WIDS was chosen by this department to simplify multiple processes relating to learning, teaching, accreditation, course and program revision and institution-wide curriculum mapping. Users began their WIDS journey in 2005 and have found a means to better define and teach competencies, analyze and revise curriculum, and offer new faculty development training.
A desire to document competencies led ISU’s College of Veterinary Medicine to WIDS. The first public veterinary college established in the United States in 1879, ISU’s College of Veterinary Medicine has graduated more than 6,200 veterinarians. The school introduced competency-based learning to students a couple of years ago, according to Dr. Larry Booth, a faculty member and head of the Veterinary Education and Technology Services Unit.
Despite embracing competency-based curricula, Booth says ISU had trouble determining where competencies were taught in a large and complex curriculum. That was a problem because the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Council on Education “wants us to show evidence that students are achieving competencies,” says Booth. “As a vet college it fits right in because we definitely have competencies and skills students must perform. But, until recently, we never had to document the competencies to external agencies in as much detail. Our curriculum keeps growing and evolving and we felt we were losing control of what was taught, who was teaching it, when and where. Getting back to WIDS, we can see specific learning objectives and outcomes for each course.”
Using WIDS, ISU can better build and manage growing curriculum.