Making Teaching Matter...

       Most people have heard "publish or perish."  Professors are expected to publish research as a primary function and time spent on teaching only takes away time from research efforts.  Teaching is something a professor just does.  In one of my previous institutions, teaching is not even considered in promotion and tenure evaluations.   The Regional Teaching Academy which is a consortium of UC Davis, Western University of Health Sciences,  Colorado State University, Oregon State University and Washington State University veterinary educators with the goal of making teaching matter.

        Being a good teacher requires effort effort, skill and knowledge.  Recognizing the scholarly effort involved in developing better keep teaching methods and materials is the first step in matter teaching matter.  This past weekend about 30 faculty members from the five veterinary schools have been working diligently toward this goal.  I'm very proud and inspired to be part of this group of medical educators.  I'm encouraged that teaching may finally get the  recognition that it truly deserves.  

Today was Landing Day

 

Today was the first "landing day" for 2017.  Being a professor in a distributed model of clinical education means I don't spend time making up lectures.  I help to create experience for my students through partnerships with practicing veterinarians.  My students are placed "in situ" with these partners for a two week session.  Except for exam week every 8 weeks, I get a new set of students every two weeks all year long.  They are in transit on Sunday for a Monday morning start.  I call the start of each session "Landing Day."  Travel issues, hotel issues, and emergency health issues pop up.  I wait for the students or veterinarians to text or call or e-mail.  I have talked students to the entrance of the site on a cell phone.  I have fielded text questions about wardrobe.  I have had a students who were hit by a car as a pedestrian.  Life happens.  It is a totally different set of tasks than your typical professor requiring a close relationship between faculty and students.  You really get to know each other when you travel together.  Yes, everywhere they go I also go...Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Davis, Berkeley, Duarte, Loma Linda, San Diego and Denver.