Case Study: A Roadmap for Developing Capacity in Plant Biotechnology Field Research
Current Topics in Agricultural Sciences Vol. 1,
8 September 2021
,
Page 10-29
https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/ctas/v1/12143D
Abstract
This case study analyzes learning gains from a five-year capacity development effort for a biotechnology project focused on the development, testing, and preparation for the general release of a genetically engineered potato under national biotechnology regulatory regimes in two Asian countries. This study contributes to two gaps in the literature 1) the application of experiential learning to biotechnology, and 2) training for biotechnology in developing countries. The case study methodology was applied to data collected using statistical comparisons (mean and standard deviation) between the pre-and post-project period to determine the impact of the HICD intervention on the Country A and Country B core teams. Due to non-normal data determined after the Shapiro-Wilk test, a non-parametric equivalent of the t-test, the Wilcoxon rank-sum test called Mann-Whitney U-test, was employed to determine statistically significant differences between the pre-and post-fellowship datasets. Significant learning gains were made in most areas of biosafety practice using experiential learning methods. Where gains were not made, it was due to a breakdown in the application of experiential methods. Training in biosafety, especially in poorly regulated or unregulated contexts, is best benefited by a systematic experiential learning process, adequate base knowledge, time-extensive training in standard operating procedures accompanied by mentoring and coaching, frequent formative evaluation, and simulated trials under local conditions where trainees can experience the full process of biosafety operating standards under the constraints of their contexts.
- Biotechnology education
- capacity development
- biosafety training