Veterinary public health and e-learning: survey in Italy

In Italy, requests for advanced training in veterinary public health are increasing, both quantitatively and qualitatively; traditional training models are inadequate to satisfy demand. The integration of the new information and communication technologies with interactive learning methods favoured the development of advanced and innovative web-based learning solutions. The Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise (IZS A&M), centre for advanced training in veterinary public health, is changing its offer, moving from traditional models to the new solutions offered by e-learning. Training performed through the new information and communication technologies is a great challenge, not only because it employs advanced technologies, but most of all because it requires the development of new teaching strategies, better suited to the beneficiaries of thee learning solutions. In order to better face these new opportunities and to apply them properly to the reference market, the IZS A&M conducted a survey to analyse training requests in veterinary matters and potential participants in e-learning initiatives. This investigation was performed to define the e-learning knowledge of veterinarians who usually participate in training courses (and, in this specific case, of veterinarians who attended traditional courses carried out by the IZS A&M), their familiarity with information technologies and their interest in terms of learning content. Two hundred and four people were interviewed: 32% knew what e-learning was and 97.6% were interested in attending this kind of course.