Veterinary Curriculum Transformation at the University of Illinois, 2006–2016

The organization and delivery of a curriculum is the responsibility of the faculty in educational institutions. Curricular revision is often a hotly debated topic in any college faculty. At the University of Illinois, a 2006 mandate for curriculum modernization from the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education provided impetus for a long-discussed curricular revision. After two iterations and a lengthy development process, a new curriculum was gradually implemented at Illinois with the August 2009 matriculation of the Class of 2013. The goals of the revision included earlier clinical exposure for veterinary students through introductions to clinical rotations in years 1 to 3 and an integrated body systems approach in lecture/laboratory courses. A new Clinical Skills Learning Center facilitates development of clinical skills earlier in the curriculum and promotes the development of those skills throughout all 4 years of the curriculum. New outcomes assessments include comprehensive writ...