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Interactive Computerized Learning Program Exposes Veterinary Students to Challenging International Animal-Health Problems

	ABSTRACT

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This article describes a computerized case-based CD-ROM (CD) on international animal health that was developed to give veterinary students an opportunity to "virtually" work alongside veterinarians and other veterinary students as they try to solve challenging disease problems relating to tuberculosis in South African wildlife, bovine abortion in Mexico, and neurologic disease in horses in Rapa Nui, Chile. Each of the three case modules presents, in a highly interactive format, a problem or mystery that must be solved by the learner. As well as acquiring information via video clips and text about the specific health problem, learners obtain information about the different countries, animal-management practices, diagnostic methods, related disease-control issues, economic factors, and the opinions of local experts. After assimilating this information, the learner must define the problem and formulate an action plan or make a recommendation or diagnosis. The computerized program invokes three principles of adult education: active learning, learner-centered education, and experiential learning. A medium that invokes these principles is a potentially efficient learning tool and template for developing other case-based problem-solving computerized programs. The program is accessible on the World Wide Web at <http://www.calf.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/html/International_web/international_menu.html>. A broadband Internet connection is recommended, since the modules make extensive use of embedded video and audio clips. Information on how to obtain the CD is also provided.

Key Words: case-based teaching • e-learning • global issues in veterinary medicine • epidemiology • infectious disease • educational approaches to learning dairy medicine

	INTRODUCTION

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In 1996 the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) organized a symposium focused on the internationalization of veterinary medical education, which highlighted the need to acquaint veterinary students in the United States with global animal-health issues.¹ The challenges in accomplishing this task, including limited financial and human resources to support new programs and initiatives in international veterinary medicine, were acknowledged at that symposium. Although some schools and colleges were already providing support for veterinary students and faculty to work overseas, these opportunities were, and remain, limited.² The need to introduce more students to animal-health problems in other countries and the importance of maximizing impact by sharing the experience gained by veterinary faculty and students investigating disease problems abroad were the primary motivators for a collaborative effort to develop a computerized case-based CD-ROM (CD) on international animal health. This article describes the rationale, methods, and outcome of a collaborative effort to develop this interactive, case-based program for veterinary students. The evaluation of the program is described in a companion piece in this issue.³

Veterinary students and veterinarians develop epidemiologic problem-solving skills by working with real field problems. Most of our students may not have such opportunities outside their own country. Therefore, this program was intended to simulate these experiences as closely as possible using computer technology. The International Animal Health CD program consists of three case modules based in South Africa, Mexico, and Chile. In two of these modules veterinary students were involved in developing and presenting cases based on their own experiences working in foreign countries.

This interactive CD attempts to invoke three principles of adult education. First, active learning is required; navigating the CD is not a passive process. Second, the program is learner centered, in that the learner dictates the pace and direction and the modules are explored in a self-directed manner. Finally, there has been an attempt to recreate an experiential learning setting.

The International Animal Health CD program was developed at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), with support from the School of Veterinary Medicine and a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Challenge in Higher Education Grant. The program was developed with input from many collaborators from South Africa, Mexico, Chile, and the United States. The CD was intended for use as part of a new course in the veterinary curriculum at UC Davis. Individual cases or their component parts, such as videos and animations, developed for this program could be used by others in courses or as an auto-tutorial. The CD is relevant to veterinarians and students interested in working internationally or interested in specific disease problems, such as tuberculosis, bovine abortion, or neurological diseases, that are explored in the cases.

	DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM

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With the support of the USDA Challenge in Higher Education Grant, a template and three computerized educational modules were developed in a CD program about specific disease investigations in South Africa, Mexico, and Rapa Nui (Easter Island) in Chile. The navigational links and learning objectives for each case are shown in Figures 1–3. The target audiences for the program are veterinary students and veterinarians. In a highly interactive format, each of these modules presents an animal-health or diagnostic problem that must be solved by the learner. In the process of developing these informative and fun interactive modules, we were able to experiment with a variety of different educational and technological approaches in case presentation. The modules include video clips shot on location to show some of the people, animals, and cultural activities of each country, as well as original animations to explain the mechanics of diagnostic testing procedures and interactive quizzes in a variety of formats.

