The course material for CCAC Online Ethics is presented in twelve modules, each with specific topics and goals, which are organized into three groups. The following table provides detailed learning outcomes for each module.
Group A: Ethics and Guidelines
Module 1: Guidelines, Legislation and Regulations
Learning Objectives:
- Explore which research animals come under the CCAC guidelines
- Explore which groups are represented on the CCAC
- Explore which groups should normally be represented on an Animal Care Committee to ensure that the well-being of the animals is fully considered
- Consider the relevant considerations in reviewing a protocol for the use of animals in a research project
Module 2: Ethics in Animal Experimentation
Learning Objectives:
- Introduce the basic notions of ethics
- Identify the socio-historical basis of the debate on animal experimentation
- Define levels of ethical questioning in animal experimentation
Module 3: Three Rs of Humane Animal Experimentation
Learning Objectives:
- Discuss the Three Rs as they were defined by Russell and Burch in 1959
- Introduce the concept of alternatives in research, teaching and testing
- Discuss the potentials and limitations of alternatives
- Consider examples of alternatives and how they may be used
Group B: Rodent Based Pain, Distress, Animal Welfare
Module 4: Pain, Distress and Endpoints
Learning Objectives:
- Describe the experience of pain in animals
- Outline the sources of pain
- Outline how we can obtain evidence of the pain experience in animals
- Describe stress and distress in animals
- Outline how we can obtain evidence of the distress experienced by an animal
- Present some signs of pain and distress in various animal species
- Define the term "endpoint" in relation to minimizing the potential for an animal to experience pain or distress in invasive studies
- Present the ethical and scientific concerns important in choosing the appropriate endpoint in a given study
- Describe the observations upon which endpoints can be based
- Make reference to recommended endpoints in the published literature, and provide research examples
- List some questions that can help the principal investigator and the animal care committee choose the appropriate endpoint in a given invasive experiment, and help ensure that no animals will go past the endpoint and thus experience unnecessary pain or distress
Module 5: Analgesia
Learning Objectives:
- Review pain in animals
- Define analgesia
- Define nociception
- Outline the anatomy and physiology of nociception
- Discuss the major groups of pain relieving drugs; their properties, limitations and side effects
- Discuss the legal requirements in using controlled drugs for analgesia
Module 6: Anaesthesia
Learning Objectives:
- Introduce the administration of anaesthetics to laboratory animals
- Discuss anaesthesia under the following broad headings:
- preanaesthesia
- effects of anaesthetic agents
- anaesthetic administration
- anaesthetic emergencies
- recovery from anaesthesia
- Provide information on the effects of drugs used during anaesthesia
- Consider the consequences of anaesthesia and the surgical procedures on recovery
- Discuss anaesthetic emergencies and their treatment
Module 7: Euthanasia
Learning Objectives:
- Discuss the principles of euthanasia - the humane killing of animals
- Discuss the emotional impact on people of killing animals
- Outline the criteria for a humane killing technique
- Describe the advantages and disadvantages of a number of methods of euthanasia
- Discuss the importance of choosing the correct method of euthanasia based upon the tissues to be collected for analysis
Group C: Rodent Based Good Science, Animal Care
Module 8: Research Issues
Learning Objectives:
- Identify the various aspects of an animal model that are part of its "definition"
- List the variables - the non-experimental factors - that can influence the animal model's response
- Recognize the importance of accounting for all the variables in the experimental design, and controlling those variables (the non-experimental factors)
- Develop a checklist — for principal investigators and graduate students — of the variables that can affect their research program
- Describe — for principal investigators and graduate students — their role in ensuring the successful conduct of the experiment and how to accept responsibility
Module 9: Basic Animal Care
Learning Objectives:
- Describe animal facility security
- Describe animal facility zoning and traffic flow as it relates to disease control
- Describe basic animal facility operations
- Describe basic sanitation procedures
- Describe basic animal care procedures
- Describe individual animal identification
- Describe animal experiment identification
Module 10: Environmental Enrichment
Learning Objectives:
- Introduce the concept of environmental enrichment
- Discuss the elements involved in environmental enrichment
- Place the effects of environmental enrichment within the research effort
- Provide examples of environmental enrichment
Module 11: Disease, Basic Concepts
Learning Objectives:
- Understand how animals become infected
- Understand how diseases spread
- Understand how diseases may be introduced to an animal facility and what steps should be taken to exclude disease
- Understand how diseases may be contained if they do gain access to a facility
- Understand the basics of health monitoring programmes
Module 12: Occupational Health and Safety
Learning Objectives:
- Understand the ways common laboratory animal species react, or defend themselves, if a procedure causes pain, or they perceive their safety threatened
- Describe the pertinent aspects of safe handling and performing manipulations
- Describe the procedure for reporting animal related injuries
- Identify the proper waste disposal procedures in animal facilities
- Define zoonoses, and give examples of animal infections that can be transmitted to humans
- Outline the levels of biohazard control, and methods used to minimize biohazard risks
- Describe the sources of animal allergy
- Describe the procedures necessary to minimizing exposure to animal allergens
Module 13: Farm Animals
Learning Objectives:
- Introduce investigators, teachers, animal care personnel and students to the care, housing and handling requirements of farm animals used in science
- Present an overview of animal care practives that help ensure good welfare and discuss potential welfare challenges associated with the use and care of farm animals in science
- Provide investigators with references and resources relating to the use of farm animals in science
Module 14: Fish
Module 15: Birds
Learning Objectives:
- Provide an introduction to the legal, ethical and safety considerations for those who work with migratory birds in research
- Provide a document with reference to specialized resources to help investigators prepare for field work