cause, impact, treatment and prevention of livestock diseases, including selected exotic and zoonotic diseases.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Prerequisites: AGRI11003 Livestock Production Management
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2018
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Students and Unit Coordinator.
Not enough practical activities.
More resources are required at the Emerald Campus. These resources include providing a science laboratory and equipment so that more practicals can be incorporated.
Feedback from Students and Unit Coordinator.
Assessments were not clear enough.
Redesign the assessment pieces to be simpler and better aligned to learning outcomes. Allocate more time early in the term to explain the task requirements.
Feedback from Students and Unit Coordinator.
Assessment feedback needs to be clearer and returned faster.
More structured assessment feedback and maintaining feedback time frames according to the Unit Profile in future.
Feedback from Students.
Too much focus on biology.
Reduce the biological theory and increase the practical activities in future.
- Evaluate the health and welfare of livestock.
- Develop and implement health and welfare strategies for livestock within an enterprise.
- Critique the animal welfare codes of practice and legislation for inclusion in a production plan and enterprise procedure.
- Develop and monitor a best practice treatment plan.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
1 - Practical and Written Assessment - 50% | ||||
2 - Presentation - 20% | ||||
3 - Practical and Written Assessment - 30% |
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
1 - Communication | ||||
2 - Problem Solving | ||||
3 - Critical Thinking | ||||
4 - Information Literacy | ||||
5 - Team Work | ||||
6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||
7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||
8 - Ethical practice | ||||
9 - Social Innovation | ||||
10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures |
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
1 - Practical and Written Assessment - 50% | ||||||||||
2 - Presentation - 20% | ||||||||||
3 - Practical and Written Assessment - 30% |
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Access to a spreadsheet program such as Excel
- PowerPoint
- Word processing software such as MS Word
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 6th Edition (APA 6th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
s.sinai@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Introduction: Livestock Health and Welfare - Why does it matter?
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Livestock Diseases: pathogens, pathogenesis, host defences against disease, treatment and prevention methods
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Integumentary System – normal functioning, pathogens and diseases, impacts on production and treatment & prevention methods
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Musculoskeletal & Nervous Systems – normal functioning, pathogens and diseases, impacts on production and treatment & prevention methods
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment 1 (Presentation) Due
Module/Topic
Circulatory & Respiratory Systems – normal functioning, pathogens and diseases, impacts on production and treatment & prevention methods
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Internal students field trip, Wednesday.
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Digestive system – normal functioning, pathogens and diseases, impacts on production and treatment & prevention methods
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Livestock Welfare Introduction: Laws, regulations and guidelines
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
(Beef Week) Animal welfare in feedlots, live export, saleyards & agricultural shows
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Beef week - Rockhampton
Module/Topic
Assessments and Measurements of Livestock Welfare
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment 2 Due
Land Transport of Livestock Standards Essay Due: Week 10 Friday (18 May 2018) 5:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Livestock Biosecurity & Zoonosis
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Livestock Welfare Innovations, Science and Research
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment 3 Due
Livestock Health and Welfare Assessment Report Due: Week 12 Friday (1 June 2018) 5:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Beef Week 2018 will be held in Rockhampton from the 6th - 12th of May, Week 9. Students are encouraged to attend and network with industry representatives.
In order to pass this unit, students must attain at least 50% overall, and meet the minimum mark specified for each assessment
1 Presentation
Your group (3-4 people) is part of an international Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) team charged with developing livestock disease treatment and prevention plans that you will present, in a 15-minute PowerPoint (or similar) presentation, to livestock farmers and Ministry of Agriculture (or equivalent) staff in a low- or middle-income country.
