VERACITY
June 2014 Edition
A newsletter for Veterinarians in Education, Research and Academia
In this newsletter:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Presidents column
Past President’s Report from the AGM 27th May 2014, Perth
Policy Council Report – VERA PAC representative – Dr Ken Jacobs
Hot Topic from AVA Discussion forum
Reminder of AVAPM conference – for veterinary educators in the professional skills and
business areas
6. AVA Excellence in Teaching Award 2014
7. Current projects and collaboration invitations
i. OLT project - 4D farm
ii. Vet Student Career Intentions and attitudes to non—technical skills]
iii. OLT project – Veterinary Introduction to Business & Enterprise – a shared
resource for educators
iv. OLT project – A welfare teaching portal
8. VERA Committee Members
President’s column – Conference feedback and VERA towards 2015
Welcome to the winter 2015 newsletter for Veterinarians in Education, Research and
Academia (VERA). As incoming President, I want to thank John Baguley and the othe
members of the committee for their input into VERA since its beginning two years ag
the AVA conference in Canberra, 2012. This input has enabled this newest SIG of the
to take shape. At the AGM members of the previous committee members were reelected for the coming year, and we look forward to continue the development of VE
for the benefit of its members, veterinarians in education, research and academia.
Adele Feakes
AVA and NZVA Pan Pacific
Annual Conference
2015
24-29 May at the Brisbane
Convention and Exhibition
Centre
For those of you who couldn’t get to the AVA conference in Perth. On the Monday, m
VERA members attended other streams meetings. I personally went to some of the
Graduate Support Scheme sessions and also some of Martin Whiting’s sessions (what
informed consent). On the Tuesday, our Education day was a resounding success. I w
on behalf of VERA, to give a huge thank you to Malcolm McLennan for the session
planning. We heard from international speakers Jason Coe, on teaching veterinary
professionalism. We also filled our day well and truly with a wonderful line up of
Australian veterinary educators – Dan Schull (developing online resources for clinical
teachers), Mark Glyde (clinical problem solving examinations for 4th and 5th years), Je
Milles and Melinda Bell (veterinary communication skills curriculum), Sandra De Cat
(sheep week – integrated learning model), Rebekkah Brown (twitter for veterinary
educators), Martin Cake (consensus and evidence for importance of non-technical ve
skills and Susan Matthew (how do we develop professional attributes in vet students
huge thank you must also go to Jen Hyams for her most excellent organisation of the
poster reviewing and presentation session. The posters were on show all day in the
breezeway between the larger and smaller theatres, and the formal presentation was
done in the meeting room. Those of us who presented were certainly under pressure
We were allowed 3 minutes and 2 slides – speed dating has nothing on speed poster
presentation! Our annual Food for Thought VERA dinner was a great night and a
resounding success with 32 attendees, and the conversation was certainly active and
engaged! I think next year we may consider our AGM to be at our dinner, as the dinn
was more popular than the AGM.
Our focus for 2015 will include:
 Getting our website ready to go live – please give us your feedback once it is live
tell us what else you want available on the website
 Getting newsletters out to members
 Reorganising of the subcommittees to be task aligned as the L & T subcommittee
have the greatest number of tasks (associated with conference organisation and
reviewing) and the website development
 Planning for the 2015 Conference – to include abstract submission for peer revie
for speaker selection, also speeches from previous awardees of the Excellence in
Teaching Awards
The results of our survey last year clearly revealed that members wish VERA to create
sustainable opportunities for veterinarians in education, research and academia to
collaborate. The National Conference in Brisbane in 2015 will be another great
opportunity and we are hoping we may be able to secure a little more time for speak
Our website, once live, will provide a central point for our information but also as a
resource and linking to other sites such as NOVICE, wiki-vet, and various funding bod
websites. We’d greatly appreciate any other ideas for the website.
Thanks so much to everyone for supporting VERA. If you would like to help out in any
capacity in the year ahead, please get in touch. Once the new subcommittees are for
at our next committee meeting 22nd July we will be hoping to include extras member
from general VERA members.
Adele
Past President’s Report from the AGM 27th May 2014, Perth
VERA has now been established for 2 years and it has been an enormous privilege an
honour for me to serve as President.
The highlight for me over the last 2 years has been the friendships developed with m
fellow committee members and other colleagues involved in education. We have a s
dedicated group who have shared many ideas and demonstrated an enthusiasm for
education which is infectious. VERA has provided opportunities for many of us to me
and discuss education that otherwise would be either rare or serendipitous.
