Members of the Purdue Veterinary Technology Distance Learning (VTDL) Program team recently traveled to Purdue’s West Lafayette campus for an in-person retreat where they could work together and explore new opportunities for teaching, learning, and student success. The two day retreat focused on strengthening collaboration between the program’s remote and on-campus teams, and represented a significant milestone for the program.
The VTDL team’s last in-person retreat was held in June 2024, and since then the VTDL team has experienced tremendous growth, expanding to approximately four times its previous size. With many team members having joined remotely over the past two years, the retreat provided a valuable opportunity for colleagues to meet face-to-face, strengthen connections, and collaborate on future initiatives.
The retreat began on Monday, September 21, with a series of educational technology demonstrations aimed at enhancing online instruction. Team members explored the capabilities of a program called “Gradescope” for assessment and feedback, and also saw a demonstration by the Purdue Online team of Storyline, which is an eLearning authoring tool used to create interactive, customizable online courses. They also learned about emerging instructional technologies through presentations about H5P and Synthesia. H5P is a tool that helps educators create interactive elements, and Synthesia is a cloud-based platform that helps in creating training and instructional videos from text, scripts, or documents.
While the instructors were exploring enhancements to online instruction, the advising team learned more about artificial intelligence (AI) in academic advising and discussed appropriate ways to incorporate the developing technology into their practice. The advisors then joined with the instructors for the afternoon session, which included an update from the Disability Resource Center (DRC), highlighting resources and considerations that support student accessibility and success.
In addition to professional development, the first day of the retreat also included opportunities for networking and team building. Instructors met with academic advisors over lunch and gathered outside for a team photo in front of the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Continuum sculpture. They also visited with Purdue Veterinary Medicine Dean Bret Marsh, DVM, who stopped by to meet the team and learn more about the Veterinary Technology program’s ongoing initiatives. The first day of the retreat concluded with a team dinner.
Day two of the retreat focused on long-term program development and emerging trends in education. The morning began with a strategic planning session for instructors and advisors where discussions centered on program growth, innovation, and future priorities. In the afternoon, participants toured Purdue’s Spatial Computing Hub, where they explored cutting-edge technologies and applications that may have future relevance to veterinary and distance education.
The final session of the day featured a presented by a Center for Instructional Excellence (CIE) consultant on writing assessment questions and thoughtfully incorporating artificial intelligence into educational practices. The retreat concluded with guided tours of the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital, which gave team members an opportunity to reconnect with the clinical environment that supports many aspects of the veterinary technology curriculum.
The retreat also coincided with the annual Purdue Veterinary Conference, which allowed team members the option to participate in continuing education activities and further enrich their professional development experience.
By bringing together remote and on-campus colleagues, the retreat fostered meaningful collaboration, encouraged the sharing of ideas and best practices, and reinforced the Veterinary Technology program’s commitment to innovation, student success, and excellence in veterinary technology education.
“The collaboration and unity that this in person retreat fostered was invaluable for our Veterinary Technology Program,” said Dr. Mindy Anderson, the Assistant Dean of Veterinary Technology. “It is exciting to bring together our outstanding team members and to sense first-hand their teamwork and the commitment they have to the success of our students and to the growth and advancement of the Vet Tech program.”