You are to choose one of the following livestock diseases and settings:
o Highly pathogenic avian influenza, chickens, chicken farmers, Indonesia
o Brucellosis, goats, goat farmers, Mexico
o Fasciolosis in sheep, sheep farmers, Iran
o Foot and Mouth Disease in cattle, nomadic cattle farmers Kenya
The emphasis of your presentation should be on prevention and treatment strategies
In your presentation you must
o Introduce the disease: pathogen, hosts, severity, pathogenesis, domestic and international distribution
o Discuss the implications of this disease on production e.g. quality of meat, financial strain etc.
o Diagnosis, signs and symptoms of the disease
o Suggest relevant prevention and treatment methods. Provide instructions on how to administer specific treatments and/or implement prevention methods.
o Outline how these prevention and treatment plans will improve production
o Discuss how and when you would review this treatment plan
o Provide brief concluding remarks
o Provide a list of references (This should just appear as a slide at the end of your presentation, it is not necessary to read through it)
Your presentation must be in a video format and uploaded onto the Moodle site for this unit. Follow these instructions to convert a PowerPoint presentation to MP4 or WMV format: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/turn-your-presentation-into-a-video-c140551f-cb37-4818-b5d4-3e30815c3e83
Presentations shorter than 14 minutes and longer than 16 minutes will attract a 5% penalty. (i.e. 5 marks out of 100 for this assessment)
You must reference at least 10 sources, including 4 peer-reviewed academic journal articles and demonstrate this in your presentation.
15% of the total mark of Assessment 2 will come from marks from group member evaluations (Details on conducting the Self and Peer Assessment will be provided on Moodle.)
The presentation is due on Monday 26/03/2018 by 5PM AEST and must be submitted as a link to an Unlisted YouTube video. The Peer-Assessment portion of Assessment 2 is due on Tuesday 27/03/2018 by 5PM AEST
Week 5 Monday (2 Apr 2018)
You will be marked based on your:
1. Ability to discuss all the required points
2. Clear and professional communication
3. Incorporation of culturally relevant considerations
4. Adhere to the time limit
5. Peer-assessment (as submitted by your group members)
- Develop and monitor a best practice treatment plan.
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
2 Practical and Written Assessment
Increased societal expectations around animal welfare has led many to believe that the livestock industry’s “welfare credentials” must continually be fulfilling or exceeding consumer expectations. You will be required to write an essay outlining your position on whether or not the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines – Land Transport of Livestock (Part A General standards and guidelines for the transport of livestock) should be adapted to better reflect social perspectives around the ethical treatment of livestock during transport. Your essay is to discuss this issue in the context of the transport of all livestock but you may choose to provide examples for transporting specific types of livestock e.g. alpacas, deer, cattle etc.
As part of the research for your essay, you will have the chance to engage members of the public in community consultation in the week 8 tutorial. You should also draw on other resources including academic research, industry reports and resources, government documents, animal advocacy documents and newspaper articles.
Part A: Community Consultation (5%)
As part of the tutorial and practical sessions in week seven (7) you will use the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines – Land Transport of Livestock (Part A General standards and guidelines for the transport of livestock) and other resources to develop a set of questions/points for discussion to assess the acceptability of the Standard from the perspective of a member of the public. You will then have the opportunity to use these questions and points of discussion in the Week 8 tutorial where members of the public will be invited to answer your questions in class. The purpose of this activity is to assess whether or not the Standards align with community expectations regarding the transport of livestock in Australia.
You will be required to submit a 200-word summary capturing the points of the in-class discussion. These may appear in dot point form. Your summary must be included as an appendix to your essay (i.e. at the end of the Essay, after the references section)
Part B: Essay (25%)
You are to write a 1000 word essay outlining your position on whether or not the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines – Land Transport of Livestock should be adapted to better reflect community expectations of transporting livestock.
Your essay should follow the basic format (approximate word counts in parentheses):
1. Introduction (~200 words)
2. Body: with various subheadings, the names and content of which depend on your argument (~650 words)
3. Conclusion (~150 words)
4. References
Week 10 Friday (18 May 2018) 5:00 pm AEST
Review/Exam Week Monday (4 June 2018)
Part A
You will be assessed on your ability to accurately reflect the relevant points of the community discussion in the week 7 tutorial.
