Curriculum Redesign in Veterinary Medicine: Part I

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medical Education
• Curriculum Development
• Academic Program Enhancement

Background:

• Curricular review is essential for academic program growth, requiring significant faculty and administrative effort.
• Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (TAMU) initiated a collaborative process with the Center for Teaching Excellence for data-driven curriculum redesign.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline an 8-step faculty-driven, data-enhanced process for curricular redesign in veterinary medicine.
• To provide a framework and supporting documents to aid other veterinary schools in curriculum enhancement.

Main Methods:

• Formation of a dedicated faculty curriculum design team.
• Defining graduate learning outcomes and mapping the existing curriculum to identify gaps and redundancies.
• Collecting and analyzing data from internal (students, faculty) and external (alumni, employers) stakeholders.

Main Results:

• The TAMU 8-step process integrates faculty input and data analysis for effective curriculum mapping and stakeholder engagement.
• The initial steps (1-4) focus on defining outcomes, mapping curriculum, and gathering stakeholder data for evaluation.

Conclusions:

• A structured, data-informed approach involving faculty and stakeholders is crucial for successful curricular redesign in veterinary education.
• The described process and guidelines offer a valuable model for other institutions seeking to enhance their academic programs.