View larger version (97K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 1: Example of a page background from Case 1, showing the location of Kruger National Park in South Africa and the distribution of Cape buffalo found infected with tuberculosis in 1998. Navigational links are shown on the left-hand side of the page, and the learning objectives for the case are given.

View larger version (107K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 2: Example of a page layout for Case 2 in which the learner can watch colorful traditional dancers and investigate a high rate of abortion within a dairy cooperative in Mexico. Navigational links are shown on the left-hand side of the page, and the learning objectives for the case are given.

View larger version (93K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 3: Example of a page layout for Case 3, demonstrating the links through which the learner can explore the cultural history, the people, and the unique archeological features of Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Chile, while investigating a mysterious neurological disease of horses on the island. Navigational links are shown on the left-hand side of the page, and the learning objectives for the case are given.

After the assessment, the learner can obtain further information about the case by asking local experts questions through video clips and text. This is also an opportunity for the learner to discover more about different countries, animal-management practices, diagnostic methods, related disease-control issues, economic factors, and the opinions of local experts. Integration and analysis of all information obtained provides sufficient data to allow the learner to solve the problem and consider different forms of mitigation or courses of action to be taken.

Module 1 begins with a spinning globe that takes the learner to Kruger National Park in South Africa. Here the state veterinarian in the park, Dr. Dewald Keet, tells the learner about the problem of tuberculosis in Cape buffalo, which has spread throughout the park and "spilled over" into other wildlife species (Figure 1). In this case, there is a twofold "mission": to make recommendations for improved disease surveillance techniques and to develop new, rapid antemortem diagnostic tests for the detection of Mycobacterium bovis infections in a variety of wildlife species in the park.

In Module 2 the learner works with UC Davis veterinary student Saul Morfin in Torreon, in northern Mexico, to investigate an abortion problem in a large dairy cooperative (Figure 2). The "mission" is to define the abortion problem, help design a field study to collect necessary data and specimens for laboratory analysis, and, on this basis, to diagnose the problem and make appropriate recommendations about how the dairy cooperative can reduce its abortion rate.

Module 3 takes the learner to Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Chile, where veterinary student Jon Arzt investigates a mysterious neurological disease that has been killing the island's horses and cattle for 20 years (Figure 3). According to the local people, the animals behave bizarrely, appear drunk, and ultimately become comatose and die. Despite the duration of this problem on the island, the underlying cause is completely unknown until the investigation concludes. The learner works with Jon to define the problem based on interviews with individual ranchers (both in Spanish, with subtitles, and in English), an epidemiologic survey, and clinical examination and necropsy of affected horses. The "mission" is to make a diagnosis and recommend strategies for controlling this condition, taking into consideration the island's unique ecological and archeological characteristics.

	TECHNOLOGY

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Each case was scripted and storyboarded as much as possible prior to the field excursions where interviews and filming took place. Each investigator went into the field with a Sony VX1000 digital videocamera^a and a Shure wireless microphone.^b A "shot list" was used as a starting point for each trip, and additional footage was acquired as opportunities presented themselves; 35-mm slides were also shot. On their return, the investigators reviewed and cataloged all videotapes to streamline the video-editing process. The cataloged videos were then digitized and edited using Adobe Premier^c and processed with Cleaner software from AutoDesk.^d The edited videos were saved as Quicktime movies with Sorenson 3 compression for the Web.^e Video performance over modem connections was not acceptable, so video was prepared for broadband access (DSL or faster).

The initial plan was to deliver the finished modules exclusively on CD, but rapid advances in technology—specifically, improved video compression/decompression (codec) software, increased use of high-bandwidth Internet connections (T1, DSL, and cable modems), and faster servers and desktop computers—made Web development and delivery possible. Thirty-five-millimeter slides were scanned with a Nikon Super CoolScan 4000ED slide scanner^f and processed and sized with Adobe Photoshop.^g Media assets (photos and videos) were incorporated into Web pages created with Adobe GoLive.^h GoLive provides large-scale site management as well as visual page layout and collaborative editing capabilities.

	DISSEMINATION OF THE PROGRAM

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The program is accessible on the Web at <http://www.calf.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/html/International_web/international_menu.html>. A broadband Internet connection is recommended, since the modules make extensive use of embedded video and audio clips. Dial-up modem users and those with no Internet connection can request a CD from the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis (see below for full contact information).

