Instruction and Curriculum in Veterinary Medical Education: A 50-Year Perspective

Abstract

Our knowledge of veterinary medicine has expanded greatly over the past 50 years. To keep pace with these changes and produce competent professionals ready to meet evolving societal needs, instruction within veterinary medical curricula has undergone a parallel evolution. The curriculum of 1966 has given way, shifting away from lecture-laboratory model with few visual aids to a program of active learning, significant increases in case- or problem-based activities, and applications of technology, including computers, that were unimaginable 50 years ago. Curricula in veterinary colleges no longer keep all students in lockstep or limit clinical experiences to the fourth year, and instead have moved towards core electives with clinical activities provided from year 1. Provided here are examples of change within veterinary medical education that, in the view of the authors, had positive impacts on the evolution of instruction and curriculum. These improvements in both how and what we teach are now being made at a more rapid pace than at any other time in history and are based on the work of many faculty and administrators over the past 50 years.

Discipline-Based Education Research for Animal Welfare Science

“…For example, the journal Chemistry Education: Research and Practice began in 2000 (108). We can benefit from the extensive experience in medical education however, as the Journal of Veterinary Medical Education recently published a 50 year retrospective (109), and in the first issue of Medical Teacher, one article advised the use of an overhead projector as an incoming technology (110). Human education and behavioural change for animal welfare is increasingly becoming a topic of interest, with the foundation of the Human Behavioural Change for Animal Welfare conference in 2016 (111) and animal welfare is a common topic in the annual Veterinary Education conference run by the Veterinary Schools Council, with international reach (112).…”

From chalkboard, slides, and paper to e‐learning: How computing technologies have transformed anatomical sciences education

“…These principles will remain important in the future: Because effective e‐learning is not that old globally, having appeared and evolved rapidly during the careers of senior anatomists, it will continue to evolve significantly with newer technologies and curricula (Friederichs et al, ; Masic et al, ; Cook et al, ; Fletcher et al, ). A persuasive call has also gone out for making appropriate use of e‐learning methods with other active methods of comprehensive structural learning, in modernizing anatomical education for newer integrated curricula aimed at training competent healthcare professionals (Sugand et al, ; Skochelak, ).…”

Peer Feedback on Collaborative Learning Activities in Veterinary Education

“…The recent paradigm shift in veterinary education towards competency-based outcomes [1,2] has resulted in fundamental redesigns of veterinary curricula globally [3]. An increasing focus on ‘non-technical’ or ‘professional’ competencies, including communication, team work, and a host of interpersonal skills, has seen the widespread introduction of collaborative work within these curricular features [4]. Collaborative learning pedagogies provide students with experiential opportunities to discover new information, apply prior knowledge, and solve problems, all while engaging in dialogue with peers.…”