Student Reported Learning of Swine and Dairy Welfare Concepts Following a Virtual Reality Livestock Farm Experience

Abstract

Undergraduate (n = 32), graduate (n = 33), and veterinary students (n = 6) visited a virtual reality (VR) tour of a swine (n = 29) or dairy (n = 42) farm. Each tour featured a 360-degree video with voiceover and a self-guided exploration of farm basics and animal welfare challenges. The self-guided VR tour provided interactive hotspots for information. Students completed surveys pre- and post-tours, using a Likert scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Students who experienced the dairy farm showed significant increased agreement on welfare statements (p < 0.01), including that “Dairy producers care about cow welfare.” Similarly, swine tour students agreed more with “Current swine husbandry practices result in positive animal welfare” (p < 0.01). After the dairy tour, students agreed more on practices like the importance of biosecurity in transitioning barns (p < 0.01), while swine tour students showed no change (p = 1.0). Overall, virtual tours increased awareness of animal welfare (p < 0.05). More research is needed, but VR tours may effectively enhance classroom discussions on animal welfare.