Virtual teaching tool proves its worth during lockdown

A virtual teaching tool developed at the Dick Vet has proved to be an effective instrument for delivering essential clinical learning.

The virtual slaughterhouse simulator (VSS) enables students to take a real-time interactive walkthrough of the realistic work environment within a typical abattoir.

It can be used to teach health and safety without risk and gradually introduce students to an experience that they may be anxious about.

Veterinary public health experts originally developed the visually based learning resource in 2015 to support traditional lectures and practical classes and to stimulate interactive problem-solving activities.

It was created in response to studies showing that simulators are useful to improve knowledge retention, clinical reasoning and student satisfaction and can help reduce anxiety levels in students when facing real scenarios.

Since its inception, its developers have enriched the content, embedding interactivity, autonomous exploration and problem-solving, resulting in a valuable educational tool.

Some years after it was first unveiled, it has now been applied towards critical final year learning at veterinary schools across the UK, and research has shown the experience was warmly received by students.

“Our study aimed to evaluate learning and inform development of a simulator, to improve students’ experience and preparation for real situations involving abattoir visits,” explains Professor Alex Seguino,  Chair of Veterinary Public Health Education. “Although it did not reduce anxiety in all students, it offered an experience that enhanced learning without anxiety.”

Virtual experience

During the academic year 2020-2021 amid the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, students were unable to visit an abattoir, which is a necessary component of their learning.

To this end, virtual simulators were approved by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, and desk-based technology was used to give students a virtual experience at a time when in-person visits were impossible.

The VSS was used to deliver final year vet public health clinical rotations at the Dick Vet, University of Liverpool and the University of Nottingham’s veterinary schools.

The experience was used to help students understand animal welfare and public health issues relating to the meat industry.

It allows participants to take a virtual tour of a cattle facility, featuring dozens of points of interest and information boards, and includes outhouses such as stores and a feed shed.

Our insights show that real and virtual experiences are valid and complementary, rather than substitutes for one another – ideally, a simulator should not replace a real visit.

Professor Alex Seguino 

Student feedback

Students spent about three hours using the tool and reflecting on their lesson.

Following their experience, a questionnaire sought to check their learnings through a test of virtual scenarios, and to gauge their level of satisfaction with the technology.

In a survey of undergraduates who used the simulator, almost half said it lessened their anxiety around visiting an abattoir.

Students noted it helped them understand legal requirements and potential issues associated with abattoirs and reported that it helped them to revise and to visualise likely scenarios.

This survey validates the VSS as a robust training tool which meets the needs of students, prepares them for a real-life situation and environment.

Professor Alex Seguino

Further development

Feedback on the survey suggested improvements for the simulator including better graphics, more information, real footage, and a more interactive experience.

The team behind the simulator suggest that further research should compare real and online experiences and assess the long-term performance of the app as a teaching tool.

Technological solutions such as the simulator can be very useful in times of educational emergencies like that posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the team adds.

In addition, such methods may be used to train students who are unable to visit a real-life abattoir, for example owing to injury or medical conditions.

In a separate project, the VSS application was used in a summer school with vet students across Europe, to support their learning about the role of abattoirs in public health alongside animal health and welfare, under the Una Europa initiative.

Related links

Scientific publication

Una Europa report featuring the simulator tool