Scientific Research on Veterinary Education

T.J. Parkinson

Once, it was easy – we told students all they needed to know, they learned it, and we sent them out into the profession

Then we encountered the “information explosion”

• Now there’s too much information to remember• High school teaching has

changed• Gen x and y• Has required new

approaches to curriculum

What happens when students are overloaded:

Preentry

Year 1 Year 5Year 4Year 3Year 2

Moti

vatio

n

Too much memorizationShallow learning

Too much content,Disengagement

Poor retention

Curriculum development has aimed to:

overcome the bad effects of overload

improve student motivation and learning

Or am I teaching it just because I

want to?

Am I teaching this because it is required to meet

the learning outcomes?

Principle 1: Curriculum defined by outcomes

Learning and Graduate Outcomes • To define what students actually

need to learn• Thereby setting the “maximum”

content of the programme• Thereby setting boundaries on

how much students need to learn

Ther

apeu

tics

Path

olog

y

Med

icin

e

Anim

al

husb

andr

y

Surg

ery

Anat

omy

&

Phys

iolo

gy

Infe

ctiou

sdi

seas

es

Principle 2: Knowledge doesn’t come in silos

Therapeutics

PathologyMedicine

Animal husbandry

Surgery

Rather, professional problem-solving is about integrating knowledge

High level

Low level

Passive Active

Enga

gem

ent

Student activity / teaching methodBiggs, 1999

“Academic”

“Non-Academic”

Even mediocre students perform well in an active learning

environment

Principle 3: Students learn best in an active learning environment

Enquiry and Active LearningPr

oble

m b

ased

lea

rnin

g

Inte

grat

ed le

arni

ng a

ctivi

ties

Inqu

iry b

ased

acti

vitie

s

Case

-bas

ed le

arni

ng

Prob

lem so

lving

activ

ities

Case

-aug

men

ted

activ

ities

Problem-based Hybrid Didactic

Simulations, e-learning and even games

↑Retention↑ EngagementAugments scarce facilitiesDoes not require use of live animals

Characteristics of enquiry-based learningAuthentic learningProblem

characteristicsCreates context

Integrates professional

skills

Ensures curriculum integration

Develops research skills

Self directed and collaborative

Is enjoyed by students

Encourages deep learning

Resource intensive“Gaps” in

“coverage”

Requires aligned assessment

Principle 4: “Professional” skills just as important

Biosecurity and enforcement

Client and communication skillsBusiness skills

Ethical and moral behaviour

Continuing education

Self care, self management

“Proper” Curriculum

“Oh, that stuff”

Students do not engage with “professional skills” if they seem to be quasi-optional add-ons

It has to be ‘centre stage’, and performance has to be assessed and essential for graduation

Knows about [the profession’s] behavioural norms

Value system that controls behaviour. Behaviour is pervasive, consistent

Acknowledgement /acceptance of its behavioural norms

Learning in the affective domain is also hierarchical

Blueprinting curriculum, so that knowledge, technical skills and professional skills have assigned roles for each graduate attribute

• Authentic and valid {what is being tested?}• Planned {systematic sampling of knowledge/skills}• Aligned with (i) outcomes and (ii) teaching methods• Global criteria {not minutiae}• Direct observation• Workplace or clinic based {rather than classroom}

Principle 5: How students are assessed determines how (and what) they learn

Image Credit: Ronald Harden (r.m.harden@dundee.ac.uk)

OSCE Oral or“viva voce” examination

Real or simulated patients

Veterinary education in the context of a changing landscape of tertiary

education

Teacher-driven Student-centred

Didactic/passive Problem-orientated and/or active

Discipline-based Integrated

Professional skills as peripheral ‘add-ons’

Professional skills are integral to curriculum

Irrelevant assessment Authentic assessment

Content determined by graduate outcomes

Cover “everything”