UC-Davis announces first curriculum overhaul in more than a decade

Davis, Calif.

-- A “radically different” veterinary school curriculum will be put into play starting with the class of 2015 at the University of California, Davis (UC-Davis) says Associate Dean of Academic Programs Jan Ilkiw.

“[It] has been designed with adult theory leaning in mind,” Ilkiw explains. “It is learner-centered rather than teacher-centered, and is based on body systems rather than by discipline.”

The curriculum overall was approved by the college in July after five years of planning, and is the first curriculum overall at UC-Davis since 1990.

Contact time in the classroom will be reduced, giving student more time to work in small groups doing research and problem-solving activities. The new model suits all learning styles, combining traditional lectures and laboratories, plus newer case-based and team-based learning approaches, according to the school.

The first two years of the program will be core for all students, and the following two years will focus on blocks for each body system, comparing normal and abnormal function. The school also developed new blocks for oncology, immunology, infectious disease and population health. Third- and fourth-year students will be put into three “streams” -- small animal, equine or food animal. Each will offer core material, as well as elective opportunities.

Ilkiw says the new curriculum will emphasize early exposure to clinical material and “encourage learning by doing and learning in context.”