An Anatomy Pre-Course Predicts Student Performance in a Professional Veterinary Anatomy Curriculum

dc.contributor.authorMcNulty, Margaret A.
dc.contributor.authorLazarus, Michelle D.
dc.contributor.departmentAnatomy and Cell Biology, IU School of Medicineen_US
dc.date.accessioned2019-05-03T15:07:02Z
dc.date.available2019-05-03T15:07:02Z
dc.date.issued2018
dc.description.abstractLittle to no correlation has been identified between previous related undergraduate coursework or outcomes on standardized tests and performance in a veterinary curriculum, including anatomy coursework. Therefore, a relatively simplistic method to predict student performance before entrance would be advantageous to many. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether there is a correlation between performance in a veterinary anatomy pre-course and subsequent performance within a professional anatomy curriculum. Incoming first-year veterinary students at the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine were asked to participate in a free weeklong pre-course, before the start of the semester. The pre-course covered the musculoskeletal anatomy of the canine thoracic limb using dissection-based methods. Student performance, as evaluated by test grades in the pre-course, did indeed correlate with test grades in professional veterinary anatomy courses. A significant and positive correlation was identified between pre-course final exam performance and performance on examinations in each of 3 professional anatomy courses. Qualitative analyses of student comments pertaining to their experience within the pre-course indicated differences in the perceived benefits of the pre-course between high-, middle-, and low-performing students. These varied perceptions may provide predictive feedback as well as guidance for supporting lower performing students. Together, these results indicate that performance in a weeklong pre-course covering only a small portion of canine anatomy is a strong predictor of performance within a professional anatomy curriculum. In addition, the pre-course differentially affected student perceptions of their learning experience.en_US
dc.eprint.versionAuthor's manuscripten_US
dc.identifier.citationMcNulty, M. A., & Lazarus, M. D. (2018). An Anatomy Pre-Course Predicts Student Performance in a Professional Veterinary Anatomy Curriculum. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 45 (3), pp. 330-342. https://doi.org/10.3138/jvme.0317-039ren_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1805/19100
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherAAVMCen_US
dc.relation.isversionof10.3138/jvme.0317-039ren_US
dc.relation.journalJournal of Veterinary Medical Educationen_US
dc.rightsPublisher Policyen_US
dc.sourceAuthoren_US
dc.subjectveterinary anatomy educationen_US
dc.subjectgross anatomy educationen_US
dc.subjectlearning outcomesen_US
dc.titleAn Anatomy Pre-Course Predicts Student Performance in a Professional Veterinary Anatomy Curriculumen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
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