Veterinary college accreditor creates distance education policies

Many veterinary programs are already using distance education (DE), whether they know it or not. Online courses, recorded video lectures, video conferencing, teleconferencing, and hybrid learning, all take place in the online classroom.

The AVMA Council on Education (COE) approved new policies on DE now that the council’s scope has been expanded to include that modality by the U.S. Department of Education. Revisions to the COE’s Accreditation Policies and Procedures (P&P) Manual were approved at the council’s March meeting.

Notably, these policies do not allow clinical training to be delivered via DE. Online learning can supplement laboratory and clinical skills instruction but cannot replace hands-on, in-person training, according to an April 1 letter from the council to stakeholders.

“As distance education continues to evolve, the veterinary educational community is expected to adapt along with it, and future policy revisions are anticipated. However, the central goal remains unchanged: ensuring that technology enhances student learning while maintaining an educational experience that prepares students for professional practice in a collaborative, in-person environment,” the letter states.

Stakeholder feedback

In November 2024, the COE’s recognition as an accreditor was extended by the U.S. secretary of education. As part of the recognition, the education secretary is requiring the COE to assure that it is in compliance with federal regulations regarding accreditation of programs using distance education.

In preparation, the COE surveyed its accredited and provisionally accredited programs from November 2024 through January to understand how and why DE is being used, what resources are available for support, and the outcomes.

The COE also collected over 1,300 comments from veterinary faculty, students, and veterinarians across the country. The council also consulted with leading experts on the delivery and accreditation of DE.

The review highlighted that there are very limited outcomes data available on the use of distance education in veterinary education. That’s according to a 46-minute learning module the council created to help veterinary educators, administrators, and COE site visitors understand and ensure compliance with the new policies.

“Most available studies are from the COVID era and may not apply to current settings. Similarly, outcomes data from higher and graduate level medical education are scarce, limiting strong evidence to support its use,” the module narrator said.

Notably, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education—the accrediting body for medical education programs leading to the MD degree—does not have a section dedicated to distance learning in its standards for accreditation. Neither does the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, which accredits medical education programs that lead to the DO degree.

A clear mandate came from all stakeholder groups’ responses to the COE’s survey: No clinical, skills-based, or laboratory instruction via DE. Rather, the consensus was that DE is best used to support education and limited replacement of in-person instruction.

“To meet the current moment, the council acknowledged that policies must establish clear guidelines for the use of DE to make sure that educational quality is maintained. Opportunities to enhance education through technology can be recognized and the continued evolution of such policies must be possible,” according to the module.

New policies and procedures

The new COE policies on distance education say that programs must do the following:

• Remain predominantly residential. Any use of DE must align with curriculum goals, be properly overseen, and meet all policy requirements.
• Have a provision of clear guidelines for oversight and approval of DE. This does not apply to guest lectures, unexpected scheduling changes, or emergency sessions, among other scenarios.
• Invest in technology, faculty training, and financial resources to support high-quality distance education. They must also maintain secure, accessible technology for learning and assessment as well as have evidence of active involvement of instructional design and technology staff members in supporting development, delivery, and improvement of DE.
• Regularly assess DE offerings using data on student performance, feedback, and success. Overall assessment of courses should ensure learning outcomes are comparable across in-person and online modalities.
• Ensure DE courses include regular and substantive interaction between faculty and students, using accepted course design models and that at least 85% of the preclinical curriculum and 50% of direct instruction must be delivered in person.

All veterinary colleges currently using DE in their program will be required to submit a substantive change request by late summer. This covers “any course where technology serves as the primary means of student instructor interaction,” the module narrator says.

Council-accredited programs cannot use DE until their request has been approved by the COE. The COE can either approve the request, approve it with a requirement for additional reporting, require a focused site visit to further evaluate the request, or deny the request. Regardless, none of the actions change the program’s accreditation status.