Teaching histology to first-year veterinary science students using virtual microscopy and traditional microscopy: a comparison of student responses

Virtual microscopy (VM) is a comparatively recent innovation that is revolutionizing both the teaching of microscopic structure in human medicine and the concept of online diagnosis and telemedicine. The interactivity of the various commercially available browsers attempts to simulate the experience of looking down a microscope while offering advantages over traditional microscopy that include clarity of image, reduced infrastructure, and high flexibility, as the images are accessible online. We developed our own VM system, including customized software and a browser that was simple and intuitive to use, with the added advantage of further modifications possible to assist student learning. In this article, we report on a preliminary study wherein VM was introduced to veterinary science students in one course and directly compared to traditional microscopy to determine whether students would readily accept this new technology and which aspects of VM were advantageous. Responses from a survey form showed that students rated VM significantly higher than traditional microscopy as a tool to learn histology because it offers clearer images, the ability to learn collaboratively, more effective use of time, and the flexibility of online learning. Students also indicated a strong preference for the use of VM in future courses. These results suggest that VM is a flexible and enjoyable resource that could be useful to enhance the learning of microscopic structure in veterinary science courses.     

Virtual microscopy in a veterinary curriculum

Teaching faculty in the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine assist students in their professional education by providing a new way of viewing microscopic slides digitally. Faculty who teach classes in which glass slides are used participate in a program called Virtual Microscopy. Glass slides are digitized using a state-of-the-art integrated system, and a personal computer functions as the "microscope." Additionally, distribution of the interactive images is enhanced because they are available to students online. The digital slide offers equivalent quality and resolution to the original glass slide viewed on a microscope and has several additional advantages over microscopes. Students can choose to examine the entire slide at any of several objectives; they are able to access the slides (called WebSlides) from the college's server, using either Internet Explorer or a special browser developed by Bacus Laboratories, Inc.,(a) called the WebSlide browser, which lets the student simultaneously view a low-objective image and one or two high-objective images of the same slide. The student can "move the slide" by clicking and dragging the image to a new location. Easy archiving, annotation of images, and Web conferencing are additional features of the system.     

Balancing veterinary students' and house officers' learning experiences in veterinary teaching hospitals

Veterinary students at two large veterinary referral teaching hospitals were surveyed on their perceptions of competition with interns and residents for learning experiences during clinical instruction. Their responses led to an additional survey of a cohort of clinical educators on how this competition might be managed, what impedes effective management, and how progress toward an improved clinical learning environment might be measured. This article describes the results of the survey and discusses the nature of the competition and factors affecting the competitive learning environment. The results of this study should be expanded to include a larger cohort of veterinary students and an assessment of house officers' and faculty members' perceptions.     

Informative evaluation of the teaching skills of the faculty at Alfort veterinary school

A quantitative method for the informative evaluation of teaching activities was devised using a survey from 33 experts. It is based on an evaluation, by students and two peers, of the four steps of the instructional methodology: analysis of training needs, statement of learning objectives, delivery of teaching session, and testing of student performance. Faculty evaluation is optional, and results are strictly confidential. Results of a three-year trial of this protocol at the Alfort veterinary school are presented and discussed. Each year the method has been assessed and some changes have been implemented. It is now felt that evaluation questionnaires for lectures and tutorial sessions have been validated, while those for laboratories and clinical teaching have to be tested through a larger number of settings. A the same time, a change from informative to summative evaluation is under consideration.     

A review of student evaluation of teaching: applications to veterinary medical education

Student evaluation of teaching is ubiquitous to teaching in colleges and universities around the world. Since the implementation of student evaluations in the 1970s in the US, considerable research has been devoted to their appropriate use as a means of judging the effectiveness of teaching. The present article aims to (1) examine the evidence for the reliability, validity, and utility of student ratings; (2) provide seven guidelines for ways to identify effective instruction, given that the purpose of student evaluation is to assess effective teaching; and (3) conclude with recommendations for the integration of student ratings into the continuous evaluation of veterinary medical education.     

Guidelines for resident training in veterinary clinical pathology. III: cytopathology and surgical pathology

The Education Committee of the American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology has identified a need for improved structure and guidance of training residents in clinical pathology. This article is the third in a series of articles that address this need. The goals of this article are to describe learning objectives and competencies in knowledge, abilities, and skills in cytopathology and surgical pathology (CSP); provide options and ideas for training activities; and identify resources in veterinary CSP for faculty, training program coordinators, and residents. Guidelines were developed in consultation with Education Committee members and peer experts and with evaluation of the literature. The primary objectives of training in CSP are: (1) to develop a thorough, extensive, and relevant knowledge base of biomedical and clinical sciences applicable to the practice of CSP in domestic animals, laboratory animals, and other nondomestic animal species; (2) to be able to reason, think critically, investigate, use scientific evidence, and communicate effectively when making diagnoses and consulting and to improve and advance the practice of pathology; and (3) to acquire selected technical skills used in CSP and pathology laboratory management. These guidelines define expected competencies that will help ensure proficiency, leadership, and the advancement of knowledge in veterinary CSP and will provide a useful framework for didactic and clinical activities in resident‐training programs.     

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.     

