Experiential learning improves college student perceived understanding and strengthens their perceptions of the beef industry.

Animal science is an applied discipline and post-secondary curriculum must prepare students for matriculation into a dynamic and complex industry. As the backgrounds of students pursuing animal science degrees are shifting, there may be a disconnect between how they perceive food animal production versus industry realities and traditional lecture courses may fail to adequately address these gaps. Experiential learning, which is a high-impact pedagogical approach, immerses students in real world settings, allowing them to view and experience practical applications of technical and complex concepts. Within the context of beef production, such opportunities may be valuable to illustrate the multifaceted interactions of sustainability, welfare, technology, and economic factors underlying beef production. The objective of this study was to assess changes in perceived understanding and perceptions of beef cattle production resulting from experiential learning during a beef industry tour. College students (n = 26) attended a 5-day beef industry field trip in the Texas Panhandle in May 2024, including tours of cow-calf operations, feedlots, a packing plant, and allied industries. Identical pre- and post-surveys were administered immediately before and after the trip. Data were analyzed via paired sample t-tests using SPSS v.26. After participating in the trip, students reported that the concept of sustainability was easier to understand (P = 0.02). Students also perceived greater understanding of the environmental impacts of beef production (P ≤ 0.01), economic factors affecting beef production (P ≤ 0.01), and the role of technology in beef production (P ≤ 0.01). When asked if environmental impacts of beef production were a major concern, students agreed less strongly (P = 0.04) after the tour. After the tour, students' strength of agreement increased when asked if beef production positively contributes to the rural economy (P ≤ 0.01), if technology improves animal welfare (P = 0.03), and if the beef industry is modern and innovative (P ≤ 0.01). Measures of sense of belonging within agriculture did not change as a result of the field trip (P ≥ 0.86). These data indicate that experiential learning enhances perceived understanding and influences perceptions of beef production in college students studying agricultural sciences.