Meeting Abstract

P3.122  Tuesday, Jan. 6  Assessing Students Beliefs and Knowledge Regarding Animal Research WOODLEY, S.K.; Duquesne University woodleys@duq.edu

Although much biomedical and physiological research involves animals or animal tissues, the use of animals in the classroom is decreasing. Hence, students pursuing careers in biomedical and physiological research may be unprepared for the ethical and regulatory issues involved. Undergraduate students knowledge and opinions regarding animal research were assessed with a survey. Subjects consisted of students enrolled in a physiology course and students enrolled in a required biology seminar. Both groups possessed many common misconceptions about animal research. For example, none understood the difference between animal rights and animal welfare and most were unaware of the extensive animal research regulations. I argue that it is important for biology teachers, especially physiology teachers, to discuss these issues with students. I propose several teaching strategies that can be used in physiology courses to educate students about animal research. I also describe how the effectiveness of these tools can be assessed.