TEACHING OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM IN SANITARY INSPECTION CURRICULUM - AN OVERALL VIEW OF THE FISH AND FISHERY CONTENTS

Abstract

The main objective of this work is to share and explain how teaching outside the classroom has been gradually implemented in the fish and fishery contents on the curricular units of Sanitary Inspection of the Master’s in Veterinary Medicine at the Universidade de Évora (Portugal). The implemented strategy comprises the collaboration of veterinary services with fish industry stakeholders for demonstration and training purposes. Considering the fish and fishery contents, the teaching/learning process of an official veterinarian daily routine embraces several steps. These steps include the demonstration, execution and improvement of veterinary interventions and decisions. The daily routine includes veterinary actions in several working fields namely in local aquaculture, frozen fish processing companies, companies for shellfish purification and dispatch, and daily routine in fishing docks. The interventions and decisions in this last field comprise several steps including inspection of fishing vessels, fishing dock’s tackle and gear, workers accoutrements and sanitary inspection of fish. Thus, regarding field work, the first step of the learning-teaching process outside the classroom of the curricular unit of Sanitary Inspection is the student’s displacement at different fish processing companies, plants and fishing docks. The displacements of students allow not only the observation of the worker itself, the headman, and the employer, but also the opportunity to learn about sanitary inspection methodologies and decisions. Furthermore, the contact with workers, headman and employer as well, contributes to improve student’s communications skills. The collaboration of veterinary services and local fish companies and fish plants allows these students’ presence in environment risk-free areas and realistic hands-on experiences, resulting in increased interest by the students in these areas. To conclude, involvement of students in the work field of different project activities and companies, allows student’s introduction to the real work field, and it has and important impact for their future knowledge.