Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, Vol 31, Issue 2, 146-155
Copyright © 2004 by Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges
RESEARCH AND EDUCATION REPORTS
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Levels of continuing veterinary medical education program evaluation: assessing a course on dairy reproductive management
DA Moore,
RO Gilbert,
W Thatcher,
JE Santos,
and
MW Overton
University of California-Davis, VMTRC, 18830 Rd 112, Tulare, CA 93274 USA. dmoore@vmtrc.ucdavis.edu
There are four different levels of continuing education program evaluation: participant perceptions of the program or course; participant competence with new skills, knowledge, and abilities; participant performance or change in behavior; and health care or client outcomes, such as resultant changes in patient care or herd/flock production performance. The purpose of this article is to describe different levels of evaluation and demonstrate some methods used in evaluating a continuing veterinary medical education (CVME) course in dairy reproductive management. Participants' learning needs were assessed using learning stage theory and a pre-test of knowledge. Post-program assessments included a test of knowledge, a satisfaction survey, a commitment to change, and self-reported behavior change. The results of the evaluation indicate that self-reports of learning needs do not necessarily reflect actual needs and that satisfaction with a course does not necessarily indicate behavior change. Providers of CVME must recognize the value of program evaluation, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of different evaluation methods.
