Education and training »

On-line courses and educational material

Care (Caring for Animals in Research and Education)

Care for Animals in Research and Education. A web-based, modular course which has been developed by a group from the University of NSW and the University of Sydney and has been designed to assist self-paced learning.

CARE has been constructed as a series of modules which address the ethical, social and scientific issues relating to the use of animals for scientific purposes. Each module has a set of learning objectives and tasks as well as a list of additional resources, some of which are available on-line.
www.med.unsw.edu.au/physiology/CARE

CCAC (Experimental Animal Use Training - Core Topic Models)

On line resource material published by the Canadian Council on Animal Care to support training programs in Canada. Material is available in PDF format and covers ethics, the three R’s, OH&S, basic animal care, environmental enrichment, pain distress and endpoints, anaesthesia and euthanasia.
www.ccac.ca/en/CCAC_Programs/CCAC_Programs_ETC.htm

AALAS Learning Library

An online resource for those working with animals in research and members of AEC’s. Some material is available for viewing only but there is an excellent open-access course on ‘Post-Procedure Care of Mice and Rats in Research - Minimising Pain and Distress’.
www.aalaslearninglibrary.org/

The Experimental Fish - Animal User Training

This is an online WebCT training program for people who use fish in research, teaching and testing. The course syllabus closely follows the core topics outlined in the Canadian Council on Animal Care’s National Institutional Aquatic Animal User Training Program and covers the ethical issues of experimental animal use, the 3R’s, fish as a research animal, aquatic animal care and husbandry, factors affecting research eg stress, disease, husbandry, anaesthesia and euthanasia, water quality, nutrition, humane endpoints and OH&S.

Although developed specifically for the Canadian and US systems, the course content on the care and use of fish would be helpful for those working in other countries.
www.upei.ca/cai/experimentalfish.htm

Froguts

An on-line virtual dissection which has been designed to give better understanding of frogs and other life forms by the use of instructional technology. www.froguts.com

Humane Science Lectures

The Centre for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT) at John Hopkins University has recently published an excellent on-line lecture series - Humane Science Lectures. Featuring twelve lectures presented by international experts, the series provides a unique and comprehensive resource.

Lecture topics include, rodent surgery, post-procedural care, pain and distress, the impact of stress on quality of data, humane endpoints, animal welfare-the five freedoms, environmental enrichment -functional outcomes, non-invasive imaging techniques in rodent studies, invitro and other alternative methods and experimental design.

For more information, download the course flyer from http://caat.jhsph.edu/media/index.htm.

Sniffy the Virtual Rat

An interactive software program that gives undergraduate students a virtual laboratory experience without all the drawbacks of using a real laboratory rat. Using Sniffy, students can explore operant and classical by performing experiments that demonstrate most of the major conditioning phenomena discussed in textbooks on the psychology of learning.
Sniffy the Virtual Rat.

The Laboratory Rat: A Natural History

Shot as a wildlife documentary over several months, this 27 minute film follows the lives of domestic rats after being released in a large outdoor enclosure where they have to compete, like their wild cousins, for food, shelter and mates.

The film demonstrates how studies ranging from physiology to psychology have uncovered a number of features which, despite generations of domestification, remain ready to be expressed when given the opportunity. We may have taken the rat out of the wild, but have we taken the wild out of the rat?

The material is also intended to constitute a resource that can be used for teaching and presentations. The sequences are available in digital format and the web site contains over 40 freely downloadable slides and movie clips (some silent) that span all the major sections of the documentary.

The video and website have been developed by Dr. Manuel Berdoy.The film is available in either VHS or DVD format. To view samples of the film go to www.ratlife.org. Dr. Berdoy can be contacted at enquiries@ratlife.org

VA Course (USA)

This course was developed as an online course for the VA Medical Centers in the USA -although some material is specific for USA legislation, many aspects of this course covers issues which are generic to animal use in research.
www.researchtraining.org/

Virtual Anesthetic Machine

A course designed to provide step-by-step guidance on the operation and safe use of an anesthetic machine. The site contains material on the basic concepts of the design and function of an anesthetic machine which compliments the simulated model which is available on-line. Activities include exercises in safe work practices.
www.anest.ufl.edu/~eduweb/vam/

Virtual dissections

A range of species available in a ‘virtual’ dissection format including, clam, cockroach, crayfish, earthworm, rat, squid, and fetal pig, the frog nervous system, the cow’s eye, and the sheep’s brain. Other programs available include, an interactive frog dissection tutorial and virtual mouse necropsy. http://biology.about.com/cs/dissections/

Educational Materials

Anaesthesia of Rats

An interactive training and teaching tool on CD-ROM. BSL Publishers, PO Box 246, 3990 GA Houten. www.eurca.org/one_res.asp?EdID=726589
E-mail: rats@blspubl.com

Careful How you Hold Me

An insight into caring for laboratory animals. A multimedia program on CD-ROM for researchers, students and animal technicians. Available from Melbourne University Press via www.bookshop.unimelb.edu.au/bookshop/p?9780734026644.

