兽医寄生虫学教学存在的问题与改进措施

兽医寄生虫学是预防兽医学和临床兽医学的主要基础课程。但是,随着高等教育的改革与发展,我国高等院校寄生虫学教学课时呈逐渐减少的趋势,有些医学院校甚至取消了寄生虫学课程。     

澳大利亚四所大学兽医学专业和兽医寄生虫学教育概况

WWAVP出版了在17、18两届国际会议上有关《兽医寄生虫学》教学的专题讨论资料，目的是激发针对兽医寄生虫学教学的讨论并提供世界各地目前状况的比较资料。本文作者将澳大利亚四所大学的资料整理拟就此文，以期对我国兽医寄生虫学教育有所启发或参考。     

《兽医寄生虫学》虚拟实践教学平台的设计与实现

文章以《兽医寄生虫学》虚拟实践教学平台为现代教育技术的改革方案,论述了建立平台的原理和必要性,介绍了平台建立的结构、使用方法、数据库的形成与结构,对平台的主要功能进行了详细的描述。虚拟实践教学平台是本课程最有效的教学改革方式,巩固理论学习的同时又有效的锻炼学生的实践学习能力,成为《兽医寄生虫学》教学的有效补充。     

案例式教学方法在兽医寄生虫学教学中的应用探索

兽医寄生虫学是一门理论性和实践性均很强的课程,为了提高兽医寄生虫学教学质量,笔者在本科生课程教学中采用案例式教学法进行教学。结果表明:案例式教学法与传统教学法相比具有很多优点,值得在兽医专业其他课程中推广使用。     

人体寄生虫病例的影视等网络资源在兽医寄生虫学教学中的灵活应用

兽医寄生虫学是动物医学类专业的主干课程之一,将更多、更新的影视等网络资源应用于兽医寄生虫学的教学中,可大大提高学生的学习兴趣,提升课堂教学效果。针对目前的视频等网络资源中大多数都是人体寄生虫的病例,主要介绍了如何把这些资源灵活、系统地应用于兽医寄生虫学的教学当中,该方法的应用具有良好的推广价值。     

加强兽医寄生虫学标本室建设 提升寄生虫形态学教学水平

为了提升寄生虫形态学教学水平,充分利用内蒙古农业大学预防兽医学寄生虫教研室积累的大量寄生虫标本进行授课,通过加强兽医寄生虫标本室建设和兽医寄生虫学实验教学改革探索,提升标本管理水平及寄生虫标本服务教学的水平,以期为该课程的教学改革提供思路。     

兽医寄生虫学的微课平台设计

随着近几年移动互联网的快速发展和智能终端的迅速普及,高校学生的学习方式正在发生巨大改变,教育领域也同时催生着微课等新学习模式的变革。兽医寄生虫学一直是动物医学专业较难掌握的学科,为满足当代高校动物医学专业学生的学习需求,笔者把兽医寄生虫学微课资源与现今广泛应用的微信公众平台和微信软件融合起来,依托移动互联网建立基于微信公众平台的兽医寄生虫学微课平台,以适应当代大学生高速、快节奏的学习生活方式。     

《兽医寄生虫学》的教学模式改革探讨

《兽医寄生虫学》是一门理论性和实践性很强的课程,为了在有限的学时内培养具有扎实的兽医寄生虫学理论基础和较强的实践动手能力的学生,本文结合动物科学学院各方面实际情况,从兽医寄生虫学教学观念的转变、教学内容选择和教学方法改进等方面进行了初步探索。通过以上几个方面的改革,激发了学生对该课程的兴趣,从而为西藏动物寄生虫病防控领域培养出更多更优秀的兽医技术人员。     

我国兽医寄生虫学发展战略的思考

对我国兽医寄生虫学的研究现状、存在问题，以及国际兽医寄生虫学研究动向和我国的发展战略问题进行了探析。     

《兽医寄生虫学》教学方法概述

对国内外一些高校进行的兽医专业和兽医寄生虫学课程的一些有效的教学方法,如传统学科教学法、面向问题的教学法、组合式教学法、乌德勒支模式等进行概述,并对其教学效果予以评价.     

Undergraduate teaching of veterinary parasitology in Africa

The undergraduate teaching of veterinary parasitology in an African perspective is reviewed. Information was gathered from 8 of approximately 20 veterinary schools/faculties in Africa. In order to compare teaching in the different schools a standard questionnaire was designed for collecting data on different aspects of the curriculum, including the curriculum structure, the year(s) in which veterinary parasitology is taught, the contact hours allocated to teaching and the methods of teaching. The results of the eight faculties/schools reveal that veterinary parasitology is taught in a disciplinary approach allocating a total of 90-198 h to lectures (46-75%) and practicals 38-196 h (25-54%) during the full curriculum. There are considerable differences in structure of the curricula and methods of teaching undergraduate veterinary parasitology between the various schools/faculties. Availability of teaching staff and the cost of running practical classes are the most limiting factors in teaching of veterinary parasitology. There is a need to constantly review the curriculum of undergraduate veterinary parasitology and to standardise the materials and methods in light of new knowledge.     

WAAVP/Pfizer award for excellence in teaching veterinary parasitology: teaching of veterinary parasitology--quo vadis?