The Utrecht model of teaching veterinary medicine and the role of veterinary parasitology

The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Utrecht, established a new curriculum for teaching veterinary medicine in 1995 with the main objectives to improve the problem-solving and communication competences of the students and their scientific education. Because it is accepted that graduates cannot get a starting competence in all fields of the veterinary profession, a differentiation of education focused on animal species and life-long learning is emphasised. Major characteristics of this curriculum are a high degree of horizontal and vertical integration of the various disciplines, the preference for teaching in small working groups and the training for self-learning. This curriculum is described in some detail. Parasitology is not taught as a coherent subject but is integrated into various subjects, presented in an interdisciplinary approach. The number of contact hours is variable depending on optional courses and the differentiation tracks taken but it amounts for a minimum of approximately 90 contact hours for each student during the full curriculum. A major disadvantage of the curriculum is that examination of parasitology is within integrated subjects. Thus, students that perform poorly on parasitology may still pass. An advantage is the extended presence of parasitology in the last year of clinical training and the improved interdisciplinary interaction between parasitologists and clinicians. The curriculum has been changed again in 2001; study paths focused on animal species and other subjects start already in the first year, and approximately 25% of the first 4 years of the curriculum will be within these study paths.     

Introduction to the Swiss way of teaching veterinary pathology in the twenty-first century: application of e-learning modules

The teaching of pathology within the veterinary medical curriculum extends through the entire training period and has a dual role. General pathology deals with principles of disease processes as a basis for understanding the reactions of a multi-cellular organism to adverse effects; organ pathology builds on the principles of general pathology and explains the malfunctions of individual organs. Pathology is heavily image dependent and best taught in a highly interactive manner. The Institute of Veterinary Pathology, University of Zurich (IVPZ), has been actively developing concepts for teaching pathology in the new veterinary curriculum, which demands more active participation from students, with 20% of their study time devoted to individual study using traditional materials (books, articles, etc.) and e-learning modules. The Swiss Virtual Animal Pathologist is designed to cover and support the central elements of the Veterinary Pathology curriculum of the Vetsuisse Faculty. The needs of students and staff of the participating institutions for an interactive learning platform to supplement the existing face-to-face lectures and tutorials are the highest priority of this initiative.     

Various approaches of teaching veterinary parasitology

In this paper, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of various approaches of teaching veterinary parasitology, including the disciplinary, the problem-oriented and combined approaches. In the disciplinary approach, parasitology is taught in the classical manner as a coherent subject, covering parasite morphology, biology, molecular biology, epidemiology, pathology, immunology, clinical manifestation, diagnosis, therapy, control, and prevention. Problem-oriented teaching approaches the subjects starting from diseases in animal species or from organ systems or other objectives (e.g. food safety); it also tackles training of skills for problem solving and self-learning. Combined approaches include elements of the disciplinary approach and those of other methods. A combined approach of teaching veterinary parasitology, including basic disciplinary teaching of at least 70-90 h, and additional problem-oriented education, was recently proposed in a resolution by the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology [WAAVP News Lett. 5 (1) 3-4]. In 1999, a new curriculum has been established at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Berne, originally planned as a combination of organ-focused and problem-based approach. This model was soon identified to cause problems in teaching some disciplines, including infectious diseases. Conversely, the short-term experiences with this combined approach also confirmed some advantages of problem-oriented teaching in other, mainly clinical domains. Nevertheless, closer interdisciplinary contact and collaboration--especially in elective teaching--was enforced between paraclinical and clinical teaching by reforming the curriculum. However, it turned out that large student numbers in relation to the resources of manpower, rooms and finances limited the workability of the curriculum. Therefore, further and probably continuous improvement of the curriculum is necessary.     

Prospective clinical evaluation of serum cardiac troponin T in dogs admitted to a veterinary teaching hospital

The purpose of this study was to measure serum cardiac troponin T (cTnT) with a commercially available human enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) test in various groups of dogs, including those undergoing doxorubicin chemotherapy. Serum samples were obtained from 6 groups of dogs: (1) normal adult dogs (n = 15); (2) dogs with asymptomatic dilated cardiomyopathy (n = 5); (3) dogs with congestive heart failure (n = 10); (4) dogs with untreated neoplasia (n = 20); (5) dogs with skeletal muscle trauma (n = 10); and (6) dogs with neoplasia receiving doxorubicin chemotherapy (n = 4). One serum sample was obtained from each of the normal dogs, those with asymptomatic cardiomyopathy, those with congestive heart failure, and those with untreated neoplasia. Serum samples were obtained serially from the dogs that were undergoing doxorubicin chemotherapy; samples were collected before doxorubicin (30 mg/m2) administration and then 1, 5, 7, and 14 days after administration throughout 6 cycles for a cumulative total dose of 180 mg/m2. All normal dogs, dogs with untreated neoplasia, and dogs with asymptomatic dilated cardiomyopathy had cTnT concentrations below the lower limits of detection for the assay used (<0.05 ng/mL). Detectable concentrations of cTnT were found in 3 dogs with congestive heart failure and in 2 dogs with skeletal muscle trauma. Detectable concentrations also were found in both dogs that had received 180 mg/m2 of doxorubicin. We conclude that dogs with congestive heart failure and those with skeletal muscle trauma and dogs with neoplasia receiving high-dose doxorubicin chemotherapy may have increased serum cTnT concentration, which may be suggestive of myocardial damage.