Course: Sustainable Food Production Through Livestock Health Management

January 21, 2015 — 

Problem-solving skills needed in sustainable food production take center stage in a massive, open online course (MOOC) offered by two faculty members in the University of Illinois Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, Drs. Brian Aldridge and Jim Lowe. The six-week course, starting January 26, is provided free of charge. Registration and additional information is available online.

Learn about the impact of infectious disease on sustainable animal-based food production by understanding the science of growth, immunity, and infection and by learning the problem-solving skills needed to advance animal health and food production through optimal management practices.

The course explores the effect of infectious disease on sustainable animal-based food production. The content and learning outcomes of this new course will be designed to be relevant across different food production sectors (i.e., beef, dairy, poultry, and pigs). While the instructors will provide the participants with a strong scientific base for understanding the impact of infectious disease in animal-based food production, the emphasis of the material will be on practical problem-solving and will be directed towards equipping participants with a platform for developing the skills needed to contribute to sustainable food production.

The class will consist of lecture videos that are between 8 and 12 minutes in length and contain 1-2 integrated quiz questions per video. There will also be standalone homework that is not part of video lectures and other activities. Discussion with other participants will provide excellent networking opportunities. For additional information and to register, please visit https://www.coursera.org/course/sustainablefood.