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Megan Branham, DVM

Veterinary COHAT Instructional Plan

Educators have a responsibility to create instructional plans that include teaching

strategies constructed from evidence-based learning theories. Two common theories utilized in

education today are Bandura’s social cognitive theory and brain-based learning theory. These

theories are deeply rooted in research and are the basis for many new and innovative practices.

Using these two learning theories, along with the epistemological theories of John Locke, I

created a lesson plan for teaching the comprehensive oral health assessment and treatment

(COHAT) procedure to veterinary technician students. By basing the lesson activities on

research, I can use best practices to achieve a high level of student success.

The first step in creating the COHAT instructional plan was to divide the subject into

three main topics: dental charting, radiographs, and scaling and polishing procedures. Each topic

has its own learning objectives on which the activities and assessments are based, however many

of the activities must occur simultaneously due to the constraints of a laboratory situation. There

are reading assignments and an online quiz required for each topic that students will complete

prior to the in-person class period. These tasks are designed to ensure students have some base

knowledge that can be applied to the interactive and experiential activities that will take place.

Collaboration will also play a large part during the teaching of the COHAT procedure.

The reason behind this is two-fold. First, veterinary medicine requires teamwork to provide

efficient and precise care to patients. Working together to complete the classroom activities will

enhance the skills needed for students to be successful team players during their career. The

second reason is that collaborative environments have been shown to improve learning as

students are able to discuss the material with each other and gain outside perspectives to broaden

their understanding (Carey, 2015). Collaboration will be used during in-class assignments, but
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also for laboratory procedures. The use of a collaborative learning environment during the

laboratory assignments is based on Bandura’s social cognitive learning theory. Bandura realized

people learn by observing others and then assessing whether to imitate their behaviors based on

the outcome received by the other person (O’Kelley, 2019). Within a group setting, students will

observe their peers performing skills and use this knowledge to develop their own skills.

Each instructional period will begin with an interactive game that will encourage student

participation in the learning process. Game-based learning (GBL) has also been shown to

increase student motivation (Zabala-Vargas et al., 2021) and can decrease the overall stress level

of the classroom. The brain-based learning technique of relaxed alertness is incorporated into the

instructional plan with the use of GBL. Caine et al. (2016) defined relaxed alertness as a

“calmness [that] is accompanied by the engagement of the learner in something of interest” (p.

35). Games are low pressure activities that challenge students to apply prior knowledge to solve

problems. The first game used will teach the symbols associated with dental charting. This is a

bingo-style game in which students are paired up and must interpret pictures or verbal

descriptions given by the instructor to determine if the appropriate symbol is on their game

board. To teach how to properly evaluate and fix dental radiographic images, a game will be

played in which students move around the classroom to classify the diagnostic quality of a

radiograph. Lastly, a Taboo-styled game will assist students in learning the names and functions

of dental instruments. Each of these games requires the use of multiple senses to learn new

material. This sense-rich learning strategy is based on Locke’s epistemology of empiricism that

emphasizes knowledge acquisition through the five senses (Markie, 2017).

The next phase of learning the multiple steps of a COHAT procedure is to perform the

process on a cadaver animal. This allows students to work in a “low threat and high challenge”
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(Caine & Caine, 1991, p. 134) environment, which is a key of the brain-based learning technique

of relaxed alertness. When students are working on an animal that is not alive and therefore

cannot be harmed, it allows them to feel safe to make mistakes and take time to adequately

understand the concepts being taught. Within this laboratory setting, students will be charting,

radiographing, scaling, and polishing the cadaver’s teeth in a group setting. As this learning

environment mimics that of a realistic COHAT procedure, the brain-based learning technique of

orchestrated immersion is also being utilized. Caine and Caine (1991) defined orchestrated

immersion as “the creation of a context that contains new information in a useful and coherent

form” (p. 129). Allowing students to learn using multiple senses in an authentic environment is

also based on Locke’s empiricist learning theory (Markie, 2017). The last brain-based learning

technique, active processing, will also be incorporated into this activity using a reflective class

discussion at the end of the class period. Active processing allows students time to understand

the “why” behind an activity and evaluate the learning process which leads to deeper

understanding (Caine & Caine, 1991).

