Abstract:

This project is contextualized in the degree of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Zaragoza (Spain) as a result of the implantation of the Bologna plan. The aim is to establish a possible link between subjects and try to ascertain overlapping contents in the degree syllabus.
The overall objective of the project is the design of a conceptual map about the relation among the subjects of the degree of Veterinary Medicine.

Specific objectives are considered the following:
- Define necessary contents of a subject that enable to acquire the necessary skills to pursue others.
- Relate interdisciplinary subjects to determine their transversal contents and demonstrate their interconnection.
- Create a conceptual map of potential overlaps in contents.
- Vertical (relating each subject from 1st to 5th module) and horizontal (per year) coordination of the different subjects of the degree of Veterinary Medicine.

Methods:
- Development of an Excel template with the subjects of the degree in a chronological order, called matrix of contextualization.
- Comparison of the syllabus of the subjects by SafeAssign tool from the free Blackboard platform CourseSites.
- Development of a matrix of overlapping contents extracted from the syllabus of the teaching guide.

Results:
The overview of the contextualization matrix showed:
- Clear separation of the basic of the subjects respect to the rest of the degree.
- Subjects with strong social competences are difficult to contextualize in the degree.
- Some of the optional subjects are strongly related with other disciplines of the degree, but in the case of others, its professional contents orientate to a more specific education.
-Overlapping content has been detected in the integration subjects. These subjects are complex to manage because they are multi-departmental and usually are difficult to integrate.

The study has not found significant overlaps in the syllabus but it is considered that a deeper study of the real contents of the programs should be done during next year, specially focusing on specific disciplines and using evidence to complement other programs. The project has served as a comprehension strategy and organization content of the degree.

Keywords:

Veterinary Degree, Syllabus, overlapping, Related contents, Conceptual Maps.