Peer Feedback on Collaborative Learning Activities in Veterinary Education

Nicholas Bamford,Laura Dooley

doi:10.3390/vetsci5040090

Abstract

Collaborative learning activities are an increasingly prominent feature of veterinary curricula that have been redesigned to achieve competency-based graduate learning outcomes. This evolution challenges the traditional individualistic approach to veterinary education and necessitates revisions to assessment and feedback practices to ensure constructive alignment. Peer feedback has been widely reported in the medical education literature as a teaching intervention in collaborative learning settings, with learning gains reported for students who receive and provide peer feedback. In this setting, peer feedback has been demonstrated to provide valuable formative feedback on professional behaviors and skills. However, there are very few such reports in the veterinary education literature to date. Barriers to the introduction of this approach can include teacher and student perceptions, and concerns around validity and reliability. This review aimed to provide an overview of current evidence regarding peer feedback on collaborative learning activities in higher education, and to explore opportunities and challenges for the introduction of peer feedback in the context of veterinary education. We contend that early and repeated provision of formative peer feedback can provide an opportunity to scaffold the development of crucial core competencies within veterinary education, including the self-regulated learning skills required to work in collaborative teams, and interpret and act on feedback.

Highlights

The recent paradigm shift in veterinary education towards competency-based outcomes [1,2]has resulted in fundamental redesigns of veterinary curricula globally [3]
Graduates enter an increasingly complex and collaborative working environment, requiring engagement with peers in a process of lifelong learning and professional development. Both medical and veterinary curricula have significantly expanded their emphasis on collaborative learning to develop these critical competencies, which has created a need for evolution in assessment and feedback practices
The implementation of peer feedback as a formative approach to the assessment of collaborative learning activities in veterinary education appears to have lagged behind progress in medical education

Summary

Introduction

The recent paradigm shift in veterinary education towards competency-based outcomes [1,2]has resulted in fundamental redesigns of veterinary curricula globally [3]. The recent paradigm shift in veterinary education towards competency-based outcomes [1,2]. An increasing focus on ‘non-technical’ or ‘professional’ competencies, including communication, team work, and a host of interpersonal skills, has seen the widespread introduction of collaborative work within these curricular features [4]. Collaborative learning pedagogies provide students with experiential opportunities to discover new information, apply prior knowledge, and solve problems, all while engaging in dialogue with peers. There exists an imperative that veterinary educators provide opportunities to scaffold the development of these important transferrable professional skills within veterinary programs. Despite the common use of collaborative and peer-based learning strategies, there remains limited evidence of effective assessment and feedback practices in the veterinary context [5].

Objectives

Discussion

Conclusion