Transforming a Didactic Lecture into a Student-Centered Active Learning Exercise—Teaching Equine Diarrhea to Fourth-Year Veterinary Students

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The article would have more impact if a critique on the limitations of this type of active learning episode approach were made. Due to the time resources available, could this type of methodology be applied globally for an entire course and not in an episodic manner?

 

The limitations of the study should be more clearly expressed and the extra didactic materials used or that would be necessary in a transversal way (in different subjects) should be indicated.

 

The graphs and tables favor the comprehension of the article.

Author Response

The article would have more impact if a critique on the limitations of this type of active learning episode approach were made.

Thank you for your constructive feedback and for taking the time to review this manuscript. Under ‘Section 6. Final thoughts’, the following section has been added after the first paragraph that represents a summary of the limitations outlined in each section of the Discussion:

Students worried, however, that the active learning teaching approach might not prepare them adequately for traditional examinations. It is important, therefore, that the assessment format is appropriately aligned with the active learning approach. Furthermore, students were concerned that the active learning approach provided insufficient content knowledge that might leave them short-changed on their basic veterinary knowledge. This highlights the need for veterinary education to stop relying on excessive content delivery and to instead focus on teaching students how to access and critically analyse information efficiently and how to solve problems effectively. Students also expressed anxiety at the introduction of a new learning technique highlighting the need for students to be introduced to the new teaching method gradually and with sensitivity. Students using the active learning approach may also feel uncomfortable participating in group learning activities, especially if their group consists of dominant or disruptive members. Teaching students how to work effectively within a group should be an essential pre-requisite to the adoption of an active learning approach. Despite the group activities, active learning demands that students assume more responsibility for their individual learning experience and so teachers must include clear expectations of self-direction and motivation within their subject areas (Roell et al 2013).

If delivered face-to-face, the success of the active learning approach relies on the availability of learning spaces amenable to group work (with good access to Wi-Fi and charging stations). In addition all students need access to suitable computers, laptops, or tablets in order to access the reading material and conduct online research. If the delivery of these active learning episodes is conducted exclusively online, then students’ internet access and broadband speeds also become an issue. It is important to recognize that some students may have limited financial resources.

Due to the time resources available, could this type of methodology be applied globally for an entire course and not in an episodic manner?

This is an interesting point. Time was definitely a limiting factor for the one-hour active learning episode in this research indicating that entire courses taught using this approach could suffer from time constraints. As mentioned above, however, the curriculum (certainly for veterinary science) would greatly benefit from reducing reliance on excessive content delivery and instead focusing on teaching students how to access and critically analyse information efficiently and solving problems effectively. This would free up time and make the application of the active learning methodology for entire courses more feasible.

In the Final thoughts section, the authors have stated that: Additional research is, therefore, needed to determine the effectiveness of active learning teaching over a time period greater than one hour and in veterinary degree courses at Massey University besides equine medicine. It would be important to determine whether introducing multiple active learning courses would be feasible within the traditional curriculum.

 The extra didactic materials used or that would be necessary in a transversal way (in different subjects) should be indicated.

The authors are not entirely sure what point is being made by the reviewer. If the reviewer is referring to the extra teaching resources required for active learning in other disciplines, the authors feel that the resources outlined in the study would apply across most disciplines (i.e. the development of a scenario or a problem, within the context of the subject, that requires the students to solve or address by consulting the literature and collaborating in their groups). Under limitations in the final section, the authors have stated that: ‘Additional research is, therefore, needed … in veterinary degree courses at Massey University besides equine medicine’.

The extra research required would also apply to other disciplines outside veterinary science.

The graphs and tables favor the comprehension of the article.

Thank you

Reviewer 2 Report

I would like to congratulate the authors for being able to transform a simple on hour interaction with students, in a formal article with a thorough examination and a clear focus on the opportunities and limitations. Hopefully your work will inspire other colleagues to do the same.

Author Response

Thank you, the authors appreciate your positive comments. Thank you for taking the time to review our manuscript.

Reviewer 3 Report

The article has a good structure.
The approached topic is interesting and presents elements of novelty and originality.
The way of conducting the research is presented in detail. 
The discussions are in line with the results presented.
The conclusions are well formulated and I agree with the discussions presented. 

Author Response

Thank you, the authors appreciate your positive comments. Thank you for taking the time to review our manuscript.