Hart LA, Storm WA, Ducceschi L, Wood MW. Personalized resources on human and animal biology: Lessons from U.S. veterinary medical education. Paper presented at: The Three Rs - Together it's possible. 8th World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences; 2011 Aug 21-25; Montreal, Canada


Abstract

The vigorous transition to alternatives occurring within United States veterinary medical education, especially with multimedia approaches, has been spearheaded by the creative leadership of educators developing new resources and teaching methods, a widespread movement with contributions from all veterinary schools. Many previous uses of animals in veterinary teaching have been replaced with alternatives. The explosive growth in subject matter that must be learned by veterinary students, combined with economic pressures, has stimulated these developments. This presentation provides background on the power of web-based instruction for students' personalized curricular access, with delivery of the specific information whenever needed, even in bite-sized pieces, much as students expect to acquire their own personal music collections.
As one example from the University of California, Davis, oral descriptors annotate individual histology slides, providing simple, personalized instruction. The teacher's familiar voice guides the student in looking at complex visual material, with a pointing arrow and zooming into areas of interest, leading the viewer to understand what is seen. Superb resources such as these are available to students whenever needed. Rather than students sitting as passive receptacles in a large classroom lecture, they are given a personal tour at a time of their choosing, with the option of returning for a refresher whenever useful.
Such a concept is available for translation to other learning settings. Building personalized listings of efficacious resources appropriate for the situation, and providing them online, places learners at the forefront in choosing what to learn.
 



Author's contacts: lahart@ucdavis.edu



Link to journal: ALTEX - Alternatives to Animal Experimentation