Digital Material for Trainers

A series of 12 digital video CD’s covering handling, procedures, anaesthesia and surgery for common laboratory animals. Three CD’s include interactive course notes. Purchasing information available at www.digires.co.uk/index.html

Environmental Enrichment

A video produced by UFAW (35 min) which is aimed at those responsible for the care of animals in captivity, including animal technicians. The needs of animals are explored and practical suggestions given for improving their living conditions.
Purchasing details available from www.ufaw.org.uk

Essential for Animal Research: A Primer for Research Personnel

www.nal.usda.gov/awic/pubs/noawicpubs/essentia.htm

Euthanasia with Care

A video designed as a teaching resource for animal technicians and scientific staff; covers the general principles and specific methods of euthanasia for commonly used laboratory species. (Duration 25 min) Available from Institute for Animal Technology (UK) and can be purchased on-line at www.iat.org.uk/videos.htm

Experimental Design

A multimedia learning package on CD-ROM to teach better experimental design written by Michael Festing and David Dewhurst Available from Sheffield Bioscience Programs www.sheffbp.co.uk

Handling and Sexing of some Common Laboratory Animal Species

A video produced by the Canadian Association for Laboratory Animal Science as a guide to those new to the field of laboratory animal care and includes an introduction to the concept of microbiological containment. Purchasing details www.calas-acsal.org

Laboratory Animal Medicine & Science Series II

American College of Laboratory animal Medicine developed this CD-ROM in conjunction with the University of Washington's Health Sciences Center for Educational Resources (UW-HSCER). It includes the text and images from all the Series II programs. For further information www.aclam.org

Necropsy Procedures for Small Laboratory Animals

A 22-minute video available from The Microbilogy Laboratories, 56 Northumberland Road, North Harrow, Middlesex, HA2 7RE, UK.
E-mail: needham@microlabs.demon.co.uk

Pain Assessment in the Rat

John Roughan and Paul Flecknell developed this CD that contains movies illustrating a behaviour-based pain scoring scheme in rats. Purchasing information available at www.lal.org.uk/digital/digital.html

The Rat

Recommended technical procedures. A video (24 minutes) produced by the Canadian Association for Laboratory Animal Science for animal technologists, graduate students and laboratory assistants as an introduction to safe handling techniques and methods for injection and blood sampling in the laboratory rat. Purchasing details www.calas-acsal.org

Training in Survival Rodent Surgery

A CD-ROM which has been developed by the NIH Animal Research Advisory Committee to assist in the development of proper surgical skills. It has three elements: simple suture patterns, rodent survival surgery and special considerations for aseptic surgery in transgenic mice. Requests for a copy can be requested by E-mail rodentcd@od.nih.gov

The Chicken (2003)

Recommended technical procedures. A video produced by the Canadian Association for Laboratory Animal Science for animal technologists, graduate students and laboratory assistants as an introduction to safe handling techniques and methods for injection and blood sampling in the laboratory rat. Purchasing details www.calas-acsal.org/

The Mouse (2003)

The Rat (2003)

Essentials for Animal Research: A Primer for Research Personnel

http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/pubs/noawicpubs/essentia.htm

Other learning aids

DASIE (Dog Abdominal Surrogate for Instructional Exercises)

A laminated fabric and polyurethane model designed and constructed to resist cutting, and to hold sutures in a manner similar to normal tissues. Used for practicing aseptic technique, instrument handling, suturing and ligation. Available from DASIE International. Email: dasieinternational@hotmail.com

Koken Rabbit - anatomical model. Available from B & K Universal. E-mail: info@bku.com

Koken Rat - anatomical model with tail vein to practice venepuncture. Available from B & K Universal. E-mail: info@bku.com

PVC Rat -for simulation of catheter implants and microsurgery. Includes an interactive CD-ROM program for patient monitoring. Available from Microsurgical Development foundation. Email info@microdev.nl or from its website www.microdev.nl/models.htm

Humane education loan program

The Humane Society International runs a loans program which provides educators and students with up-to-date alternatives to animal use in teaching.

For information contact www.hsus.org/ace/13476

Alternative in surgical training

Macquarie University is using a non-animal surgical training device.