About LIVE

LIVE is the only veterinary-themed Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) in the UK. It was established in 2005, following an award of £4.5 million from HEFCE (Higher Education Funding Council for England).

LIVE is specifically focused on capturing and expanding best teaching and learning practice in veterinary education, both nationally and internationally through inter-professional collaboration.

What does LIVE do?

LIVE offers opportunities for the profession to look beyond the boundaries of veterinary education. The main focus of our work is aimed at:

• Increasing learner independence by the incremental development of skills, and the further development of technology enhanced learning and assessment innovations
• Enhancing the integration of theory and practice and developing new approaches to work-based learning within the profession
• Providing new practical learning opportunities via expanded Clinical Skills Laboratories
• Bringing evidence-based teaching and learning practices to:
  • develop frameworks and approaches to veterinary education to ensure that students become professional, reflective practitioners
  • enhance the generic life skills in veterinary communities of practice
  • advise teachers and practitioners in a way that supports innovation and effective delivery of veterinary education in the 21st Century
  • support the development of the veterinary workforce in higher education to promote the best learning outcomes for students
• Contributing to wider discourses and dissemination of best professional development practice

Location and Amenities

The LIVE centre is based at the Hawkshead campus in Potters bar. It provides a bright, spacious and modern teaching and learning environment for a wide range of users including:

• 644m² of new teaching and learning space
• Clinical skills laboratories staffed and supported by an expanded and research-active clinical skills team with access to the latest developments in the field
• Break-out spaces equipped and staffed to support the development of generic communication skills
• Dedicated learning labs to conduct innovative research into technology enhanced learning
• An attractive venue and resource for a wide range of stake-holders in veterinary and inter-professional teaching and learning

Evaluating Progress

The LIVE project has recently reached the halfway mark and as such has recently undergone both internal and external review.

The internal, self-evaluation report is an outward reaching document which reflects upon the achievements of LIVE between 2005 and 2007. Examples are given to demonstrate the realisation of the initial CETL bid aims. Evidence for this report was drawn from our continuing external evaluation reports (conducted by colleagues at the Centre for Lifelong Learning, Evaluation Unit, Liverpool), following in-depth interviews with LIVE Centre and RVC staff over the past two years. View Self-Evaluation Report