Teaching

The Effect of Prerequisite on Student Preparedness and Course Performance in ANS 3520

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Abstract

The Iowa State University Animal Science (ANS) curriculum currently allows for three different options of prerequisite courses to prepare students for ANS 3520: Genetic Improvement of Domestic Animals. The prerequisite options are BIOL 3130: Principles of Genetics, GEN 3200: Genetics, Agriculture and Biotechnology, or ANS 3510: Principles of Domestic Animal Genetics. The objective of this study was to compare student preparedness for ANS 3520 through a pre-quiz based on which general genetic prerequisite course was taken. The association of the ANS 3520 final grade with the prerequisites taken was also evaluated. The data from a total of 596 students between 2022-2024 from the 20-question ANS 3520 pre-quiz were used. No differences were found between student performance on the ANS 3520 pre-quiz based on which prerequisite they took. Additionally, there were no differences in ANS 3520 pre-quiz performance when also accounting for GPA and final grade in the model. Final grades were also not associated with the prerequisite. These results highlight that students who opt to take ANS 3510 instead of BIOL 3130 or GEN 3200 are equally as prepared for ANS 3520 and perform just as well in the course overall. Therefore, these results support the use of ANS 3510 as a prerequisite for professional programs such as veterinary school or graduate school. 

Keywords: Prerequisites, Student Preparedness

How to Cite:

James, L., Koltes, J. E. & Bundy, J., (2025) “The Effect of Prerequisite on Student Preparedness and Course Performance in ANS 3520”, Iowa State University Animal Industry Report 22(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/air.20416