	DISCUSSION

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This program was designed to foster learning by remaining true to a few core principles of adult education. Its design allows for learner-centered teaching, promotes active learning, and attempts to recreate an experiential learning environment. The term "learner-centered teaching" refers to the idea that teaching should be oriented to the learner and not the teacher.⁴ What the learner knows, and needs to learn; the pace at which the learner wants to move; and the topics the learner believes he or she needs to learn are all important in a learner-centered approach to teaching. These issues are much less important in more passive learning settings, such as large lectures. Learners who use the interactive modules described here have control over many of these learning parameters; they can dictate the speed at which they move through the various subsections and the order in which content is presented and can link to references and definitions as their learning needs require. In this respect, the interactive International Animal Health program is a much more learner-centered approach than many traditional means of teaching, although the interactivity does not approach that of one-on-one teaching.

The term "active learning" refers to the involvement of the targeted learner's mind in the learning process. Learners who are actively engaged in the education process learn, understand, and remember much more than individuals who are only passively involved.⁴ As an example, compare the effect of a boring lecture where the learner can, and often does, let his or her mind drift (passive learning) with that of an individual being taught one-on-one by an instructor who constantly probes for misconceptions and knowledge gaps on the part of the learner (active learning). Using the interactive CD requires that the learner's mind be actively involved; after all, it is up to the learner to decide when and where to move throughout the module's algorithm. It is possible for students to take a superficial approach to learning and simply skim through the modules, but even in this situation the learner dictates what occurs and, thus, is engaged in an active learning process. Among the choices designed to motivate learning and self-evaluation in the CD are animations illustrating conceptually how immunological and molecular diagnostic tests work, video clips of clinical disease and pathology, interviews with local residents, and self-testing modules in a variety of different formats.

Experiential learning is also a powerful form of learning and a primary means by which adult learners acquire knowledge and skills.^5–7 To learn by experience, an individual needs not only the experience but also time to reflect upon what he or she has learned. An interactive CD does not provide a real-life experience; however, in the same way that a movie can provide a window into another world, the videos of real-life situations embedded in the interactive modules give the learner new and varied experiences. Because learners can progress through the cases at their own pace and in their own way, they are able to take whatever time they need to reflect upon the experience they have gained through viewing the embedded video footage.

Since the original conception and development of the International Animal Health CD, awareness of the importance of veterinarians in the detection of threats to animal and human public health worldwide has continued to increase.⁸ As a result of their veterinary education and professional training in infectious disease, veterinary graduates are positioned to play a significant role in the prevention and control of natural global disease outbreaks, the introduction of foreign animal diseases, and the potential threat of bioterrorism. The need for veterinary students to acquire a globalized perspective and awareness of international animal-health issues has never been greater. Thus, unbeknownst to the authors during the development of this program, the project was ahead of its time in providing a template for interactive computerized programs that can be used to acquaint veterinary students with animal-health issues and foreign disease problems affecting different parts of the world.

	ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

 
The development of this project involved a number of partners and collaborators, including students, staff, and faculty at UC Davis, who are listed in the credits for each case. In addition to UC Davis personnel, the following collaborators made significant contributions to the project: Drs. Dewald Keet and Roy Bengis, Kruger National Park, South Africa; Dr. Anita Michel, Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute, South Africa; Dr. Nick Kriek, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, South Africa; Dr. Tim Rodwell, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA; Drs. Rosa Maria Bermudez and Julio Mercado, Autonomous University of Baja California, Mexico; Dr. Gerhardt Schurig, Virginia–Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA; Dr. Stephen A. Hines, Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA; and Dr. M.D. Salman, Department of Enviromental Health, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.

Funding for this project was provided by the USDA's Challenge in Higher Education Grants Program and by the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis. CD inquiries should be made to the Academic Programs: Office of the Dean, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616-8734 USA. E-mail: svmacadprog{at}ucdavis.edu. Phone: (530) 752-1324. Fax: (530) 752-2801.

	Footnotes

 
AUTHOR INFORMATION

Patricia Conrad, DVM, PhD, is Professor of Parasitology in the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616 USA. E-mail: paconrad{at}ucdavis.edu. She specializes in protozoal diseases of animals and humans.