AVA Annual Conference
2014
25-30 May 2014
Perth, WA
At the General Meeting in Perth I outlined a number of achievements for our first 2 y
including the growth of the education stream at the National Conference, increasing
input into AVA education policy, the resounding success of the poster sessions and Fo
for Thought, and opportunities to share our research projects and ideas. Our soon to
released new website will keep us moving in the right direction. I also congratulated
Adele on her appointment as President. She has been a passionate supporter of VER
and will drive many future member benefits.
VERA provides the best opportunities available for veterinarians in education, researc
and academia to network and share resources and ideas and the committee will cont
to support these activities into the future.
Finally, I’d like to thank my colleagues on the VERA committee for their support over
last two years and their contributions to this new SIG. I’d also like to thank the many
members who supported the development of VERA, who became members of VERA
who have supported the VERA stream at AVA National Conferences.
Policy council report – VERA PAC representative – Dr Ken Jacobs
The policy council meeting in May raised few issues directly relating to Education and Research. Many policies were sen
back to committees for ongoing work reflecting the diverse range of opinions and issues that we have to develop. The p
council meeting was very well managed by Julia Nichols.
I have flagged several issues for policy discussion and development through VERA
1. Tracking/Streaming within veterinary degrees and potentially non clinical registration. There are complex issues
associated with consideration of this subject. Streaming within BVSc courses is presently in place as students choose
elective rotations in their final years. Registration is conditional upon demonstrated competency in the area in which on
working.
My aim in introducing this topic was to:
 reduce the numbers of graduates wanting to enter clinical practice
 increase the role for veterinarians in Agriculture (which has a shortage of graduates and higher starting salaries t
veterinarians)
 ensure ongoing roles for existing practices and maintain quality of their advice and at the same time not stimulat
competition from veterinarians in non-clinical positions
This topic has generated little support with well reasoned argument to keep the status quo allowing graduates to find th
own roles in society even when there is an oversupply. Unless the proposed policy is one that advises a change to the
present approach it has little value. I am not uncomfortable with this position as the registration issues in particular are
complicated.
2. Workplace Education of Undergraduate Veterinary Students. This is an important area I think could lead to policy
development. Many members of VERA are involved with workplace education and some practices are now receiving too
many requests for placements. Defining the education outcomes that can be expected from placements may be part of
policy. In addition defining the conditions of placements will be part of this policy. Developing uniform placement condi
and potentially assessment formats may be a consideration.
3. New Veterinary Schools. The AVA has developed a position at Board Level after commissioning a review when there
a proposed additional Veterinary School at Deakin University. This review was comprehensive and clearly demonstrated
additional veterinary schools were not required. There is no associated AVA policy.
There may be significant challenges for the profession as the impact of increased graduate numbers becomes apparent
the next few years. Already there is unemployment and underemployment of new graduates. While it is recognised that
AVA has embarked on a workforce modelling project, and information is yet to come, veterinary educators and the
profession should develop strategy to manage this apparent emerging problem. Development of additional demand for
graduates is critical.
I have served on policy council many years ago and it has been until recently unwieldy and cumbersome. The present po
council is much more effective in its deliberations. However, I think that it is important that policy is developed in respo
to issues as they emerge as well as anticipating issues and developing associated policy. There have been issues raised o
the forum regarding the representative nature of policy council. There are topics on which councillors’ comment and vo
individuals, not as representatives of their Special Interest Group (SIG) or Division. This is perhaps a potentially more
important issue for representatives of small SIGs. My perspective is that policy council is a cross section of the professio
large and while it is important that comments are either stated as from the SIG or division or a personal opinion, having
a cross section of views is appropriate.
I would appreciate comment on any of the above topics.
Ken Jacobs kenjacobs@bigpond.com
Hot Topic from AVA Discussion forum
Read more http://www.ava.com.au/comment/2140#comment-2140
Comment by Ms Marcia Balzer: Investigating
We agree that proposed changes from the budget announcements could quite possibly have very major impacts on
veterinary science students.
At this stage we have begun conversations with the deans about what impacts they are anticipating before we develo
policy stance. We are also observing the policy emphasis of Universities Australia
(https://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/) which addresses the broader policy implications and options. Legislation
be required to implement the budget policy changes, so there's a long road ahead.
