VMP 991-162: Virtual Reality – Milk Production and Distribution in Ethiopia

VMP 991-162: Global Health Challenges is a one-week selective course for Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) students. The course provides students with an introduction to global health issues and challenges. This includes understanding the importance of Animal Source Foods (ASFs) and food safety in tackling food security challenges. Andrew Stringer sought an immersive experience that would allow students to engage with a virtual environment in Ethiopia and the food security issues faced in that context.

Instructional Challenges

  • Presentations about food insecurity composed of photographs and traditional videos fail to accurately convey the cultural and physical context within which food is being produced and consumed across the world.
  • Opportunities for student travel are limited even in the best of times, and impossible under restricted-travel conditions such as the pandemic.

Highlights/Solutions

  • Immersive learning experience using virtual reality (VR)
  • Content that provides an understanding of the importance of Animal Source Foods (ASFs) and food safety in tackling food security challenges
  • A reusable experience that could be used to give students in other NC State courses broader global health exposure in different locations and contexts
  • Compared to traditional teaching methods, this immersive experience facilitates a more active learning process for students and  conveys much more strongly the cultural context and local expertise critical to global work

 

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