New Developments in Veterinary Education

In recent years, greater emphasis has been placed on competency-based training and assessment within the field of medical education. With the creation of the MSc in Veterinary Education, the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has applied the essence of this approach to veterinary teaching and now trains veterinary educators to create progressive, stimulating and exciting new learning environments for anyone they teach or train.

Course participants demonstrate how to teach owners and vet students to examine a dog for obesity

A global learning community

Now in its 4th year, the RVC’s MSc in Veterinary Education is a part-time course aimed at professionals who are involved in veterinary and para-veterinary education and training around the world.  The course is flexible, offering multiple entry points from Post-graduate Certificate level through to full MSc.  The course is continuing to be successful and grow with currently 55 students enrolled at different entry levels of the MSc  in Veterinary Education course.

This innovative course allows professionals to study while working, to get feedback on their current teaching methods and to share their experience with educators from around the world. UK based students are joined by distance learners worldwide who use the RVC online platform (LEARN) and online conferencing software to participate in workshops and discussions with fellow students and course tutors. 

Innovation

The development of this programme has led to innovation in the delivery of distance learning education. One key example of this is the teaching observation assessment, which forms a mandatory part of the Post-graduate Certificate. Course participants, both on-site and at a distance, are asked to video themselves whilst teaching. They are then asked to watch the video, analyse their own teaching practice and write a critique, highlighting strengths and areas for improvement. Finally, students receive formal tutor feedback, either in person or via Skype. This methodology has raised important questions about the effects of being observed and has become the focus of some interesting research shortly to be published by the MSc Vet Ed team.

For more information about the MSc in Veterinary Education, or to enrol, visit http://www.rvc.ac.uk/Postgraduate/Courses/MScVetEducation  or email mscvetedu@rvc.ac.uk