The teaching of anatomy at veterinary school usually takes place in the first 2 years of the course. This fits well with the general introduction to the basic sciences which is the first step in understanding the study of the normal animal before we move to teach about the abnormal. However, this often presents a problem where students loose sight of the relevance or significance of structure and function to their long term interest in becoming veterinary surgeons. The problem is compounded when student reach the clinical years of the course and have forgotten all their basic anatomy which should underpin everything they learn about surgery and medicine.
In an attempt to address this dichotomy, we have been exploring ways that we can use technology to bridge this divide. One development which has proved really effective has been the "interactive canine radiograph". This marries hundreds of annotated images taken from dissected specimens with high quality radiographs captured in the RVC hospitals. By clicking through interactive skeletal maps, students can find any bone or joint in the dog and then compare the key anatomical features with their radiographic equivalent.
One of the great features of this program is that it has all been developed by young vet graduates and students who know how they like to learn anatomy. On their own initiative, they have incorporated all the images into a sophisticated web of Powerpoint slides - over 40Mb is total size! These can be accessed through the web, virtual learning environment or on touch screen PCs in the anatomy museum. Perhaps most elegant of all, the Powerpoint format means that students can copy individual slides or images to their desktop whilst we can add an update the program at any time without major additional programming.
You can download a copy of the progam from our e-Media Showcase - it is a Creative Commons resource so free for educational use.
Access the e-Media Showcase
Sunday, 14 February 2010
Tuesday, 19 January 2010
Mobile Phones in East Africa
The e-Media Unit is involved in a new initiative to develop mobile phone platforms for use in East Africa. This work has been funded by the Rockefeller Foundation and includes the development of disease surveillance tools running on Android based mobile phones and the creation of educational content which can be accessed on the phone itself. This work is being carried out in partnership with Imperial College, the London Knowledge Lab, the London International Development Centre and the Southern African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance.
You can find out more about the project on the Androids in Africa blog.
You can find out more about the project on the Androids in Africa blog.
Monday, 16 November 2009
RVC Development Education Initiative
The RVC e-Media Unit has been collaborating with a number of partners in East Africa including the University of Nairobi Veterinary School, the Southern African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance in Tanzania and the NGO Vetaid. This initiative draws upon these existing partnerships in order to strengthen North – South linkages and help to raise awareness amongst veterinary students in both the UK and Kenya of international issues of mutual concern. The importance of this approach was highlighted by the OIE at a major conference in October 2009 entitled evolving veterinary education for a safer world.
The RVC is a partner in the 3 year DFID funded “Students as Global Citizens” project led by the Development Education Research Centre in the Institute of Education. It has recently secured funding from DFID’s Development Awareness Fund to develop and evaluate methods to embed development education principles within degree courses on pharmacy, veterinary science, and human health. The initiative described here is part of this approach which is intended to introduce a series of scenario based directed learning sessions into the Year 2 veterinary curriculum.
The project aims to enhance the appreciation of international development by exploring and contrasting issues related to livestock and health in both East Africa and the UK. This is intended to assist RVC and Kenyan veterinary students identify with their counterparts and emphasize the common professional interests and values that exist. This will be achieved through a number of steps described below which integrate some of the latest technologies such as videocasting with more traditional students exchanges.
• An initial exploratory visit by RVC recent graduate to Kenya and Tanzania in November 2009. The UK vet will work with a recent veterinary graduate from the Nairobi veterinary school to develop links with the veterinary school and Vetaid;
• In particular they will work with Vetaid vets, community animal health workers and students to record and publish a series of audio and videocasts describing issues of local and national relevance;
• Adaption of video material collected in the field to create a series of 6 directed learning sessions for the RVC Development Awareness session for second year veterinary students in 2010, drawing parallels and comparisons between veterinary practice in the UK and in the developing world;
• To provide recording equipment, training and support for Kenyan vets to record, edit and publish their own podcasts and videocasts on topics of local relevance. As part of this initiative, a Kenyan veterinary graduate will make a two week visit to the Royal Veterinary College in London, in order to develop their technical skills and record videocasts of relevant livestock health issues in the UK;
• To establish a protocol for future student educational exchanges including the potential for RVC students to undertake either preclinical or clinical Extra Mural Studies placements with Vetaid and other partners in East Africa.
The first stage of the project involve a 4 week visit by a recent RVC graduate, Beverley Panto to East Africa. You can follow her progress through her own blog at : http://www.africabev.blogspot.com/
The RVC is a partner in the 3 year DFID funded “Students as Global Citizens” project led by the Development Education Research Centre in the Institute of Education. It has recently secured funding from DFID’s Development Awareness Fund to develop and evaluate methods to embed development education principles within degree courses on pharmacy, veterinary science, and human health. The initiative described here is part of this approach which is intended to introduce a series of scenario based directed learning sessions into the Year 2 veterinary curriculum.
The project aims to enhance the appreciation of international development by exploring and contrasting issues related to livestock and health in both East Africa and the UK. This is intended to assist RVC and Kenyan veterinary students identify with their counterparts and emphasize the common professional interests and values that exist. This will be achieved through a number of steps described below which integrate some of the latest technologies such as videocasting with more traditional students exchanges.
