Unit information: Poultry Processing (Distance Learning) in 2012/13

Unit name	Poultry Processing (Distance Learning)
Unit code	VETSM0027
Credit points	20
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director	Dr. Butterworth
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	Core Skills 1 and Biochemistry and Meat Quality
Co-requisites	Other 20 credit units required for PgD (6 units) and MSc (6 units plus Core Skills and Research Project)
School/department	Bristol Veterinary School
Faculty	Faculty of Health Sciences

Description including Unit Aims

Poultry species are the most numerous farmed animals on earth with about 40 billion meat chickens farmed each year and approximately 60 million tonnes of eggs produced annually. Invariably, the industry is intensive and highly integrated. The unit deals primarily with eggs and meat from chickens but also includes other poultry species such as turkeys and ducks. It describes the factors in production, primary and further processing that contribute to the disease status, animal welfare, meat quality and microbiological safety of meat and eggs.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to demonstrate a systematic knowledge and understanding of the key factors affecting the production, disease, welfare and primary and further processing of poultry which contribute to the safety and quality of poultry.

Students will also be able to:

1. describe and evaluate the operations of a commercial broiler producer or a commercial poultry processing facility
2. deliver a 10 minute oral presentation on an original research paper summarising the main findings and explaining the relevance of the results, and answer questions related to the paper.
3. review the scientific literature on a selected topic, and summarise the main findings in a written form including references and appropriate tables and figures.

Teaching Information

A blended learning approach has been adopted, combining online delivery of course material with periodic face to face contact, developed in accordance with the ‘principles for designing and providing distance learning at the University of Bristol’ (annex 3 in the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes). The distance learning material is hosted on a web-based platform (Blackboard) that supports written, audio and video material. Students have password-protected access to Blackboard and other electronic resources at the University of Bristol via the internet. Students can work online or download the core materials to study in their own time thus providing a highly flexible learning environment for students who combine full-time work with part-time study. Coursework is submitted electronically via Blackboard which also hosts discussion groups. Course tutors are on hand via email and telephone to support students and deal with any queries. Interaction with staff and networking with other students is encouraged with the aim of developing a community of active learners.

The online taught material is divided into 5 lecture sets which develop the subject in a logical order and includes a ‘discussion board’ at the end of each set of lectures. Usually there are 5 lectures in each lecture set. Each lecture has a set of powerpoint slides, written notes (with references for further reading), and an audio presentation. The latter are usually no longer than 20 minutes or, if longer, broken up with multiple choice questions (MCQs). There are further MCQs at the end of each lecture set that must be completed before students are able to progress to the next lecture set.

Assessment Information

Knowledge, understanding and other higher level skills are assessed by a combination of coursework (50% of available marks) and a 3 hour written examination (50% of available marks).

Coursework consists of a fully referenced essay (~2500 words), a 15 min oral presentation, and a visit report (~1500 words). The essay, oral and visit report account for 70, 20 and 10%, respectively, of the marks allocated for coursework.

Students can select an essay from a list of titles, allowing individuals to develop an area of particular interest. Students must review the available literature on the topic using appropriate electronic resources, present a summary of the main findings in 2500 words (excluding tables, references and figures), and demonstrate a critical awareness of current issues. The essays are submitted electronically through Blackboard and checked for plagiarism.

Students must deliver a 10 minute oral presentation using powerpoint slides that summarises a selected research paper. This is followed by 5 minutes of questions from staff and other students, to challenge a student’s understanding of their selected topic.

Students must also produce a 1500 word visit report that summarises and analyses what they have observed.

The 3 hour unseen examination paper has a mandatory 5-part question designed to test breadth of knowledge, and a choice of essay-style questions (3 from 6) designed to test depth of knowledge and understanding of the subject area, including past and current research.

Reading and References

There is a strong reliance on original research papers from various journals (eg Meat Science, Poultry Science, British Poultry Science, World’s Poultry Science, Animal Welfare) that can be accessed through the library or using the University’s electronic resources. The following books are also helpful.

1. Sams, A.R. (2001). Poultry meat processing. CRC Press, New York.
2. Barbut, S.(2001). Poultry products processing: an industry guide. CRC Press, New York.
3. Mead, G.C. (ed.) (2005). Food safety control in the poultry industry. Woodhead Publishing.
4. Mead, G.C. (ed.) (2004). Poultry meat processing and quality. Woodhead Publishing.
5. Mead, G.C. (1989). Processing of poultry. Elsevier Applied Science, London.
6. Weeks, C.A. and A. Butterworth, A. (2004). Measuring and auditing broiler welfare. CABI, Wallingford.