This project supported the development of a new open textbook to support B M S/A ECL 4010, Aquatic Animal Health. This collaborative, peer-reviewed textbook was first developed by David E. Starling, Associate Teaching Professor and President of Aqueterinary Services. Dr. Starling is a nationally and internationally renowned expert on aquatic animal health. He endeavored to bring practical applications for the field into his textbook, ensuring that it could be used by students, graduates, and practitioners alike.
Development
The content for Dr. Starling's text was adapted from over 20 years of lecture notes and presentations which he had utilized in his teaching practice, and broken down into key areas of interest. These notes were edited, refined down to their main points, and supported by references to more recent literature. Throughout the text, ties back to practice were included.
Implementation
To engage students in the work and build opportunities for exploration into his course, Dr. Starling implemented an open pedagogy approach. After lectures, students would be given draft chapters of the course's textbook to review, comment on, and suggest edits for. During this time, students were encouraged to explore and build content in areas where they had personal interest, in order to build experience locating and summarizing research.
To support student engagement and assess the outcomes of this practice, students were asked to submit a self-review survey each week, reflecting the work they had done and what they learned. When asked, students overwhelmingly preferred this review and reflection assignment over the typical quiz reviews which had previously been assigned.
Publication
After receiving feedback on his initial drafts from students taking B M S 4010, Dr. Starling added the students' names as contributors to the text and further refined the content for publication. These chapters were then sent to experts in the field for peer review, who contributed useful feedback on the textbook's structure and content. After a final round of edits based on peer reviewers' feedback and expert copyediting, the textbook will be published next year.
Citation: Starling, D.E. (in press). Topics in Aquatic Animal Health. Iowa State University Digital Press. DOI: forthcoming.