The final activity included in my instructional design mimics the prior one except the

COHAT procedure is performed on an anesthetized animal. Having a living patient increases the

stress level but provides the students with a more authentic experience. As the procedure takes

place in a controlled laboratory environment, the stress level is still lower than a real-life clinical

setting and therefore, relaxed alertness is still being utilized. Orchestrated immersion and active

processing will also occur during this assignment in the same manner as the cadaver lab. As the

patient will be under anesthesia, there will be additional time constraints on the procedure that

were not present while utilizing a cadaver. Therefore, each student will likely not have the

opportunity to complete all tasks individually. Due to this, during these assignments students will
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be partially learning through vicarious observational learning (Hoover et al., 2012). This learning

combines the ideas of relaxed alertness and Bandura’s theory. It suggests that the observing

students have less stress as they are not performing the task and therefore can activate more parts

of their brain to understand the material. It is noted that active practice must occur after vicarious

observational learning to maximize comprehension. Therefore, it is imperative that all students

are involved in the COHAT procedure. This is addressed during the assessment portion of the

instructional plan. Students will be assessed on their skill competency and will be required to

submit their dental chart and radiographic images created during this laboratory.

Brain-based learning, empiricism, and Bandura’s social cognitive theory were used to

design the COHAT instructional plan. Together, these theories created a collaborative relaxed

learning environment in which students actively processed practical information in a meaningful

way. The incorporation of multiple teaching strategies based on these evidence-based leaning

theories allows for the “development of deeper and more elaborate understanding of new

knowledge" (Borders, 2019, p. 65) among students. When turning theory into practice, educators

can run into some barriers. The most noticeable occurs when attempting to apply a very

generalized theory into a rather narrow practice setting. For example, brain-based learning

involves placing students into an immersive environment but allowing room for mistakes. In my

field, I feel that the best way to learn is by doing and that involves real living creatures where

there is very little room for error. I attempted to mitigate this in this instructional plan by first

having students work with cadavers, but this is not always practical, such as when students are

learning how to read body language of animals. As educators, we must learn how to incorporate

the most applicable aspects of an evidence-based learning theory into our practical setting.
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Lesson Plan: Topic 1

Course Name: Animal Dentistry Course Number: ATE 1412C
Unit: COHAT Topic: Dental Charting
Lesson Duration: 90 minutes

Learning Objective(s): Bloom’s Taxonomy:

The student will become proficient in periodontal charting by:
a. describing the fundamentals of dental charting. ▢ remembering
b. identifying dental instruments used to evaluate the health of ▢ understanding
the periodontium. ▢ applying
c. using the appropriate dental instruments to evaluate the health ▢ analyzing
of the periodontium. ▢ evaluating
d. utilizing the appropriate symbols to complete a dental chart. ▢ creating
Pre-Lesson Activities:
1. Read Clinical Textbook for Veterinary Technicians (9th), pgs. 1222 – 1226
2. Read Veterinary Dentistry: A Team Approach (3rd), pgs. 15 – 19, 161 – 174
3. Complete reading comprehension quiz online.
Instructional Activities:
1. Bingo Symbols Game: Students will divide into pairs and each pair will receive a bingo card
containing symbols used in dental charting. The instructor will randomly show images or
descriptions of dental disease to class. The groups must accurately identify the pathology and
determine which symbol would be used on a dental chart to signify the pathology. If they have that
symbol on their bingo chart, they will mark off that box. The first group to create a row or column
wins the round. Each group will also keep a list of symbols that have been called out. At the end of
the game, a list of all the used symbols will be shown and the group with the most accurate list will
receive a prize.
2. Practice Charting with Cadaver: Students will divide into groups of four. Each group will receive a
cadaver head and be tasked with charting all dental abnormalities found on the cadaver. Each
student will be responsible to probe for one quadrant of the cadaver’s head and write on the dental
chart for another quadrant.
3. Charting Animal under Anesthesia: Students will create dental charts during a live patient exam
prior to anesthesia. Students will then take turns probing at least two quadrants of the patient’s
mouth when the patient is under anesthesia. Each student will be responsible for charting findings.
Materials/Resources: Technology Integration:
a. Bingo cards A presentation with pictures and
b. Pencil descriptions will be utilized during
c. Images and descriptions of pathology the Bingo Symbols game.
d. Dental charts
e. Cadaver heads
f. Dental instruments
g. Live patient
Assessment:
1. Participation in group activities and discussions. Assessment type:
2. Chart: Students will submit a copy of the dental chart created ▢ formative
on the live patient. ▢ summative
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Lesson Plan: Topic 2

