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Frequently Asked Questions about VT-DLP
You are likely to have many questions about the VT-DLP.
The majority of your questions can be answered in the Student Services section in the Student Handbook.
Click here to see a letter from a prospective VT-DLP student and answers to the questions she asked.
If you have a question that is not answered by the VT-DLP web site, you can e-mail the departmental secretary at vtdlp@purdue.edu and your question will be directed to the appropriate staff member.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- Do
I have to be working for a veterinarian to participate in this program?
- How
long does it take to complete this program?
- How
much work is required for each course?
- If
I take courses in the Distance Learning Program, can I transfer to the
on-campus Veterinary Technology program in West Lafayette to finish
up if I choose?
- Would
my credits transfer from a VT-DLP course to the on-campus program if
I were admitted to the on-campus program?
- If
I am taking VT-DLP courses for Continuing Education Credit, can I transfer
these to University Credit at a later date?
- Will all courses be available spring, summer and fall semesters?
Do I have to be working for a veterinarian to participate in this program?
Not for the web-based courses. It's recommended you begin developing a relationship with a veterinarian so when you reach a point where you are wanting to complete the Clinical Mentorship parts of the program you will have a veterinarian who is comfortable working with you on this. See the information about Clinical Mentorship under the VTDL Course section of the home page.
How long does it take to complete this program?
Because the students enrolled in the VT-DLP already have job and family obligations that keep them from coming to an on-campus program, VT-DLP students are going to be taking courses on a part time basis. Most students take between on average about 3-4 credit hours of web-based courses a semester or session. Clinical Mentorships will likely be taken several at a time (e.g. all small animal Clinical Mentorships). At that rate, a student can be expected to complete the program in about 5 years. A student can finish sooner if they take a larger load, but most distance learning students aren't going to be willing to put in the 9 daily hours of study, class work, lab work, and clinical rotations experience that the on-campus students do to complete their program in 2 years.
How much work is required for each course?
General rule of thumb for the Fall and Spring semester is 3 hours of work per week per 1 credit hour of course. So a 3 hour course load = 9 hours per week of study. This doesn't seem like much until you miss a week and get behind for some reason. Keeping on top of the course material is critical! During the summer session, the time for courses is ½ that of the Spring or Fall semester. The summer session is 8 weeks (Fall, Spring are 16 weeks) therefore, the formula for effort is 6 hours of work per week per 1 credit hour course.
If I take courses in the Distance Learning Program, can I transfer to the on-campus Veterinary Technology program in West Lafayette to finish up if I choose?
If you are enrolled in the VT-DLP, you can not transfer directly to the on-campus program. The on-campus program in West Lafayette can accommodate only 30 students and admission into that program is on a competitive basis. VT-DLP students can compete for those 30 spots along with the other applicants for the on-campus program. The open enrollment of VT-DLP is only possible because of a lack of dependence upon a physical building to house and educate students.
Would my credits transfer from a VT-DLP course to the on-campus program if I were admitted to the on-campus program?
The courses in the VT-DLP are designed to be as rigorous academically as the on-campus program courses. Purdue University's policy on academic credit transfer is to handle each request on a course-by-course basis.
If I am taking VT-DLP courses for Continuing Education Credit, can I transfer these to University Credit at a later date?
The policy is CE credit does not transfer into University Credit. A student could conceivably retake a CE Credit course a second time for University Credit and test out of it because of familiarity with the course content. But the course would have to be taken for University Credit. Students will need to decide what their priority is for taking the VT-DLP courses (University Credit or CE Credit).
Will all courses be available spring, summer and fall semesters?
While we are encouraging faculty to offer their courses in the spring, summer, and fall, it may not be possible to do this with all VT-DLP courses. However, it is hoped that as the program progresses and the VT-DLP staff expands, we will be able to accommodate that request and thus provide more flexibility for distance learning students.
Exam Proctor for Didactic Courses
The student identifies a veterinarian, credentialed veterinary technician, or educator who will agree to serve as an examination proctor. The examination proctor may not be a relative of the student.
The role of the examination proctor is to receive the examinations (sent by the VTDLP office directly to the proctor), provide a secure area for the exams to be stored, provide a quiet place for the exam to be given, and return examinations to the VTDLP office immediately after the examination is completed. It is the responsibility of the student to set up dates to take the exam with the proctor. Exam proctors should make sure students do not have access to notes or any
learning materials during the exam. The student must give the examination back to the proctor, who will copy the examination before sealing it in the return envelope. The purpose of the copy is twofold: 1) for the student to review when they receive the exam key and feedback from the instructor and 2) in case the examination is lost in the mail. The exam may not be taken home or out of the facility. If examinations have a time limit; the proctor will be expected to hold the student to the time limit.
Mentor for Clincal Mentorships
The clinical mentorships take place in a veterinary facility that meets the requirements for that particular mentorship. For a listing of mentorships and facility requirements, you can visit the website (www.vet.purdue.edu/vtdl/vtdlhome/VTDLDocuments/mentorship.html). The facility requirements include equipment, supplies and sometimes the species or types of cases necessary to complete the tasks. It is anticipated that you will not be able to complete all the mentorships in one veterinary facility. The AVMA requires that you be exposed to all species of domestic animals so there are requirements that include small animal patients, large animal patients and laboratory animals.Once the student has completed certain didactic courses, he/she will be eligible to take the clinical mentorships. These mentorships involve the completion of tasks and each mentorship is different. The role of veterinarian/credentialed veterinary technician for this portion of the program is that of the "eyes" for Purdue. They observe the student performing the required tasks for the mentorship the required number of times and according to the criteria set by Purdue. While Purdue recognizes that there are different ways to accomplish the tasks, all students are evaluated using the same criteria.
For most tasks, you must submit a video of you completing the task according to Purdue's criteria. It is important for both the student and the mentor to be familiar with the criteria for each task and adhere to them during multiple performances of the task so that during videotaping, the student successfully completes the task. For most tasks, you must submit a video of you completing the task according to Purdue's criteria. Content experts at Purdue are
the final voice on whether or not you have passed a task.