gms | German Medical Science

Using an interactive, case- and web-based tutorial “CASUS - Learning with virtual patients” veterinary students are enabled testing their individual learning success as well as preparing themselves for practical procedures and exams. At the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Germany currently various “virtual patients” created with CASUS are offered for the preclinical and clinical veterinary education. This project is supported by the Competence Centre for E-Learning, Didactics and Educational Research in Veterinary Medicine (KELDAT).

The project is focused on pig herd visits and subsequent diagnostic procedures. On farm data from herds with typical pig diseases were collected and transferred to e-learning-based cases (virtual herd visits). Six CASUS cases were created on the subject areas of respiratory, intestinal and skin diseases, diseases of the nervous system as well as locomotive disorders and reproductive failure. More virtual cases are in preparation.

Following up these virtual herd visits students can learn about the principles of herd health management and test their knowledge with regard to clinical symptoms of typical diseases, diagnostic procedures, interpretation of diagnostic results and recommending necessary treatments and prevention programs to the farmer.

CASUS offers some benefits compared to other learning methods. It uses a user-friendly interface with minimal system requirements. Furthermore it provides optional multimedia integration like videos, pictures and audios as well as discussion forums. The expert modus allows users in addition to read up on more detailed and extensive information about diseases, diagnostic procedures, treatments, etc. These communicative and interactive possibilities facilitate understanding and provide self-control and individual learning success. Students directly receive their learning feedback at every stage of the case work.

Seeing, listening, recognizing, showing, trying and communicating enable a realistic learning. CASUS can serve as a bridge function between theory and praxis.

Animal welfare principles can be supported by using virtual patients. Thus, subsequent practical procedures can be performed faster, safer and more experienced, leading to less stress in animals (refinement). Moreover, fewer animals are needed for the practical exercises because of better theoretical knowledge and suitable preparation of the students (reduction).

Since 2013 a yearly doubling increasing number of students has taken this option of learning and found thereby an improved preparation for tests and practical exercises. On average each student has successfully processed two cases and has invested 40 minutes per case in time.

By independent evaluation of their learning success, students were given security and were provided with a complementary way of individual learning.

In the future “virtual patients” created with CASUS shall be offered in English language for expanding CASUS on EU-level.