Part B
You will be assessed on the way in which you explain the laws, regulations and standards relevant to livestock transport in Australia, how you formulate your argument, your ability to communicate effectively (including proper punctuation and grammar) and your ability to draw on a variety of resources and evidence to support your argument, including the responses received during the week 8 tutorial session.
Please note that penalties will apply for essays that do not meet the required word limit (within 10% over and 10% under the limit). This penalty will be 5% for every 100 words outside this range. (i.e. 5 marks out of 100 marks for this assessment). You may write the essay in third or first person.
- Critique the animal welfare codes of practice and legislation for inclusion in a production plan and enterprise procedure.
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Team Work
- Information Technology Competence
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
3 Practical and Written Assessment
Part A
During the field trip in week 5, a veterinarian or livestock farmer will demonstrate methods of physically evaluating animal health. These animal health evaluation methods will relate to one or more livestock health issues/diseases that have physical manifestations. You will be assessed on your ability to demonstrate the livestock health evaluation methods as shown to you by the veterinarian/livestock farmer. Part A is worth 10% of the final grade for this unit.
Part B
Based on the livestock health evaluation method you demonstrated in Part A of Assessment 3, you are to write a 2500 word report that can be used to assist Australian livestock producers to implement on-farm health and welfare strategies for a livestock disease/health issue. This disease/health issue must be a disease/health issue with a physical manifestation that can be evaluated with the methods demonstrated to you on the Week 5 Field Trip.
Your report should follow the basic outline, with the approximate words along side each section in parentheses:
1. Title
2. Introduction to the report (~250 words)
3. Basic information on the disease (causes, symptoms, global and local distribution, diagnostic/evaluation methods) (~400 words)
4. Implication of the disease on livestock welfare (including how to assess livestock welfare) (~350 words)
5. Prevention strategies, biosecurity measures (~550 words)
6. Treatment strategies (~550 words)
7. Relevant regulations: Any reporting requirements (is it a notifiable disease and who should farmers report to?) or other legislation & regulations (~200 words)
8. Conclusion (200 words)
9. References
You may include figures, tables and graphs (these must be appropriately captioned). The title, figure/table/graph captions, in-text references and reference list are not included in the word count. You must use American Psychological Association (APA) referencing style. Your report must adhere to the word count within a range of ±10% (i.e. between 2250 to 2750 words). Please note that penalties will apply for essays that do not meet the required word limit (within 10% over and 10% under the limit). This penalty will be 5% for every 100 words outside this range. (i.e. 5 marks out of 100marks for this assessment) You must write the report in third person.
This assessment task will require you to draw on a variety of resources, including peer-reviewed academic articles and government resources. You must reference at least 15 sources, including no less than seven (7) peer-reviewed academic journal articles.The report is worth 40% of the final grade of this unit.
Week 12 Friday (1 June 2018) 5:00 pm AEST
Exam Week Wednesday (13 June 2018)
In Part A you will be assessed on:
Your ability to repeat the animal health evaluation methods demonstrated to you.
In Part B you will be assessed on:
· A clear introduction
· A demonstrated understanding of the basic biology of the livestock disease/health issue and how it impacts livestock production
· A demonstrated understanding of the associated animal welfare issues
· The quality of your discussion on prevention, biosecurity and treatment strategies
· Your ability to identify, analyse and explain relevant laws, regulations and disease reporting requirements
· Your adherence to the word count (within allowable 10% leeway)
· Clear and understandable writing
· Consistent and relevant referencing
· Any formatting with regards to figures, table and graphs, including clear captions
· Your ability to draw on a variety of resources, no less than 15 and from at least seven (7) peer-reviewed academic journal articles. Failure to adhere to these minimum number of references will attract a 5% penalty from the report. (i.e. 5 marks out of 100 for this assessment)
- Evaluate the health and welfare of livestock.
- Develop and implement health and welfare strategies for livestock within an enterprise.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.