Impact of Expert Commentary and Student Reflection on Veterinary Clinical Decision-Making Skills in an Innovative Electronic-Learning Case-Based Platform

Virtual Clinics: A Student-Led, Problem-Based Learning Approach to Supplement Veterinary Clinical Experiences

The COVID-19 pandemic created an abrupt need for effective remote clinical experiences for senior clinical veterinary students. Subsequently, the authors created virtual clinics. This activity was derived from a problem-based learning (PBL) model wherein students designed clinical cases and participated through virtual role play as clients and clinicians. The purpose of this article is to describe virtual clinics and to report data from focus groups of participating students and faculty facilitators from two institutions regarding the positive and negative aspects of the shift in practice. A few common emerging themes included that case rounds were fun and engaging, students could learn at their own pace, and peer-to-peer learning opportunities had perceived value. Themes are reflected against the pedagogical literature to draw out areas that resonated. Students felt this activity was more engaging than listening to a discussion of a case they had no ownership of, and facilitators agreed that the peer-to-peer interactions added to student engagement. Additionally, students developed deeper knowledge about the underlying disease process and clinical presentation of their case, which required independent and self-directed learning, enabling students to think about a case from a client's perspective. By participating in these activities, students developed skills of classroom-to-clinic transitional value. While virtual clinics should not replace in-person clinical experiences, this activity might be useful to facilitate students' transition from a structured classroom setting to a less-structured clinical experience.

The Use of Adaptive Learning Technology to Enhance Learning in Clinical Veterinary Dermatology

Clinical teaching in veterinary medicine is challenging for both educators and students. There is an increasing interest in the use of technology-based techniques using adaptive learning to provide students with additional learning experiences. Few studies have evaluated the use of this technique in veterinary medical education. We hypothesized that students with access to adaptive learning modules during dermatology rotation would have significantly higher dermatology test scores compared to students who did not have access to the adaptive learning modules on the same rotation. Incoming third and fourth-year veterinary students to the dermatology rotation, who agreed to participate, were randomly assigned to treatment (provided access to 10 modules using adaptive technology during the rotation) or control group (provided no access to the modules). Study participants completed a pretest two weeks before the rotation start date and a post-test near the rotation end date and a questionnaire to assess students' learning experience using adaptive learning modules. Students in the treatment group scored significantly higher on the posttest (p = .019) compared to students in the control group, with an effect size of d = 0.83. Students in both groups scored significantly higher at post-test (p < .001; d = 1.52 treatment and p = .002; d = 0.74 control) when compared to their pretest. This study shows that the tested adaptive learning platform may be an effective method to augment clinical teaching in veterinary dermatology. This study also indicates that veterinary students perceive the use of adaptive learning technology as beneficial for their education.

Veterinary Education during Covid-19 and Beyond-Challenges and Mitigating Approaches

The public health implications of the Covid-19 pandemic have caused unprecedented and unexpected challenges for veterinary schools worldwide. They are grappling with a wide range of issues to ensure that students can be trained and assessed appropriately, despite the international, national, and local restrictions placed on them. Moving the delivery of knowledge content largely online will have had a positive and/or negative impact on veterinary student learning gain which is yet to be clarified. Workplace learning is particularly problematic in the current climate, which is concerning for graduates who need to develop, and then demonstrate, practical core competences. Means to optimise the learning outcomes in a hybrid model of curriculum delivery are suggested. Specific approaches could include the use of video, group discussion, simulation and role play, peer to peer and interprofessional education.

Use of a Multimodal, Peer-to-Peer Learning Management System for Introduction of Critical Clinical Thinking to First-Year Veterinary Students

Veterinary medical students need multiple thinking strategies, particularly critical thinking. We used a multimedia, peer review learning management system (CGScholar) to introduce a series of complex, realistic, case-based e-learning modules to help introduce critical thinking to 422 first-year veterinary students through instructor-designed clinical cases. Students developed and published on the CGScholar platform an analysis of a case and conducted anonymous peer reviews of each other's drafts. Instructors selected desirable characteristics of a student's activity to track and provide automatic feedback to students via an analytics dashboard and aster plot that allowed visualization of progress. The dashboard also enabled instructors to view the entire class's performance, highlighting students whose performance was lagging. Online interactions were supplemented by case-specific face-to-face workshop sessions. Our goal was to address the following questions: Does the addition of multimedia to a work (one's own or others') enhance people's ability to understand and convey the material? Does peer review (of one's own and others' work) lead to improvements in the writer's own work? Does the peer review process enhance the writer's understanding of what constitutes high-quality literature evidence? An anonymous student survey showed that experience was significantly more positive in the second and third year of implementation after inclusion of explicit guidance on the use of the rubric for peer review. Overall, 67% of students thought inclusion of multimedia enhanced their ability to communicate and 52% agreed multimedia enhanced their ability to understand their peers' analyses, but students were split on benefits to their understanding of high-quality literature.

Case-Based e-Learning Experiences of Second-Year Veterinary Students in a Clinical Medicine Course at the Ontario Veterinary College

Exposure to real-life clinical cases has been regarded as the optimal method of achieving deep learning in medical education. Case-based e-learning (CBEL) has been considered a promising alterative to address challenges in the availability of teaching cases and standardizing case exposure. While the use of CBEL has been positive in veterinary medical education, insight into students' learning experience with a CBEL tool have not been considered. This article investigates students' views around the utility and usability of a CBEL tool, as well as perceived effectiveness, clinical confidence, and impact of veterinary students' learning preferences on CBEL use. Through focus groups as well as pre- and post-use questionnaires, students expressed that the design and utility of the online cases, including their authenticity, played an instrumental role in perspectives and acceptance of the CBEL tool. Students perceived the CBEL tool as highly effective in both achieving CBEL outcomes and teaching a methodical approach to a clinical case. CBEL elements were also perceived to potentially contribute to increased clinical confidence after CBEL use. Additionally, exploration of students' preferred approach to learning revealed that hands-on learners and those who prefer to learn by practicing and applying knowledge were more likely to show positive perceptions of a CBEL tool. This article's findings can help guide educators in the future design and implementation of online cases in various capacities and provide a platform for further exploration of the effectiveness and use of CBEL in veterinary medical education.

Evaluation of Video-enhanced Case-based Activities Guided by the Pharmacists' Patient Care Process

Objective. To design and develop a series of technology-enhanced, case-based learning activities framed by the Pharmacists' Patient Care Process (PPCP), and to evaluate the impact of these activities on student perceptions and performance. Methods. A mixed methods approach was used to generate both quantitative and qualitative data. Survey and focus group interviews were used to analyze student perceptions. Performance on a pre- and post-assessment was used to measure the impact of PPCP case-based learning activities. Results. Students demonstrated positive attitudes overall towards the case-based learning activities. Themes emerged during focus group interviews regarding awareness of the PPCP, engagement in learning, and a desire for realistic experiences. Significant changes were observed for the pre- and post-assessment within the plan and follow-up parameters, as well as for the total score within each disease state. Conclusion. The use of technology-enhanced, case-based modules framed around a standardized patient care process resulted in positive student perceptions and improved scores on a patient case assessment. The PPCP may be a useful framework for case development to aid students in application of drug therapy knowledge.