Changes in Student Perceptions and Study Strategies Over Time in a Veterinary Clinical Pathology Course Using...

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Education
• Diagnostic Reasoning
• Clinical Pathology

Background:

• Veterinary students require nonlinear thinking for diagnostic reasoning.
• Real-life cases are used in clinical pathology courses to aid learning.
• Changes in student perceptions and study strategies regarding case-based learning were previously unexamined.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate changes in veterinary students' perceptions of case-based learning over time.
• To analyze shifts in student study strategies during a clinical pathology course.
• To compare student perceptions and strategies with their academic performance.

Main Methods:

• Voluntary online surveys with Likert scale and open-ended questions administered to veterinary students.
• Statistical analysis including Friedman tests, McNemar's test, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, and Fisher's exact tests.
• Assessment of perceptions of case helpfulness and study strategies in relation to course grades.

Main Results:

• A significant increase in positive perceptions of case helpfulness, from 29% to 74%, was observed during the course.
• Individual case work was the most reported strategy (74%), while regular class attendance was deemed most helpful (88%).
• No significant changes in study strategies over time or significant variations in perceptions/strategies based on grades were found.

Conclusions:

• Case-based learning in clinical pathology significantly enhances veterinary students' learning perceptions.
• While perceptions evolve, study strategies remain stable and do not strongly correlate with academic outcomes.
• Regular class attendance is a highly valued study strategy among veterinary students.