Beerend Hierck (PhD) is a researcher, educational innovator, and head of the veterinary SkillsLab. He has been working at the Utrecht University Veterinary Medicine faculty since November 2021. Before that, he worked at Leiden University Medical Center.

Research

Together with Prof. Daniela Salvatori he leads a research group at the Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Clinical Sciences, which focuses on using eXtended Reality (XR) technology to improve spatial knowledge acquisition (“3D-learning”) and clinical competence. He developed AvatarZOO, which is a price-winning XR application currently used for Microsoft HoloLens 2, that allows students to interact with a digital 3-dimensional anatomy model of various animal species. In addition, AvatarZOO now also supports clinical competence development, without the need for (experimental) animals. Research projects at the vet faculty focus on 1) Personalized implementation into the curriculum, 2) Determining cognitive load while working in a digital 3D learning environment, and 3) Clinical competence development. Please find my published research under the Publications tab.

SkillsLab

The Veterinary SkillsLab is an animal-free simulation lab where students can work on their clinical skills. The organization of the SkillsLab is transitioning into a future-proof open workspace that is accessible for students to train their competencies and prepare themselves for clinical procedures. Available simulation models vary from low-fidelity models, like suture patches, to high-fidelity models like computerized K9 models and XR headsets.

Educational Innovation

As an educational innovation expert, Beerend Hierck helps staff and students with innovation projects.