| Unit name | Meat Hygiene and Public Health (Distance Learning) |
|---|---|
| Unit code | VETSM0017 |
| Credit points | 15 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52) |
| Unit director | Dr. Ed van Klink |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
Other units required for completion of PgC (4 units, 15 credits), PgD (8 units, 15 credits) and MSc (8 units + research project) |
| School/department | Bristol Veterinary School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Health Sciences |
Meat is the most common source of food-borne disease, and microbes are the most important cause of food spoilage. As a consequence meat hygiene is of paramount importance during the production of raw meat. In addition, the unit considers the principles of food preservation, risk analysis and methods of ensuring safe food processing.
Aims This unit aims to develop the student’s interest in and knowledge and understanding of: the microbes involved in disease and food spoilage, how to minimise the contamination of raw meat, the principles of food preservation and the methods by which hygiene can be assessed.
1. Students will be able to demonstrate a systematic knowledge and understanding of:
2. Students will be able to:
All the teaching materials for this e-learning unit will be hosted on a web-based platform, Blackboard, accessible remotely by DL students. The Blackboard site has an easy-to-navigate structure with 5 sections: introduction, taught material, contacts, coursework, and examinations.
The ‘introduction’ includes a welcome from the Unit Director, an electronic copy of the student handbook, information and contact details (with permission) about other students on the programme (emails, telephone numbers, and work address), and contact details for personal tutors and the DL student representative.
The ‘taught material’ subject matter is divided into 6 lecture sets (bite size chunks) which develops the subject in a logical order and includes a discussion Board at the end of each set of lectures. The content, the same as that in the residential unit (VETSM0005), is informed by past and current research in the subject area, including that of research-active staff who teach the unit.
The ‘contacts’ sections has contact details (email and phone) for the Programme Director, Unit Director, and IT support.
There is a separate section containing detailed requirements for coursework. Another section describes the format of the examination and contains examples of past papers.
The e-learning materials have been available, either in part or in their completed form, for about 2 years to FT and residential PT students. The feedback on the resources has been very favourable.
Knowledge and understanding is assessed by a combination of coursework (30% of available marks) and a 3 hour written examination (70% of available marks). Coursework consists of an end of unit test (1 hour), requiring students to produce short answers to a range of questions that covers every major topic in the unit.
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.
The coursework accounts for 30% of the unit marks, and the examination 70%. DL students have the same assessments as residential students on the meat hygiene and public health unit (VETSM0005).
There will be a strong reliance on original research papers. The following books are also helpful.
