"We want to equip students to adapt to a constantly changing world"

Harold Bok always dreamed of becoming a companion animal veterinarian. He eventually fulfilled that ambition and enjoyed his time as a vet, but his passion for teaching ultimately drew him back to the faculty. Harold took up a position teaching Anatomy and Physiology in Veterinary Medicine and completed his PhD on research into competence-based education. He now serves as vice dean of Education and oversees initiatives such as the overhaul of the Veterinary Medicine Bachelor's and Master's programmes.

So what kind of education does Veterinary Medicine provide?

“Our education centres on the health and well-being of animals, within the broader context of their environment and general public health. We'll need to work together if we aim to tackle current and future societal issues, like preventing the next epidemic or facilitating sustainable and animal-friendly agriculture. That need for collaboration is reflected in our focus on interdisciplinary degree programmes. For example, we're involved in the Bachelor's in Biomedical Sciences, the Master's in Health and Environment and the Bachelor's in Care, Health and Society. The Bachelor's and Master's in Veterinary Medicine and education programmes for professionals are still the cornerstone of our education."

So what have you done to innovate the Bachelor's and Master's in Veterinary Medicine?

"We've updated the Bachelor's programme and completely revamped the Master's. Both programmes now offer more freedom of choice and the courses are more consistent. Students have more opportunities to make choices that reflect their ambitions and talents. Our veterinary education is more focused on primary care, and we're working more closely with veterinary practices. That allows students to prepare more effectively for the professional practice."

"We're also working to develop various generic competences. That's going to remain a key priority moving forward so that we can ease our students' transition to the professional practice. The Master's programme starts with a five-week in-depth course on entrepreneurship and management. Students learn all about finances, human resources, marketing and soft skills like collaboration, communication and conflict management. Basic veterinary knowledge and skills are obviously also essential. You need those to become a good vet."

We let students practise on 3D animal models before they get to work with real animals.

So what other changes have you made to the Master's programme?

"Until recently, students could choose between three Master's programmes: Companion Animals, Equine and Farm Animals. Once you'd decided, you were stuck with your choice and knew exactly what you'd be spending the next two years on. That's all changed in the new Master's programme, where everyone does the same first year in order to build a solid foundation. That's followed by two years of clinical education, the Master's thesis and an optional component with lots of electives."

"In addition to revamping the curriculum, we also increased the number of slots in the Master's programme from 190 to 240 this year. We hope that expansion – along with efforts to align the degree programme more closely with the professional practice and the decision to admit lateral students – will increase the number of veterinarians entering the labour market.

So what role will technical innovations play in your education?

"Among other goals, we're working to reduce the use of laboratory animals in education. As a part of that effort, we'll be using more technical and digital models to replace the use of animals in our Skills Lab. For example, we'll be using virtual reality and augmented reality. We let students practise on 3D animal models before they get to work with real animals. We're actually already doing that with our artificial horse Haptic Horse and artificial cow Breeding Betsy. We also use technologies like eye movement tracking to diagnose movement disorders in horses. We aim to develop more of these innovative teaching aids and genuinely integrate them into our education for students and professionals."

What sort of other developments do you foresee in the coming years?

"I think the types of students enrolling in our Master's programmes will become more diverse. In the coming years, we can expect to see new Master's students from the Animal Sciences Bachelor's at Wageningen University and Utrecht University's new Care, Health and Society Bachelor's as well as our own Veterinary Medicine Bachelor's programme. Students from different backgrounds will be working together and learning from each other, which is a huge plus."

Finally, what do you expect veterinary education to look like five years from now?

"It would be great if we could prepare students and professionals to adjust to the constantly evolving challenges our society faces. That will give them the solid foundation they need for a long-lasting veterinary career. First and foremost, we need to create a learning environment where students feel safe to ask questions, make mistakes, critically reflect on their progress and embrace lifelong learning. Our lecturers should also feel supported and be given the time they need to do what they love most: supervising and helping our students." 

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