Fostering Critical Thinking Through Debate in Veterinary Education: A Large Classroom Perspective

As Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) class sizes continue to increase in the United States, there are concerns about maintaining student engagement and fostering higher-order cognitive skills within large classroom settings. Traditional didactic approaches in these environments may hinder student motivation and critical reasoning, skills essential for Day One-ready veterinarians. Although active learning strategies are recognized for enhancing student engagement and critical thinking, they are often perceived as difficult to implement in large classrooms due to logistical and instructional challenges. This article describes the implementation of a lecture hall-based debate session in a large pre-clinical veterinary classroom as an active learning strategy. Findings showed high student engagement, with nearly all participants actively involved. Students reported that the debate format facilitated recall of presession materials and improved learning, and encouraged them to seek additional resources, reinforcing integration of knowledge. Qualitative feedback highlighted the debate's role in developing individualized decision making and critical appraisal skills relevant to veterinary practice. This article supports the feasibility and effectiveness of debates as an active learning strategy in large classroom settings within the pre-clinical veterinary curriculum.