1Increase the student's responsibility for his/her own learning and instill in each student a sense of commitment to and enthusiasm for his/her own education.

2Improve the student's retention of learned information for a longer period of time by providing a forum in which students have to integrate information from multiple disciplines in order to solve a problem.

3Improve the students understanding of how the basic science material provides the foundation for solving problems, thereby increasing the student's perception of relevance, motivation, and retention of basic science information.

4Create a continuum from the pre-clinical curriculum into the clinical curriculum so that students are exposed to clinical information earlier while simultaneously reinforcing basic science concepts later in the curriculum.

5Develop the skills of acquiring and integrating information and applying the information to solve a problem early in the curriculum, and provide continued opportunities to practice and refine that skill.

6Practice the problem-solving method of hypothesis formulation/speculation, investigation, refinement, and conclusion/diagnosis.

7Increase the student's awareness of the ethical and societal issues in veterinary medicine through discussion of the ethical, legal, and socioeconomic ramifications of the clinical cases presented.

8Foster the development of self-assessment skills and appropriate habits for expanding both knowledge and skills.

9Encourage students to develop good teamwork skills, interpersonal communication skills, and the skills needed to work cooperatively with peers of differing backgrounds, career orientations, and personalities.