If members would like to provide input, comments are welcome either direct to the education forum, to VERA and we
will pass it on, or via email to Debbie Neutze at debbie.neutze@ava.com.au.
Marcia Balzer
National Public Affairs Manager
Reminder of AVAPM conference – for veterinary educators in professional skills & business areas
If you are a veterinary educator in the business or professional skills areas there are THREE REASONS why YOU need to b
there! (Or consider it for next year) and you could take your hospital manager for free!
With just over two weeks to go until the annual AVAPM conference in Sydney, here are three reasons you cannot affo
to miss it…
1.
2.
3.
Two excellent international speakers in Rick Griggs and Darren Osborne
Our unique "two for one" offer. Come along and bring one of your staff members for free… or send two of your
management staff for free…the choice is yours
Our Monday hands-on master-classes gives you personalised creativity and problem solving tips along with un
creative pricing techniques
Throw in the fact that the venue is one of Sydney’s best known 5-star offerings, day catering, welcome drinks and
Saturday conference dinner (featuring mentalist and hypnotist Phoenix) are included and you can earn a total of 14 V
Ed points, how many more reasons do you need to convince you to come along.
Click the link below for full program details and registration.



AVAPM Conference Brochure
AVAPM Conference Website
AVAPM Conference Online Registration
AVA Excellence in Teaching Award 2014
Congratulations to Dr Tony Mogg on being awarded the 2014 AVA Excellence in Teaching Award. Unfortunately Tony w
unable to attend the Awards Ceremony at the 2014 AVA conference in Perth but will be attending the 2015 Conference
Brisbane and will be awarded his prize and certificate then.
This is a copy of the Tony’s background that appeared in the Awards Handbook.
Dr Tony Mogg is a Senior Lecturer in Equine Medicine and Associate Dean of Learning and Teaching at The University of
Sydney.
He has transformed the traditional passive lecture to the innovative ‘flipped lecture’ format with great success. Face tolectures and practical sessions are used to stimulate students to explore and challenge their understanding of key princi
and develop their essential ‘day one’ veterinary graduate attributes.
Tony is an active equine specialist who uses his international specialist qualifications in Equine medicine and Veterinary
Pharmacology to use a research enriched framework for learning and teaching. His development of student and patient
focused learning has provided an outcome-focussed curriculum in which students develop responsibility for the outcom
their decisions and rapidly learn the consequences that their actions/inactions could have on animal and human health.
For more than four years, Tony has led the Faculty as Associate Dean for Learning and Teaching. The Faculty has continu
its reputation for leadership and innovation in learning and teaching, particularly in e-learning and in quality of student
support. Other major developments led during this busy time include the implementation of an honours program and th
expansion of year 4 practical competency based teaching in large animals at Camden. The Faculty has also established a
alumni mentoring program for final year students and developed changes to admissions to enable students to demonst
their commitment to veterinary science and to attract more rural, low SES and indigenous students.
Tony now ‘leads the charge’ in the transformation of the veterinary curriculum to a higher order post-graduate, Doctor
Veterinary Medicine. Tony has recruited, supported and led a core group of eight of the Faculty’s leading teachers, enga
them fully in the challenge of creating an innovative veterinary program, designed to meet the needs of our profession
the next two decades.
For more information or to contact Dr Tony Mogg please visit his University of Sydney homepage:
http://sydney.edu.au/vetscience/about/staff/profiles/tony.mogg.680.php
Current projects and collaboration invitations – please let us know what you are doing!
This area is where members of VERA can let other veterinary educators and research
know of the projects they have in progress in areas of education. It is also to facilitat
awareness, discussion and expressions of interest for collaboration.
Please send your project summary to Adele Feakes adele.feakes@adelaide.edu.au
Topic/Research question & type
of study
The 4 Dimensional Virtual Farm
Project
(featured in April 2013
newsletter)
What factors contribute to
development of veterinary
student entrepreneurial capability
and intent, career intent and
attitudes to non-technical skills?
CROSS SECTIONAL &
LONGITUDINAL
Let us know what your are
doing….or want to do
Current Collaborators & Funding
Team Lead & Contact
Office for Learning and Teaching
(OLT)
Universities of Melbourne,
Queensland, Sydney, Murdoch
and Massey
Universities of Adelaide,
Melbourne, Murdoch, James Cook
and Charles Sturt
Stuart Barber, University of
Melbourne
srbarber@unimelb.edu.au
Adele Feakes, University of Adelaide
Adele.feakes@adelaide.edu.au
0428 116 245
Enquiry from academics in other
veterinary schools welcome.
