A42-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 27, 1999 From the Department of Dairy amt Animal Science This regular column from Penn State’s Department of Dairy and Ani mal Science features the research findings, student opportunities, and reports on other Important topics generated in the Department. The back issues of the column arc archived on Lancaster Farming’s Internet www.lancasterfarming.com home page. Look for them. The Web Daniel R. Deaver, Ph.D Every day we see references to the World Wide Web, or WWW, and its potential to impact our lives. Major TV networks, newspapers, retail stores, movies, entertainers, sports teams, large and small businesses, and, of course, universities have a presence on the Web. The Department of Dairy and Animal Science recognized the importance of the Internet early in its development, and was one of the first departments in the University to hire a person dedicated to maintaining and enhancing our networks and connection to the world through the Internet. Because of this, we have been able to take advantage of our physical and technical infrastructure to develop impressive new tools for the classroom. Faculty face a number of Thanks and Congratulations To Bervalon Farms, Somerset County 57'x18l' Slatted Freestall Barn With Manure Pit KING CONSTRUCTION 601 Overly Grove Rd. New Holland, PA 17557 717-354-4740 Poured Walls From precise CONCRETE WALLS, INC 531 Hollander) Rd., New Holland, PA 17557 Contact Roy Senaenlg 717-355-0726 World Wide Education In challenges, including how to provide current information, interact with large numbers of students, and help students self evaluate their progress prior to exams. Having information and learning tools available 24 hours a day is a distinct advantage. Over the past nine months, the Department has developed software that allows faculty to make a variety of different materials available to students over the Internet. The development team included three faculty in Dairy and Animal Science (Dan Deaver, Lisa Holden and Dale Over) and two exceptional programmers (Craig Benner and Rob Walker - also undergraduate students). Each faculty member of the team teaches different types of courses in terms of class size and level. A major objective was to develop a single versatile package that could Ritchie® All-Purpose Fountains • Custom Design And Construction of all types of buildings for the farm Phil Van Lieu Home: 717-259-9077 Empire Quality Curtains Empire Agri-Systems, Inc. 7240 NYS Rt. 5 Auburn, NY 13021 800-216-6029 be utilized for many different courses, and to have the material accessible to faculty and students from literally anywhere m the world. Finally, to increase it potential acceptability by both students and instructors we sought to make the program easy to use. The program is called CourseSTAß, and was tested last fall m ANSC 431 W - Physiology of Reproduction in Farm Animals. Students' responses to the software were very positive. They were able to obtain supplemental notes, copies of graphics used m lecture, and access to laboratory materials. They even took several quizzes that were immediately graded by the computer and returned. In the past, the laboratories were opened several nights before each laboratory practical. However as class size increased, from 20 students m 1990 to 88 students in 1998, this optional study time became difficult to manage. This year, CourseSTAß provided images of reproductive tracts, available for students to review from any location 24 hours a day! CourseSTAß will be expanded dramatically in the coming year. The software will be available to any instructor at the University Park campus who would like to use it. In a survey, students who used CourseSTAß said they would like to see more courses using it, and they felt CourseSTAß was better than other software they had used designed to accomplish similar goals. There is an important distinction between teaching and information transfer. Software like CourseSTAß does not teach. The art of teaching will continue to be <<<% $ x < v? •> A > >§*?: < < Pasture Mat The Golden Stenderd In Cow Condort Petersheim’s Cow Mattresses 117 Christiana Pike (Route 372), Christiana, PA 17509 ClO-593-2242 highly personalized and instructor dependent. In many ways Course Star is similar to good management tools used by progressive livestock producers. It is of great benefit in providing up to-date information and material to students. In order to reap the benefits of this technology, it will need to be used correctly. Computer technologies are here to stay. Incorporation of computer technologies into many of our courses will help develop and re enforce cntical life skills in our students. National Dairy Production Program BRATTLEBORO, Vt. - In a recent AP wire story it was reported that a Holstein cow named LA-Foster Blstar Lucy 607, registration number 14599252, set a new world milk production record by producing 75,275 pounds of milk in a 365- day period. The Holstein Association USA is the national breed orga nization whose Production Leader Program designates offi cial, national and state breed leading records. In the instance of Lucy the lactation record begun on December 12, 1997 and completed Decemeber 11, 1998, does not meet the Production Leader requirements set by the Holstein Association. While the data collection proce dures appear to meet the basic conditions required for publica tion by the Holstein Association, they do not meet the current, more stringent requirements required for official recognition as a Production Leader. In 1997, the organization ■f t * v< r- < M * * * V Slatted Flooring By 477 East Farmersville Rd. New Holland, PA 717-355-2361 ", ,/ iv-' , v '-* ' vr V\* **"» >V-* r-jAr-T Gates and Equipment from Show-TLase Stall Co. 573 Willow Rd., Lancaater, Pa. 17601 PHONE: (717)299-2536 FAX: 717-299-1074 We invite you to sample the ANSC 431 W materials on CourseSTAß. Not all options may be available to you as a visitor (like the quizzes) but you will be able to gain a sense of what the technology can provide students. You can access the site from the Dairy and Animal Science homepage (httpVAvww.das.psu.edu/) and follow the link to Course Star. For User Name enter LanFarm and use DAS4U as the password. Then follow the link to ANSC 431 W materials. Your comments and suggestions are welcomed! responsible for the collection of dairy production records, Dairy Herd Improvement Association (DHIA), underwent a change m their approach to meeting the information needs of the U.S. dairy industry. One of the changes was the movement from rule enforcement to procedures that provide data collection information. This shifted much of the responsibility for deter mining the value and use of records to member producers and industry allies. As a result, Holstein Association USA, created revised procedures to determine the eligibility of animals to par ticipate in Official Recognition Programs. In order for a Holstein cow to be recognized as a Production Leader the herd owner must be enrolled in the Association’s Premier TriStar production records program ser vice option. In this system, eligi bility is based on the complete ness, supervision, and verifica tion of lactation records. •« Keystone CONCRETE PRODUCTS Financing From Somerset Trust Co. 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