AP2A67-Animal Nutrition

Module Provider: School of Agriculture, Policy and Development
Number of credits: 20 [10 ECTS credits]
Level:5
Terms in which taught: Spring term module
Pre-requisites: AP1A18 Digestion and Nutrition
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2021/2

Module Convenor: Prof Christopher Reynolds
Email: c.k.reynolds@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

This module will allow students develop vital research skills such as dissection of an animal (chicken dissection practical), formulation diet for animals (exercising diet formulation to meet nutrient requirements of animals) and critical analysis (reviewing literature to write a scientific report). Students will develop some key transferrable skills including verbal and written communication (powerpoint presentation and scientific report writing) and numeracy (using Excel to calculate nutrient requirements of animals).

Aims:

This module aims to provide students with an understanding of both basic and applied aspects of animal nutrition. Emphasis is placed on macro and micro-nutrient requirements of farm and companion animals, methods to assess nutritive value of feed ingredients, impact of animal nutrition on human and environmental health and the use of nutrient requirements and feed nutritive value in diet formulation, significance of adaptations in animals’ digestive tract in response to dietary changes.

Assessable learning outcomes:

By the end of the module it is expected that the student will be able to:

• Explain the physiochemical basis of requirements for energy and protein and factors controlling feed intake


• Describe methods for the evaluation of feedstuffs to provide energy and protein


• Explain the function of minerals and trace elements and key interactions with vitamins in animals


• Discuss the impact of animal nutrition on the environmen t and/or on human food composition


• Perform nutritional calculations and produce simple and software optimised diet formulations


• Describe and discuss the anatomical and physiological functions of a digestive tract and relate these to dietary adaptations

Additional outcomes:

Students will gain experience in dissection of a digestive tract and the presentation of practical dissection findings by oral and written means. Students will also gain an insight into the systems used to define energy and protein requirements for animals.

Students will also have the opportunity to develop/enhance the following transferrable skills:

• Team work


• Verbal communication and presentation skills


• Written communication


• Independent work


• Numeracy through diet formulation calculations

Outline content:

By the end of the module it is expected that the student will be able to:

• Explain the physiochemical basis of requirements for energy and protein and factors controlling feed intake


• Describe methods for the evaluation of feedstuffs to provide energy and protein


• Explain the function of minerals and trace elements and key interactions with vitamins in animals


• Discuss the impact of animal nutrition on the environmen t and/or on human food composition


• Perform nutritional calculations and produce simple and software optimised diet formulations


• Describe and discuss the anatomical and physiological functions of a digestive tract and relate these to dietary adaptations

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

In Autumn term, Tthere will be two 50-minute lectures per week, followed by up to twoone hours of tutorial time devoted to exercises for solving nutritional problems which lead to coursework. On one week there will be a practical exercise involving excising a digestive tract followed by. A a short presentation and a written report identifying the various anatomical regions of the digestive tract, their physiological functions and linking diet adaptations to anatomical and physiological functi ons will contribute to assessed coursework. In Spring term, there will be one 50-min lecture per week.

Contact hours:

	Autumn	Spring	Summer
Lectures		30
Seminars		4
Tutorials		6
Practicals classes and workshops		4
Guided independent study:		156
Total hours by term	0	200	0
Total hours for module	200

Summative Assessment Methods:

Method	Percentage
Written exam	50
Written assignment including essay	15
Oral assessment and presentation	5
Set exercise	30

Summative assessment- Examinations:

A one and a half hour examination 

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

Set exercises (30%)1 (5%), 2 (5%), 3 and 4 (10% each) to be submitted within two weeks. Presentation (5%) and report (15%) relating to digestive anatomy and function .(20%)

Formative assessment methods:

Study questions and tutorials to help students develop ability to answer these question.

Penalties for late submission:

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of five working days;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/qualitysupport/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf
You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Assessment requirements for a pass:
A mark of 40% overall.

Reassessment arrangements:
By re-examination.

Additional Costs (specified where applicable):

1) Required text books:  None

2) Specialist equipment or materials:  None

3) Specialist clothing, footwear or headgear:  None

4) Printing and binding:  None

5) Computers and devices with a particular specification:  None

6) Travel, accommodation and subsistence:  None

Last updated: 21 September 2021