• An initial exploratory visit by RVC recent graduate to Kenya and Tanzania in November 2009. The UK vet will work with a recent veterinary graduate from the Nairobi veterinary school to develop links with the veterinary school and Vetaid;
• In particular they will work with Vetaid vets, community animal health workers and students to record and publish a series of audio and videocasts describing issues of local and national relevance;
• Adaption of video material collected in the field to create a series of 6 directed learning sessions for the RVC Development Awareness session for second year veterinary students in 2010, drawing parallels and comparisons between veterinary practice in the UK and in the developing world;
• To provide recording equipment, training and support for Kenyan vets to record, edit and publish their own podcasts and videocasts on topics of local relevance. As part of this initiative, a Kenyan veterinary graduate will make a two week visit to the Royal Veterinary College in London, in order to develop their technical skills and record videocasts of relevant livestock health issues in the UK;
• To establish a protocol for future student educational exchanges including the potential for RVC students to undertake either preclinical or clinical Extra Mural Studies placements with Vetaid and other partners in East Africa.
The first stage of the project involve a 4 week visit by a recent RVC graduate, Beverley Panto to East Africa. You can follow her progress through her own blog at : http://www.africabev.blogspot.com/
Friday, 13 November 2009
Wiki Quiz goes live
After months of hard work, we now have an exciting new addition to the WikiVet site called WikiQuiz.
WikiQuiz is a directory of multiple choice quizzes on a wide range of veterinary topics, which are integrated within the existing Wikivet content. These quizzes cover all levels of the veterinary course and can be used as a self assessment resource for users who want to test their knowledge of a particular topic or as a revision tool. Each question incorporates feedback on the correct and incorrect answers and links to articles with further information on that topic. Most importantly, every question has been reviewed and approved by a relevant expert, to ensure the highest level of quality assurance across the quiz.
WikiQuiz, which now has a link on the http://www.wikivet.net home page is the result of collaboration between students, graduates and academics from four UK vet schools, and has been supported with funding from the RCVS Trust. We currently have over 30 live quizzes, with work ongoing on a further 30 which will be uploaded over the next few months. It is hoped that this will be a widely used and ever increasing resource for veterinary students worldwide, and would like to thank all the students, practitioners and staff who have contributed to the development of WikiQuiz.
WikiQuiz is a directory of multiple choice quizzes on a wide range of veterinary topics, which are integrated within the existing Wikivet content. These quizzes cover all levels of the veterinary course and can be used as a self assessment resource for users who want to test their knowledge of a particular topic or as a revision tool. Each question incorporates feedback on the correct and incorrect answers and links to articles with further information on that topic. Most importantly, every question has been reviewed and approved by a relevant expert, to ensure the highest level of quality assurance across the quiz.
WikiQuiz, which now has a link on the http://www.wikivet.net home page is the result of collaboration between students, graduates and academics from four UK vet schools, and has been supported with funding from the RCVS Trust. We currently have over 30 live quizzes, with work ongoing on a further 30 which will be uploaded over the next few months. It is hoped that this will be a widely used and ever increasing resource for veterinary students worldwide, and would like to thank all the students, practitioners and staff who have contributed to the development of WikiQuiz.
Sunday, 25 October 2009
Article in ALT Newsletter about WikiVet
The latest ALT Newsletter contains an article by Bev Panto, a recent RVC graduate. Bev has been working on the WikiTest initiative funded by the RCVS Trust. Read the full article here.
Thursday, 3 September 2009
New Pots at AMEE
Just back from the AMEE 2009 Conference in Malaga. If you did not get a chance to go, it is worth reviewing the archived video presentations from previous years - check out Marc Prensky in Trondheim - you will need to register for the site but well worthwhile!
The e-Media Unit presented two short communications. Chris Trace, a recent RVC greaduate, gave an excellent overview of the e-Case system he has developed to create flash based cases authored by students. Nick Short talked about engaging students in developing e-learning content for example with the Wiki Vet development. He half suceeded in setting up a live Skype link to students in the UK - the video was great but the technical support were not able to set up the audio...... shame. Copies of the presentations can be found on the RVC web site.
There was the annual meeting of VIEW including a fascinating workshop on Professionalism organised by:
- Liz Mossop (University of Nottingham, UK)
- Sarah Baillie (Royal Veterinary College, UK)
- Michèle Doucet (University of Montreal, Canada)
- Gill McConnell (University of Edinburgh, UK)
- Esther de Groot (University of Utrecht, The Netherlands)
The EU has just agreed to fund an ambitious new e-learning project led by Utrecht and including Hannover, RVC, Budapest and Bucharest veterinary schools - more on this later.
Finally it was really rewarding to see the anatomy potcasting model developed at the RVC has now been adopted by the University fo St Andrews Bute medical school. They gave a presentation at the conference in which they demonstrated how effective the technique has proved for medics too.
Friday, 29 May 2009
APT STAIRS Project
The APT STAIRS Project is a JISC funded project led by the RVC and involving all 6 Bloomsbury Colleges. The first phase of the project has now been successfully completed and you can read about the outcomes and achievements here.
The concept of Appropriate and Practical Technologies has inspired a number of second generation initiatives. One area of particular interest is the APT for Africa programme working with mobile phones to collect data and provide access to local knowledge through Android mobile phones.
The e-Media Unit is playing a leading role in coordinating these developments working closely with partners in industry, Africa and other universities. For more information, please contact Nick Short on nshort@rvc.ac.uk.
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