That's how long it takes to complete a new home-study course on canine genetics via the Internet. Most students in the first online class of canine-genetics are dog breeders on three continents, and more veterinarians are expected to take the course for continuing education when the curriculum is accredited by their professional organizations. We anticipate students will spend a total of 36 to 42 hours to complete the lectures, reading and laboratory exercises, for an average of six to seven hours a week. Plus, we also offer an abbreviated, three-week primer version of the course for those who seek just basic genetics information on dogs. The six-week course also includes an online symposium with lectures by four distinguished faculty members from Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine, speaking on canine genome mapping and on the role of genetic inheritance in dogs' eye disorders, disorders in sexual development and bleeding disorders.
Group discounts available for five or more students who enroll together.
Compared to lecturing in a classroom, this is actually a lot more work for us because we want to respond quickly and make students feel like they are part of a community of learners who are not isolated in cyberspace. The third Canine Genetics course faculty member is Liz Hare, a postdoctoral associate in animal science at Cornell. Teaching assistants are Cornell students who have completed advanced courses in genetics. In Chittenango, N.Y., Gina Bisco predicted that advances in DNA testing and completion of the Canine Genome Project will revolutionize dog breeding, and she wants enough scientific understanding to be on the front lines of the revolution. Santa Rita said that access to genetics information that he can't find in Portugal is especially important to him, and so are the contacts he is making, through the online class, with other dog breeders.