Alternatives for improving veterinary medical students' learning of clinical sonography

With the widespread clinical use of sonography there is a need to introduce the topic into the curriculum, A new problem-based course in clinical sono graphy without lectures was developed to emphasise experiential learning, a nd engage students actively in individual and collective acts of discovery. Four different approaches were used to deliver the new course to 141 veter inary medical students over four semesters. The physical principles of sono graphy were taught by computer-assisted instruction and a practical class, clinical examinations were introduced during a session with a tutor, and fi nally each student wrote an essay on a sonographic topic of their choice. T o evaluate the new course, students' responses to a questionnaire were anal yzed. Students gained reasonable understanding of the physical principles o f sonography and had some confidence in conducting a sonographic examinatio n of an animal. Of most use to student learning was discussion with the tea chers, Surprisingly, half the students thought the topic should also be tau ght by lectures. The students learned the material and acquired the sonogra phic skills through processes which required more independence and self-res ponsibility than traditional teaching methods, The teachers' interaction wi th students on an individual basis, as they encountered individual problems , was the most important resource in learning about sonography, The continu ed request for lectures suggests an insecurity in some students caught betw een two different paradigms of teaching and learning (experiential, problem -based learning versus lectures).