Course Guide Information | Learning Objectives | Teaching Method | Roles | Textbook | Expectations | Deadlines & Grades

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Course Guide Information:

Working Title:	Ruminant Nutrition
Course Guide listing:	AN SCI 414 and DY SCI 414
Prerequisites:	Dy. Sci./An. Sci. 311 Comparative Animal Nutrition Dy. Sci./An. Sci. 313 Animal Feeds and Diet Formulation
Date/Time:	Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:45 am to 10:45 am
Location:	Room 209 Animal Sciences Building
Instructors:	Michel Wattiaux (wattiaux@wisc.edu), Sebastian Arriola Apelo (arriolaapelo@wisc.edu) and Benito Albarran (albarranport@wisc.edu)
Teaching Assistant:	TBA
Students:	Please see "Class Photo Roster" link on the left

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Learning Objectives:

This class covers the principles of ruminant nutrition with dairy cows and replacement heifers as the main focus. At the end of this course, students will be familiar with current scientific concepts of ruminant nutrition. In addition, students will gain practical knowledge and critical thinking skills in evaluating feed ingredients and dairy rations. Learning is not only about acquiring new knowledge, but more importantly it includes the ability to apply, to analyze, to synthesize, to criticize, and to evaluate. The main objectives of this class are:

• To understand nutritional concepts and their implications in balancing rations for dairy cattle;
• To gain analytical and critical thinking skills related to practical aspects of feeding ruminants;
• To gain "hands-on" experience in evaluating feed ingredients and rations in the "real-world".

Prior to this class, students should have taken both An. Sci/Dy. Sci. 311 (Comparative Animal Nutrition) and An. Sci./Dy. Sci. 313 (Animal Feeds and Formulation) or equivalent courses. Prerequisite knowledge includes a basic understanding of the nutrients in animal feeds, nutrients required by the animal, and some experience in balancing rations.

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Teaching Methods:

The teaching method used in this class emphasizes ACTIVE participation of students before, during and after class. Thus the course will be based primarily on pre-class reading assignments followed by in-class discussion of papers. The in-class time will include a variety of learning activities (quiz, worksheet, small and large group discussion, case-studies, etc.). "Keys" to these learning activities will be available on the schedule and material page of this course website. However, please try to resist the temptation to think that the keys include "just" what you have to "remember" to do well on the exam. The keys and the corresponding class activities are intended to help you "understand" the connections among different parts of the material. PowerPoint presentations will be used sparingly only to clarify key concepts as needed. The work you are expected to do before and after class including reading the articles, using the on-line quiz, and doing the "homework", is essential for you to do well in this class.

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Roles of Students and Instructor:

Your role as a student: As a student, your are expected to take an active role in developing a basic understanding of ruminant nutrition and developing skills in feed evaluation and ration formulation. Think of the reading assignments, the class discussions and the class projects as ways to gain new knowledge and to gain skills in critically evaluating nutrition-related knowledge. Please review the lecture material or complete the reading assignment BEFORE class. The ways you can be “proactive” and gain credit in this class include:

• Be prepared for class and team work: Allocate enough time to read the paper carefully. Think of the reading and homework assignments as a way of helping yourself find out what you know and what you don’t know or don't fully understand. For making sense of the course material, you have to continually question yourself, your teammates, your classmates and your instructor.
• Be an active participant in class: Active participation in class means listening, thinking, taking notes and asking questions. There are (almost) no “stupid questions” in this class. As long as you have a genuine interest in learning the subject matter, all questions will be valid questions! Be honest with yourself and you’ll find out what your current level of knowledge really is, and what your misunderstandings might be.

Although it may vary, here is what you are typically expected to do for this class:

Before class:
• Read the paper(s) posted on the Schedule & Materials page of this website,
• Test your knowledge / understanding of the articles with the on-line quizzes, after using your NetID to log on the "restricted" (internal) pages of the site.
During class, we may engage in any of the following class activities:
• Introduction of the topic with a mini-lecture (if needed),
• Summarize the article,
• Discuss the article, using the "Mini Essays" questions of the practice quizzes,
• Discuss a case study,
• Complete problem sets or worksheets,
After class you are expected to:
• Complete a minute paper (look of the "MP" link on the Schedule & Materials page),
• Review the material in a way that make sense to you,
• If necessary, make an appointment with the class instructor for help.

My role as an instructor: As your instructor, my goal is to help you learn (and as a result help you get good grades).  The variety of instruction strategies used for the course will help you acquire knowledge THAT MAKES SENSE TO YOU. I am happy to accommodate for the variety of interests that each student brings to class, but to do so, I need to hear from you! Don’t be afraid to set a time to visit with me if you have any concerns. In other words, I want this course to be of interest to each one of you. I hope this class will motivate you to expand your interest in ruminant nutrition. My role is:

• To define the course topics and relative importance of various subject matters,
• To provide you with the information and resources you need to learn,
• To communicate with you in a way that facilitates your learning,
• To set the level of expectation and evaluate your progress and your work.

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Textbook:

No textbook is required for this course. Pre-class reading assignments will be made available on the courses website (course participants only).  However, to help yourself with your class projects and your final exam, you are expected to familiarize themselves with the database of conference proceedings from the American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) called the Searchable Proceedings of Animal Conferences (S-PAC). You don't have to subscribe (unless you want to in which case your $5 subscription will last for one year). The S-PAC database is also available free of charge at the Steenbock Library (click here).