I would recommend this course to anyone who is actively involved in animal production systems and to people who are involved with decisions about animal health at a governmental level. The Applied Economic modelling course was a well structured course that described various types of economic models and how they could be used to analyse animal health economics in various production systems. What I really enjoyed was the process of reading, watching and digesting the supplied information, interacting with a diverse group of people and then applying what I had learnt to my local context such that I could really understand the concepts covered in the chapters.
This course was suggested to me by my Masters supervisor. I wanted to combine studies on animal health economics with epidemiology but this was not available to me in South Africa. The concepts covered in this course have provided me with a good basis to make more sound decisions about optimizing animal health. From an analytic point of view combining economics with epidemiology has provided me with a new more progressive way of thinking about herd health and data analysis.
Distance learning
Distance learning is really the only alternative for me as I cannot leave my work at this time in my life, but I feel it is the time of my life when I actually need to be furthering my studies to add more value to myself. My Masters that I am enrolled in is also largely distanced based. The obvious convenience of distance learning is a huge advantage to me. I can work as a veterinarian and whenever I have free time available, I can work on my studies. I would thus recommend distance learning to anyone who is eager to study further but cannot take the time to study full time. Another attractive factor about distance learning is that if a certain course or field is not available in one’s own country, you are more likely to find what you are looking for internationally. Without distance learning this would not be possible. This said distance learning takes more self-motivation and diligence than conventional learning and one must ensure that you manage your time well.