IVSA at the OiE Global Conference on Veterinary Education By Bhavisha Patel SCoVE Chair , 2015 / 2016
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On the 22 nd to the 24 th of June 2016 , IVSA Officials Anil Türer , Bhavisha Patel , and Malcolm Chong were invited to represent veterinary students globally at the OiE Global Veterinary Education Conference in Bangkok , Thailand . They were in the company of world leaders of education and deans of vet schools from across the globe .
Anil Türer , president of IVSA Global , and Bhavisha Patel , Chair of the Standing Committee on Veterinary Education ( SCoVE ) presented results from a survey asking students ‘ how they perceive vet school ?’ They both presented the findings of the survey and how ‘ The new generation wants to learn ?’
One of the key findings is a change in behaviour among the new generation of veterinary students , with an overwhelming preference to choose a career that they would be happy in ( 90 %) rather than gaining financial success . Students are now becoming more aware of the diversity of careers out there , particularly with a strong interest in One Health . However , 75 % of participants maintained their motivation to be a practicing veterinarian , with others interested in veterinary public health , research and NGO careers .
They discussed the importance of communication of the course structure to students and providing feedback . They encouraged educators to continue to provide feedback to students and provide support on the more challenging aspects of vet school . Feedback is no good unless the necessary support network is there to facilitate a student ’ s progress to be competent in all the necessary skills .
They also discussed that 70 % of students agreed that the workload in the veterinary course in excessive , with 9 % agreeing that there was an uneven distribution of workload . Suggestions for improvement includes : more practicals , better communication between departments , less repetition , more personalization and prioritization of subject teaching , and more focus on important subjects , particularly applied knowledge and soft skills .
We emphasized that Universities should be using creative , adaptive and balanced teaching methods to the learning / cognitive abilities of each individual student in the class . IVSA encourages sending surveys to students on how they learn and present lectures on different learning methods . Following onto that , Universities can then adapt the predominant teaching method to the learning abilities of the students . From this survey , students were found to prefer better communicating teachers , more inspirational tutors , and more practical and modern teaching methods .
In conclusion , students ’ interests are changing and what they are exposed to is changing too . Education should be as evolved and adaptive as the veterinary profession is to our developing society . Our presentation and results from the survey did have an impact on the audience and are keen to make improvements to the education system based on our findings .
It was generally a great experience to be part of this conference and to voice the opinion of the students and for IVSA to grow bigger and network with world leaders in veterinary medicine . IVSA will continue to release surveys and seek your opinion of vet school so that we can communicate to educators where the curriculum improvement .
We will continue to collaborate with educators and professionals on behalf of veterinary students globally . This experience is just one of many to support students .