Some thoughts on training and recruitment of academic teachers and future trends in teaching veterinary parasitology are presented with emphasis on the European situation. It is underlined that research is an indispensable basis for academic teaching. Besides a broad scientific background of the teacher, motivation and teaching methods are also important. Many academic teachers do not receive formal training in teaching methods. In order to improve future education, training of staff members in teaching methods should be promoted. Quality control of teaching and research, already established in many schools, should generally be introduced. Teaching is mostly underestimated in relation to research. Therefore, more weight should be placed on the former both in selecting scientists for the career as academic teachers and in evaluating and ranking departments for their academic activities. In the future veterinary medicine will have to cope with profound changes in the society and the veterinary profession, and the progressing European unification will enhance trends for internationalizing teaching curricula. Therefore, veterinary medicine has to reconsider the teaching subjects and methods and to lay more emphasis on flexibility, skills of problem-solving and self-learning and on training for life-long learning. At present there is an ongoing discussion on the question how to teach veterinary medicine, including veterinary parasitology. There are various options, and some of them are discussed, namely, the disciplinary and the problem-based/organ-focussed approaches. It is concluded that for teaching of veterinary parasitology and related disciplines a combined disciplinary and problem-based approach offers the best chances for fulfilling the requirements of teaching for the future. In the curriculum of undergraduate teaching of veterinary medicine at least 70-90 h should be dedicated to veterinary parasitology using a disciplinary and taxonomic approach. Additional hours are required for instructions on clinical cases in approaches focussed on animal species and/or organ diseases. As there is a need for discussing teaching issues, post-graduate specialization, and continuing education in parasitology and related disciplines on national and international levels, it is recommended to WAAVP to include regular workshops on teaching in the programmes of the biannual conferences, and to establish a permanent committee which should collect information and submit proposals for improvement of teaching veterinary parasitology.     

Teaching veterinary parasitology: the North American perspective

The American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists (AAVP) initiated a study of parasitology curricula in veterinary schools in the US and Canada in November 1989. An ad hoc committee (Task Force) and then the Education Committee developed a position paper on teaching parasitology in veterinary colleges. In addition to confirming the importance of parasitology as a discipline they recommended a set of general learning objectives and proposed topic-specific titles rather than parasite-/group-specific titles. Another problem observed in teaching parasitology was a significant reduction in time available to teach parasitology. One way to compensate for the lost classroom time is to utilize some of the technological advances in presenting the material to students.     

History of veterinary parasitology in France

The history of veterinary parasitology in France can be divided into three parts. (1) The early period of veterinary education, and development of sections on parasites and parasitic diseases, immediately following the creation of the veterinary colleges in France in 1762-1765 by Cl. Bourgelat until the beginning of the 19th century. This was the period of academics, naturalists and zoologists, with the exception of P. Chabert who, as early as 1782, directed attention to the harmful effects of parasites on animals and tried to control them. (2) Identification and establishment of the field of veterinary parasitology and the development of specific research work, mostly in veterinary colleges, on the biology and systematic control of parasites. This period was dominated by the tremendous amount of work carried out by L.G. Neumann and A. Railliet in every topic of veterinary parasitology. (3) The modern period of veterinary parasitology (before and after World War II). This period is characterized by the increasing development of the most sophisticated techniques in fundamental and applied research to provide efficient cheap and practical means for the diagnosis and control of parasitic diseases in animals.     

Teaching of parasitology to students of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences

The teaching of an applied parasitology course suitable for both veterinary and biomedical students is described. A common lecture course is given complemented by separate and specific practical, research and problem-based learning components designed for veterinary and biomedical students. For veterinary and biomedical students, teaching of parasitology during the full course comprises a total of 46 lectures; 13 practical classes for veterinary students and five for biomedical students who also undertake an independent research project.     

Teaching of undergraduate veterinary parasitology: the South American perspective

Undergraduate teaching of veterinary parasitology in South American countries is basically similar to most of the veterinary schools and offers lectures and practicals in parasitology (P) predominantly in the second year of the curriculum, and parasitic diseases (PD) in the third year, but in some schools also in the fourth and fifth years. However, there is a great variation in teaching hours allocated to P/PD between totals of about 50-169 h during the full curriculum. In addition to the lectures and practicals, schools are increasingly using tools (CD-ROMs) for self-instruction and new forms of education, such as workshops, round tables, and field practicals. The large number of important parasite species of large and small animals in tropical and subtropical areas would require additional hours for teaching--at least in some of the schools--considering the multidisciplinary characteristics of veterinary parasitology.     

The future of veterinary parasitology: a time for change?

The future of veterinary parasitology is discussed at a time when R&D funding from the pharmaceutical industry is declining, yet the opportunities for veterinary parasitologists to diversify their activities has never been greater. Emerging and re-emerging areas requiring input from veterinary parasitologists include: veterinary public health; conservation and wildlife diseases; emerging and exotic infectious diseases; surveillance strategies; economic effects of parasitic diseases; aquaculture; molecular epidemiology; dietary and biological control of parasitic diseases; animal welfare; organic agricultural systems; novel vaccination strategies; drug target characterisation and rational drug design. Without change, the survival of veterinary parasitology as a viable, distinct discipline is under threat. In this environment, veterinary parasitologists must be adaptable, imaginative and pro-active in terms of setting the agendas for establishing strategic alliances, promoting research needs and developing research programs.