Teaching students how to interpret animal emotions 2: putting research into practice

Abstract

Part one of this article discussed the importance of teaching veterinary nursing students how to interpret animal emotions, and presented educational strategies for the classroom and clinical placements, informed by Herrington and Oliver's ‘Authentic Learning Framework’. However, translating educational strategies into tangible teaching plans may require considerable effort. This article aims to reduce some of the work involved by sharing an authentic teaching design that was used to support veterinary nursing students, in stage two of the University College Dublin's BSc Veterinary Nursing programme, in learning how to interpret animal emotions. Insights into the student learning process gained from analysing the teaching are also discussed, including student engagement (participation), the use of anthropomorphic descriptors, and the students’ strengths and weaknesses in interpreting animal emotions. Future directions for teaching are also considered. This article is an example of how veterinary nursing students can enhance teaching for future cohorts by participating in educational research.