ETPLAS (Education and Training Platform for LAS) besplatni EU Function Specific on-line moduli

Easy access to brand new resources in Laboratory Animal Science Education and Training (E&T) can be found by course organisers, approval/accrediting bodies, and Member-State authorities on the Education & Training Platform for Laboratory Animal Science (ETPLAS) revamped website (www.etplas.eu), thanks to the collaboration with the European Parliament Pilot Project ‘Promoting Alternatives to Animal Testing through Accessible and Harmonized Education and Training’.

This new ETPLAS website provides new e-learning courses covering EU functions for experimental design (EU-10+11, 4 e-learning modules), severity assessment (EU-12, 3 e-learning modules), project evaluation (EU-25, 2 e-learning modules), and soon available searching non-animal alternatives (EU-52) and developing non-animal alternatives for regulatory use (EU-60). Additional courses for EU-function modules will be developed in the near future.

There are other new features on the website including E&T guidelines to help course organisers cover in their programmes all learning outcomes of EU-Function A for mice, rats and zebrafish (https://doi.org/10.1177/0023677220968589), as well as guidance and examples for practical assessment by Direct-Observation of Practical Skills (DOPS).

Course organisers can advertise their courses to an international audience by downloading and completing the “ETPLAS Course Information Form”. ETPLAS will then post these course details on the dedicated webpages.

A library for third-party educational resources will also soon be available, along with a database of questions developed by LAS specialists for EU-function A courses.

Course providers can consider using the educational resources or their course materials can be hosted on the ETPLAS website. Whilst for trainers, approval/accrediting bodies or European Competent Authorities, who want to know more or contribute, they can visit www.etplas.eu, register for free to get access to the e-learning modules, or ask questions via email on the website; and they can be kept informed by following on Twitter @etplas.

Contact ETPLAS: https://etplas.eu/contact/

On behalf of Professor Patri Vergara, ETPLAS President, Barcelona, 24 May 2021.