Collaborative Development of a Farm Systems Learning Platform “4D Virtual Farm”

Over the past 20 years, a lower percentage of veterinary and animal science students entering Australian and New Zealand schools have a background or ongoing contact with livestock production systems. The increasing use of digital technologies over the same time provides a practical option to introduce students to the seasonal operations on livestock farms. This article describes the development of the 4D Virtual Farm, established to showcase 11 representative livestock farms across Australasia allowing students to virtually travel through seasons and place over each farming enterprise. Students can virtually visit different beef cattle, prime lamb, wool-sheep and dairy cattle farms, and a piggery. Any electronic device connected to the web including mobile phones, tablets, computers, and virtual reality headsets can be used to view the enterprises. For educators, the virtual farm can be used for a range of teaching and learning scenarios, such as demonstration of a particular production system via weblink for lectures or embedding within learning management systems. It also allows students to start at a particular point in time and space and guide themselves to other areas for self-learning or for a range of assessment tasks. This site provides an example that could be used in other teaching areas including abattoirs, exotic diseases, surgery, communication, and many other veterinary examples.