Hello - Peej a Vet Tech student here. Taking online education classes at PF has been a true learning experience. I am having a positive experience on the whole and would like to offer my two cents worth. 1) Communication between instructors and students needs to be streamlined. I have rarely contacted an instructor, and when I have the process took far too long - 8 days for a response. 2) Quality of the instructors lectures could be optimized. The lectures are really just the instructor reading power-point slides verbatim. I'd love to see a real lecture (like Dr. McCurnin's) covering the information with examples, and clinical correlation when applicable. A great way to retain new information is to relate it to what we may already know or have experienced. 3) Shipment of books - WOW, needs a drastic reworking. It takes way too long, and telling a student that "online" books are available and "the better choice" is NOT a solution. I require a book to hold, and read, and highlight and dog-ear and study from. Thanks but online technology misses the mark for me....and if a students shipments are delayed, as many are, and they miss the deadline for the semester, is it fair that PF should be able to penalize them for going over the allotted time? 4) In a program such as Vet tech, the students should NOT have to find their own practicum sites for clinical requirements. I was surprised that the contacts we were given (Banfield, VCA etc) were really just names - not solid contacts with knowledge of what we would be required to do. If PF requires it, it should be a part of the set up and scheduling as well. (Kinda like requiring a student to find their own clinical experiences if they are in nursing school-or blood drawing experience when in phlebotomy school - doesn't happen that way) Some students have never worked in the field, and have NO clue where to begin or how. 5) Proctored Exams - OK...so there has to be a better way. Some can take online proctored exams but some can't - needs to be addressed...and one hour for essay exams? NEVER, at the two colleges and one university I studied at before PF, were we ever given such a short time for a blue book (essay style) exam...2 hrs was the norm..wow - and why are we required to go "old school" anyway? Surely there are online secure exam set ups if you are offering it to the "online" textbook folks. Overall I am hopeful that I am learning what I need to succeed in the field...I really have no way of knowing for sure and time will tell. I would like to feel more a part of the program I am in, and enjoy the community offerings.
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