Course Name: Animal Dentistry Course Number: ATE 1412C
Unit: COHAT Topic: Dental Radiographs
Lesson Duration: 90 minutes

Learning Objective(s): Bloom’s Taxonomy:

The student will become proficient in dental radiographic techniques for
canines and felines by: ▢ remembering
a. describing when dental radiographs are indicated. ▢ understanding
b. describing the proper positioning of the patient and placement ▢ applying
of intraoral dental films for full mouth radiographic studies. ▢ analyzing
c. create diagnostic dental radiographic images on a patient. ▢ evaluating
d. evaluate dental radiographic images for diagnostic quality and ▢ creating
resolve errors in imaging.
Pre-Lesson Activities:
1. Read Clinical Textbook for Veterinary Technicians (9th), pgs. 1233 – 1234
2. Read Veterinary Dentistry: A Team Approach (3rd), pgs. 222 – 232
3. Watch videos describing pretransfusion testing (Diagnostic Dental Radiographs, Full Mouth Dog
Dental Radiography, and Full Mouth Cat Dental Radiography)
4. Complete reading comprehension quiz online.
Instructional Activities:
1. Fixing Images game: Images of dental radiographs will be shown to the class. Students will have to
move to areas of the room marked normal, foreshortened, or elongated depending on how they
interpret the image’s diagnostic quality. A discussion about how to correct the image (if necessary)
will occur after people have selected their group.
2. Practice Radiographs with Cadaver: Students will divide into groups of four. Each group will
receive a cadaver head and be tasked with performing full mouth radiographs. Each student will
need to complete at least one maxillary and mandibular quadrant.
3. Radiograph Animal under Anesthesia: Students will take turns radiographing maxillary and
mandibular teeth with a patient under anesthesia.
Materials/Resources: Technology Integration:
a. Images of dental radiographs Videos will be watched prior to
b. Cadaver heads lesson to introduce students to
c. Live patient radiographic procedures.
d. Dental radiograph machine A presentation with pictures will
Assessment: be utilized during the Fixing
1. Participation in group activities and discussions. Images game.
2. Images: Students will submit copies of the radiographic images Assessment type:
they produced on the live patient for assessment of diagnostic ▢ formative
quality. ▢ summative
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Lesson Plan: Topic 3

Course Name: Animal Dentistry Course Number: ATE 1412C
Unit: COHAT Topic: Dental Scaling and Polishing
Lesson Duration: 90 minutes

Learning Objective(s): Bloom’s Taxonomy:

The student will become proficient in performing a dental
prophylaxis by: ▢ remembering ▢ analyzing
a. identifying the basic instruments used for hand or power ▢ understanding ▢ evaluating
scaling of teeth. ▢ applying ▢ creating
b. performing all phases of a scaling and polishing.
Pre-Lesson Activities:
1. Read Veterinary Dentistry: A Team Approach (3rd), pgs. 154 – 176
2. Read Clinical Textbook for Veterinary Technicians (9th), pgs. 1238; 1241 – 1246
3. Complete reading comprehension quiz online.
Instructional Activities:
1. Dental Instrument Taboo: Students will divide into two groups. Each group will take turns guessing
a dental instrument in Taboo fashion meaning the person giving clues cannot use certain words to
describe the instrument. The group will have one minute to guess each instrument. The team with
the most points at the end of the game wins.
2. Practice Scaling/Polishing with Cadaver: Students will divide into groups of four. Each group will
receive a cadaver head and be tasked with performing with scaling and polishing the teeth. Each
student will be responsible for one quadrant of the head.
3. Scaling/Polishing Animal under Anesthesia: Students will take turns scaling and polishing patient
teeth with a patient under anesthesia.
Materials/Resources: Technology Integration:
a. Taboo cards with dental instruments and taboo words No technology will be utilized during
b. Cadaver heads this lesson.
c. Live patient
d. Dental instruments
Assessment:
1. Participation in group activities and discussions.
2. Students will be assessed by the professor during the Assessment type:
procedure for competency in scaling and polishing. ▢ formative
▢ summative
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