ERIC Number: EJ1213095
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2415-0991
EISSN: N/A
Acquisition of Pedagogical Knowledge by Instructors of Veterinary Medicine
Transformation in Higher Education, v4 Article 54 2019
Background: When practitioners of veterinary medicine enter academia as faculty or clinical instructors, they are asked to perform research, provide service and outreach, and educate students, yet the teaching component is a struggle for many. It has been posited that academic clinicians develop a teaching style similar to those they observed while in school but this has not been confirmed with empirical evidence. Aim: The aim of this research was to determine how veterinary instructors obtained pedagogical knowledge prior to their faculty appointment. Setting: The sample consisted of veterinary faculty at a college of veterinary medicine from the southeastern United States. The land-grant university that the veterinary school is associated with is one of only a few schools to earn both research and community engagement rankings from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Methods: Online surveys were administered to a stratified sample of veterinary faculty and instructors. A mixed-methods approach was utilised to collect and analyse both close-ended and open-ended data. A coding process provided labels for emerging themes, concepts and examples and each research question was answered with descriptive detail. Results: Descriptive results showed that most instructors (93%) did not receive formal teacher training but derived their pedagogical knowledge from role models prior to teaching. Many faculty members (70%) attended university-sponsored workshops offered by their institutions to build upon and improve their teaching skills. Conclusion: Overarching themes reflected observational learning "in situ" and a general emphasis on non-cognitive skill development, particularly regarding interpersonal skills.
Descriptors: Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Land Grant Universities, Veterinary Medical Education, College Faculty, Teaching Styles, Reputation, Teacher Attitudes, Institutional Characteristics, Faculty Development, Teacher Workshops, Interpersonal Competence, Skill Development, Veterinary Medicine, Health Personnel
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Mississippi
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A