Critical reflections of second-career veterinary nurse academics on the design and delivery of a novel online master’s programme

Abstract

Critical reflection can help educators resolve some of the ambiguity, conflict, and complexity of their daily practice. It can support professional learning and may help practitioners to develop phronesis, or a wisdom of practice. The experiences of veterinary nurse educators and academics are hereto unexplored. This self-study research applies a nine dimensions of critical reflection model to analyse the experiences of two second-career academics during the development and delivery of a novel online veterinary nursing master’s programme. Critical friend conversations and contemporary records were utilised in the data analysis and interpretation. For the academics, professional and personal tensions were resolved around quality of teaching, student engagement, legitimate knowledge, and hierarchy. Students benefitted from being taught by reflexive individuals who were willing to receive feedback, respond actively to make changes to learning and teaching, and who sought to understand the challenges they faced. The model of inquiry supported engagement in reflection as a means of professional development and knowledge creation and could be utilised by other educators and academics.