Veterinary student attitudes toward curriculum integration at James Cook University

Examining the Motivational Climate and Student Effort in Professional Competency Courses: Suggestions for Improvement

The attainment of professional competencies leads to essential skills for successful and employable veterinarians. However, the inclusion of professional competencies in veterinary curricula is often underdeveloped, and it is sometimes less appreciated by students than the science/technical skill curricula. The aim of this study was to better understand students' motivation within professional competency courses (PC courses) by (a) comparing students' motivational perceptions in PC courses to those in science/technical skill courses (ST courses), (b) determining the extent to which students' motivational perceptions predict their course effort, and (c) identifying teaching strategies that could be used to improve PC courses. Participants included students from eight courses enrolled in their first or second year of a veterinary college at a large land-grant university in the United States. A partially mixed concurrent dominant status research design was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data. Students completed closed- and open-ended survey items regarding their effort and the motivational climate in their courses. Compared to ST courses, students put forth less effort in PC courses; rated PC courses lower on empowerment, usefulness, and interest; and had higher success expectancies in PC courses. Although students' perceptions of empowerment, usefulness, interest, and caring were significantly correlated with their effort, interest was the most significant predictor of effort in both PC and ST courses. Based on students' responses to the open-ended questions, specific motivational strategies are recommended to increase students' effort in PC courses, such as intentionally implementing strategies to increase students' interest and perceptions of usefulness and empowerment.

Professional Skills Teaching within Veterinary Education and Possible Future Directions

Once ignored for their potential to take up precious time within the veterinary curriculum at the expense of hard science and technical competencies, professional skills such as ethical conduct, professional conduct, and communication skills are now considered essential in the creation of successful and employable graduates. Despite the requirement to include professional skills in veterinary curricula, limited communication among colleges and inconsistent documentation of curricular developments have led to a wide range of teaching and assessment methods with no consistent standards existing among colleges. Integration of professional competency teaching into the general curriculum is lauded widely, but barriers such as faculty buy-in have kept many colleges from moving toward a standard in which professional competencies are integrated into the general curriculum. The aim of this article is to provide veterinary educators and curriculum designers with an understanding of the rationale for including professional skills teaching within the curriculum while also presenting currently used, as well as recommended, strategies for effective instruction of professional skills.

Validation of a psychometric instrument to assess motivation in veterinary bachelor students

There are indications that motivation correlates with better performance for those studying veterinary medicine. To assess objectively whether motivation profiles influence both veterinary students' attitudes towards educational interventions and their academic success and whether changes in curriculum can affect students' motivation, there is need for an instrument that can provide a valid measurement of the strength of motivation for the study of veterinary medicine. Our objectives were to design and validate a questionnaire that can be used as a psychometric scale to capture the motivation profiles of veterinary students. Question items were obtained from semi-structured interviews with students and from a review of the relevant literature. Each item was scored on a 5-point scale. The preliminary instrument was trialed on a cohort of 450 students. Responses were subjected to reliability and principal component analysis. A 14-item scale was designed, within which two factors explained 53.4% of the variance among the items. The scale had good face, content, and construct validities as well as a good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=.88).

Relationships between students' approaches to learning, perceptions of the teaching-learning environment, and study success: a case study of third-year veterinary students

The relationships among veterinary students' approaches to learning, perceptions of the teaching-learning environment, and study success were evaluated in a demanding, discipline-based curriculum. The aim was to elicit elements for improving student counseling. As part of a large multidisciplinary survey, 36 third-year students (74% response rate) answered a modified version of the Experiences of Teaching and Learning Questionnaire in 2006. In this study, the authors used students' responses to questions regarding examinations and the progress of studies. In addition, students were classified in the large survey into four clusters according to their approaches to studying. Study success was evaluated by exploring the number of study credits students had earned and their grade point averages. The differences in study success between the clusters were not statistically significant, but, in general, students applying a deep approach were most successful, whereas unorganized students applying a deep approach showed the largest variation in study progress. The most commonly mentioned factors for enhancing or impeding study progress were related to the curriculum and to the students' actions or experiences. Unorganized students applying a deep approach seemed to suffer the most from the workload and pressure of progressing in their studies according to a predetermined timetable. These students were also most unaware of the examinations' demands. The findings suggested that, in addition to curriculum development, there is a need to explicitly make students aware of their approaches to learning and to support the development of their study practices.

Curriculum integration within the context of veterinary education

Curriculum integration has been applied across a range of educational levels as a means of attempting to improve learning outcomes, but there is a paucity of information that has defined and explored curriculum integration as it relates to the teaching of veterinary science. A definition of curriculum integration in the teaching of veterinary science is suggested, which places students as lifelong learners at the center of the educational model. Learning activities are designed to help students see connections among disciplines and topics, thus reinforcing their relevance and helping them to apply their knowledge to different contexts. Curriculum integration at James Cook University in the first three years of the program has been promoted through the design of assessment, the use of case studies, imaging, and palpable anatomy, learning of clinical skills, a research project, animal handling, and a personal professional development program. Advantages and disadvantages of curriculum integration are discussed. Further work is needed to determine if this mode of curriculum design is able to produce veterinary graduates who are better able to meet the challenges of a changing workplace in the twenty-first century.