Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Apr 2000

Learning-To-Communicate and Communicating-To-Learn in Veterinary Medicine: A Survey of Writing, Speaking, and Reading in Veterinary Medical Curricula

Isabelle Thompson Auburn University ; Charles M. Hendrix

Abstract

This article reports the results of a survey of thirty-one colleges of veterinary medicine in the United States and Canada to identify common writing, speaking, and reading tasks performed by veterinary medical students and practicing veterinarians. From the twenty-seven colleges that responded (87% response rate), we learned that writing, speaking, and reading tasks are assigned in almost every veterinary medical course and that the communication tasks assigned in veterinary medical courses accord well with the communication tasks expected to be performed by practicing veterinarians. Along with these learning-to-communicate tasks, veterinary medical students are also assigned communicating-to-learn tasks. Unlike many of the writing-to-learn tasks associated with writing-across-the-curriculum programs, communicating-to-learn tasks in veterinary medical courses seem concerned with teaching students to think like veterinary medical practitioners. The emphasis on communication in veterinary medical curricula is probably due to some extent to the emphasis on problem-based learning, a curricular innovation popular in veterinary medical education. Problem-based learning requires that instruction be designed around cases or problems to be solved rather than topics or information to be covered. This merging of research and practice in the education of veterinary medical students may offer lessons for the education of professional practitioners in technical communication.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
2000-04-01
DOI
10.2190/meve-wb1f-eyb2-y1h1
CompPile
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Open Access
Closed
Topics
teacher development technical communication
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (3)

  1. Reed (2018)
    Building on Bibliography: Toward Useful Categorization of Research in Rhetorics…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Russell (2007)
    Rethinking the Articulation Between Business and Technical Communication and Wr…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  3. Thompson (2004)
    Sex Differences in Technical Communication: A Perspective from Social Role Theory
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

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