TY - JOUR
T1 - Methods used to assess student performance and course outcomes at the national center of excellence in dairy production medicine education for veterinarians
AU - Royster, Erin
AU - Morin, Dawn E.
AU - Molgaard, Laura
AU - Wingert, Deb
AU - Fetrow, John
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 AAVMC.
PY - 2020/6
Y1 - 2020/6
N2 - Between 2012 and 2014, three cohorts of senior veterinary students participated in an 8-week dairy production medicine course created by the National Center of Excellence in Dairy Production Medicine Education for Veterinarians. One goal of this course is to better prepare veterinary students to serve the increasingly complex needs of the dairy industry. In this article, we describe the assessment methods and student performance outcomes of those first three cohorts. A combination of assessment methods was used, including pre- A nd post-testing; instructor observations and scores on individual and group projects, including a final integrative project; and peer evaluation. Student feedback, collected via anonymous survey, provided insight into students' perceptions about the course and their learning. Performance and feedback suggest that the course was successful in preparing students for careers using skills in dairy production medicine. Pre- A nd post-testing was conducted for most topic modules in the course. The mean (median) pre- A nd post-test scores were 47% (50% ) and 83% (88%), respectively. The mean improvement in score was significant (p < .002) for all modules and cohorts. Students indicated a moderate or high degree of confidence in performing dairy production medicine skills after each module. Of students in cohorts 1, 2, and 3, respectively, 55%, 75%, and 82% felt they could provide dairy production medicine services (e.g., records analysis, problem investigation, protocol and standard operating procedure design) either alone or with some mentoring, immediately after graduation. In addition, assessment results and student feedback enabled timely course modifications during these first three cohorts.
AB - Between 2012 and 2014, three cohorts of senior veterinary students participated in an 8-week dairy production medicine course created by the National Center of Excellence in Dairy Production Medicine Education for Veterinarians. One goal of this course is to better prepare veterinary students to serve the increasingly complex needs of the dairy industry. In this article, we describe the assessment methods and student performance outcomes of those first three cohorts. A combination of assessment methods was used, including pre- A nd post-testing; instructor observations and scores on individual and group projects, including a final integrative project; and peer evaluation. Student feedback, collected via anonymous survey, provided insight into students' perceptions about the course and their learning. Performance and feedback suggest that the course was successful in preparing students for careers using skills in dairy production medicine. Pre- A nd post-testing was conducted for most topic modules in the course. The mean (median) pre- A nd post-test scores were 47% (50% ) and 83% (88%), respectively. The mean improvement in score was significant (p < .002) for all modules and cohorts. Students indicated a moderate or high degree of confidence in performing dairy production medicine skills after each module. Of students in cohorts 1, 2, and 3, respectively, 55%, 75%, and 82% felt they could provide dairy production medicine services (e.g., records analysis, problem investigation, protocol and standard operating procedure design) either alone or with some mentoring, immediately after graduation. In addition, assessment results and student feedback enabled timely course modifications during these first three cohorts.
KW - Assessment methods
KW - Dairy production medicine
KW - Food supply veterinary medicine
KW - Student performance
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U2 - 10.3138/jvme.1117-162r1
DO - 10.3138/jvme.1117-162r1
M3 - Article
C2 - 32486945
AN - SCOPUS:85085908634
SN - 0748-321X
VL - 47
SP - 263
EP - 274
JO - Journal of veterinary medical education
JF - Journal of veterinary medical education
IS - 3
ER -