David Hird, DVM, MPVM, PhD, is Professor in the Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616 USA. E-mail: dwhird{at}ucdavis.edu. Dr. Hird specializes in epidemiology.

Jonathan Arzt, DVM, MPVM, Dipl. ACVP, is a doctoral student in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, 1619 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1619 USA. E-mail: jjarzt{at}earthlink.net. He specializes in mechanisms and public-health implications of pyrrolizidine alkaloid toxicosis of livestock.

Rick Hayes, BS, is a member of the Computer Assisted Learning Facility, Office of Academic Programs, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616 USA. E-mail: rhayes{at}ucdavis.edu. He specializes in interactive learning design and Web-site development.

Dave Magliano, BS, is a programmer in the Computer Assisted Learning Facility, Office of Academic Programs, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616 USA. E-mail: djmagliano{at}ucdavis.edu. He specializes in instructional software development, video, microscopy, and imaging.

Janine Kasper, DVM, is a member of the Computer Assisted Learning Facility, Office of Academic Programs, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616 USA. E-mail: jbkasper{at}ucdavis.edu. She specializes in interactive learning design.

Saul Morfin, DVM, is a small-animal veterinarian in private practice in northern California. E-mail: saulmorfin{at}yahoo.com.

Stephen Pinney, MS, MD, is Associate Professor of Clinical Orthopaedics in the Department of Orthopaedics, University of California, 1701 Divisadero St., Suite 280, San Francisco, CA 94115 USA. E-mail: sjpinney{at}yahoo.com. Dr. Pinney specializes in foot and ankle surgery and medical education.

NOTES

^a Sony Corp. of America, New York, NY, USA <http://www.sony.com>.

^b Shure Global, Niles, IL 60714-4608 USA <http://www.shure.com/index.htm>.

^c Adobe Systems Inc., San Jose, CA 95110-2704 USA <http://www.adobe.com/products/premiere/>.

^d Autodesk, San Rafael, CA 94903 USA <http://usa.autodesk.com/>.

^e Apple, Cupertino, CA 95014 USA <http://www.apple.com/quicktime/player/mac.html>.

^f Nikon, Inc., Tokyo 100-8331, Japan <http://www.nikoncoolscan.com/main.html>.

^g Adobe Systems Inc., San Jose, CA 95110-2704 USA <http://www.adobe.com/uk/products/photoshop/>.

^h Adobe Systems Inc., San Jose, CA 95110-2704 USA <http://www.adobe.com/uk/products/golive/>.

	REFERENCES

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1. (Summary). Workshop 16: the internationalization of CVM curricula and programs. J Vet Med Educ 23:60–61, 1996.
2. Sherman DM, Sollod AE, Stem C. Realistic international career opportunities for U.S. and Canadian veterinary graduates. J Vet Med Educ 23:21–30, 1996.
3. French BC, Hird DW, Pinney SJ, Romano PS, Hayes R, Mellor DJ, Nijhof A, Jongejan F, Davis RG, Singer R, Fine A, Gay JM, Conrad PA. Virtual international experiences in veterinary medicine: an evaluation of students’ attitudes towards computer-based learning. J Vet Med Educ 34:502–509, 2007 (current issue).[Abstract/Free Full Text]
4. Arseneau R, Rodenburg D. The developmental perspective. In Pratt DD and Associates. Five Perspectives on Teaching in Adult and Higher Education.Malabar, FL: Krieger Publishing, 2004 p103–149.
5. Boud D, Keogh R, Walker D. Reflection: Turning Experience into Learning.London: Kogan, 1991.
6. Kolb DA. Experiential Learning.Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1984.
7. Ramsden P. Learning to Teach in Higher Education.New York: Routledge, 1992.
8. Hird D, King L, Salman M, Werge R. A crisis of lost opportunity: conclusions from a symposium on challenges for animal population health education. J Vet Med Educ 29:205–208, 2002.[Free Full Text]

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				B. C. French, D. W. Hird, P. S. Romano, R. H. Hayes, A. M. Nijhof, F. Jongejan, D. J. Mellor, R. S. Singer, A. E. Fine, J. M. Gay, et al. Virtual International Experiences in Veterinary Medicine: An Evaluation of Students' Attitudes toward Computer-Based Learning J Vet Med Educ, January 1, 2007; 34(4): 502 - 509. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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