And who you are doing it with or if
you are inviting interest
Send us your contact details please
so VERA can let other members
know…..
Veterinary Introduction to Business and Enterprise (VIBE) – a shared resource for vet
students and educators – website is now live
Dr Adele Feakes, from the University of Adelaide has led a successful application fo
Office of Learning and Teaching Grant, awarded in Round 1 2013.
Re-shaping veterinary business curricula to improve graduates’ business skills: a
shared resource for educators
The website is now live and the package has been launched in the education stream
poster session at the AVA conference in Perth.
Veterinary Introduction to
Business and Enterprise
https://www.adelaide.edu.au/vetsci/vibe/
This site contains student resources with short films and learning guides on the t
of how to charge, fee setting, pricing of animal health items and medications
performance indicators, and will also SOON have a learning guide on cash
budgeting (personal and for a business).
The site also has two fictitious practices, a small animal and a mixed, with issues! T
fictitious practices come with fee schedules and financials.
The educator section holds flexible teaching resources, such as workshop plans, qu
questions, teaching notes, assignments, marking matrices and extra readings to eng
the students for use by educators in Australian veterinary programs. The developed
resource aims to increase perceived importance of business skills, and improve bus
skill acquisition, amongst veterinary students.
This project is in response to a call for greater attention to business skills in veterina
curricula, most graduates being ill-prepared for the business aspects of their profes
In addition, business skills are an important component in reducing the likelihood o
financial difficulties for members of the profession. However, veterinary students d
not value business skills, and this affects quality of learning.
So far, external evaluation of the student resources has been favourable. The pack
includes resources aimed to promote engaged and deeper learning, the aim being t
increase the perceived value of business skills as well as enhance the acquisition of
these skills by veterinary students.
The student resources section is live. The educator resources section is being
populated in June/July 2014. For the password to the educator resources please
contact adele.feakes@adelaide.edu.au
Successful OLT grant for welfare teaching
Professor Paul McGreevy from the University of Sydney has led a successful applicatio
for an Office of Learning and Teaching Grant, awarded in Round 2 2013.
This project will deliver a web portal for veterinary students to learn about current an
welfare issues and develop ethically-informed approaches to these topics and ethical
dilemmas they will encounter in practice. The project will establish collaboration acro
Australasian veterinary schools to meet the urgent need for learning and teaching
resources in animal welfare and ethics.
As recent debates within Australia have clearly demonstrated, animal welfare and eth
is of growing interest across the Australian community. Veterinary schools increasing
need to address these issues if their graduates are to be in a position to help these
industries respond to the broader community’s concerns.
This project will develop a new curriculum design for Animal Welfare and Ethics that
meets student and employer needs and provides the basis for ongoing personal and
professional development for students.
Using an online portal, it will build on medical ethics programs to re-position and reshape veterinary courses so that graduate veterinarians are competent in Animal We
and Ethics.
Importantly, the new curriculum will not only introduce learning innovations, but also
facilitate connections between the existing diverse curricula at all eight Australasian
Veterinary Schools and, most importantly, dialogue between students from the vario
schools, promoting consistency in Animal Welfare and Ethics teaching and how
assessment focuses learning.
Paul McGreevy paul.mcgreevy@sydney.edu.au
VERA Committee Members 2014 - 2015
Adele Feakes
John Baguley
Jen Hyams
Meg Dietze
Ken Jacobs
Robert Hedlefs
Malcolm McLennan
Susan Matthew
Liz Tudor
President
Past President
Secretary
Treasurer
PAC Representative
2013-2014 subcommittees (being revised July 2014 to be task oriented e.g. website,
conference, posters, newsletter.
Workplace Education
Research
Learning & Teaching
Exec committee members
Ken Jacobs (Chair)
Megan Dietze
John Baguley (past-pres)
Adele Feakes (Chair)
Liz Tudor
John Baguley (past – pres)
General members
Rebekah Brown
Malcolm McLennan (Chair)
Susan Matthew
Jenny Hyams
Robert Hedlefs
John Baguley (past –pres)
Jenny Mills
Stuart Barber
Tanya Stephens
Randi Rotne