Impact of Expert Commentary and Student Reflection on Veterinary Clinical Decision-Making Skills in an Innovative...

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Education
• Medical Simulation
• Learning Sciences

Background:

• Bridging the gap between theoretical classroom learning and practical, ill-defined clinical problem-solving is a key challenge in veterinary education.
• Experiential knowledge, crucial for real-world situations, is difficult to transfer to novice students.
• Traditional lectures may not adequately prepare students for complex clinical scenarios.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of an interactive, e-learning case-based module for veterinary students.
• To assess if the module improves clinical decision-making skills by allowing students to revise their answers after expert reflection.
• To compare the e-learning module's effectiveness against traditional lecture-based instruction.

Main Methods:

• A multidisciplinary team developed an e-learning module with five critical decision points (DPs).
• Students made initial decisions (Original Answers), reflected on expert reasoning, and revised their decisions (Revised Answers).
• Phase I compared an E-Learning Group with a Traditional Group on a final exam; Phase II analyzed answer improvements within the module.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in final exam performance between the e-learning and traditional groups (Phase I).
• Significant score improvements were observed between Original Answers and Revised Answers for four out of five DPs (Phase II).
• The module facilitated skill development without direct instructor feedback.

Conclusions:

• The e-learning module is as effective as traditional lectures for content delivery.
• Rehearsing clinical decision-making within the module significantly improves student performance.
• The tool effectively supports the transition from well-defined to ill-defined problem-solving in veterinary education.