From Flat Slides to Interactive Lectures: 3 AI Prompts Veterinary Educators Can Use
PowerPoint is a familiar tool in veterinary education — but too often, decks become static lists of facts rather than engaging learning experiences. With the rise of AI, veterinary educators now have tools to breathe new life into existing slide decks, transforming them into interactive, learner-centered sessions.
The key isn’t just to “add tech.” It’s to use AI to help design interactivity, formative feedback, and case-based application that aligns with the learning outcomes and objectives you intentionally designed for your slides. Here are three AI prompts you can use today to take a flat presentation and build a more dynamic lecture.
1. Prompt for Turning Slides into Case-Based Scenarios
Prompt:
"Take the following lecture slides on [insert topic] and transform them into three short case-based scenarios suitable for veterinary students. Each case should highlight a clinical decision point, include possible options, and provide rationales for the correct response."
Why it works:
AI can contextualize slide content into authentic clinical cases, shifting learners from passive note-taking to active problem-solving. Cases bring clinical relevance forward, encouraging learners to practice diagnostic reasoning rather than memorizing bullet points.
Example:
Instead of listing “causes of canine anemia,” AI can reframe content into a case about a Labrador presenting with lethargy, asking learners which diagnostics they’d prioritize and why.
2. Prompt for Creating Interactive Polls and Questions
Prompt:
"Using the content from these slides on [insert topic], generate 5 interactive polling or quiz questions. Include a mix of recall, application, and analysis-level questions based on Bloom’s Taxonomy. Provide correct answers with explanations, and note which questions could serve as formative checkpoints during the lecture."
Why it works:
Polls break up lectures and provide immediate feedback to both instructor and students. Embedding formative checks keeps learners engaged, ensures understanding, and encourages metacognition.
Example:
From a slide on cardiac physiology, AI can generate quick polling questions: “What’s the most likely cause of a muffled heart sound in this patient?” followed by rationales that support deeper understanding.
3. Prompt for Designing Reflective Wrap-Up Activities
Prompt:
"Take this lecture outline and create two reflective discussion prompts and one short written activity that help learners connect the content to real-world veterinary practice. Ensure that the activities encourage self-reflection and critical thinking."
Why it works:
Reflection activities transform assessment from “right vs. wrong” into opportunities for learners to evaluate their own reasoning. They also help students link classroom knowledge to clinical application, reinforcing long-term retention.
Example:
After a lecture on pharmacology, AI could generate prompts like: “Think of a recent case in which drug interactions posed a challenge. How would today’s material change your approach?”
Why This Matters in Veterinary Education
Veterinary programs are pressed for time, and faculty often juggle heavy teaching loads with clinical responsibilities. AI prompts don’t replace educators — they support them by making it easier to design interactive learning experiences rooted in evidence-based pedagogy.
By reframing static slides into cases, questions, and reflections, educators can improve learner engagement, strengthen reasoning, and better prepare students for becoming a DVM.
Not all lectures need to be rebuilt from scratch. Sometimes, all it takes is the right prompt to turn a flat deck into an interactive, learner-centered experience.
Your Turn
If you’re just beginning to experiment with AI, start small—try one of these prompts and see how it shapes your lecture.
If you need help getting started, or want to dive into more advanced, specialty-specific prompt design, our team at V.E.T.S. can work with you to develop custom AI tools that fit your teaching style and curriculum goals.
Reach out to us here and let’s keep building better tools for veterinary education together—we believe in that old adage that sharing is caring.
References
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2018). How People Learn II: Learners, Contexts, and Cultures. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). (2023). Competency-Based Veterinary Education Framework. Retrieved from avma.org
