In the summer of 2024, AU Viborg – Denmark’s green campus – opened its doors to the first group of students in the Animal Science, Plant and Food Science, and Veterinary Medicine degree programmes.

When twenty-three eager students stepped into the field of animal science for the first time, it was a memorable day. Particularly for senior researcher Tine Rousing and assistant professor Maria Eskildsen from the Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences. They are the heads of the degree programme for Animal Science and have played a key role in developing the new degree. Both have been involved since work began in 2022.

“I have taught before, but creating an actual degree programme is like entering uncharted territory,” says Tine Rousing.

Finding an identity

“The very first step was to hold a large workshop with the employer panel and to send out a questionnaire to understand which skills are in demand. It is essentially irrelevant what we think we would like to teach if no one can make use of it afterwards,” explains Maria Eskildsen. She continues:

“From these insights, we learned that potential employers are seeking graduates who not only have expertise in animals yielding marketable produce, but also animals like dogs, cats, and horses. Everyone is familiar with veterinary studies, which focus on curing sick animals. Hence, we decided to focus on how to keep already healthy animals in human care healthy, as academic knowledge in this area had proven to be in demand.”

Early in the process, a faculty management decision was also made to establish a unified didactic vision for the new degree programmes at AU Viborg:

1. Student-centred education
2. Close to practice and profession
3. Research-oriented education
4. Competences for today.

Accordingly, efforts are centred around an integrated curriculum:

“We do not have math for the sake of mathematics or chemistry for the sake of chemistry. It is not that math and chemistry are absent from the programme, but everything is anchored in the disciplines of animal science. And due to our location, we have a unique opportunity, which allows us to offer the students applied teaching with animals from day one,” explains Tine Rousing.

The CED’s role as coordinator and didactic collaborator

While the teaching staff handle the animal science content, the CED has provided support throughout the process:

“The CED has been involved throughout, from facilitating workshops to defining the qualification profile for the degree programme and the learning outcomes for the courses. This enabled us to get through these processes much faster – and with greater professionalism," explains Maria Eskildsen.

“And, of course, then there is also the didactic collaboration. The CED has helped us validate the didactic choices we made. For example, they have challenged us on the types of examination and helped us design a Brightspace structure that is consistent and recognisable across all courses,” adds Tine Rousing.

Maria Eskildsen mentions another example: 

“Specifically, I will be the course coordinator for a second-semester course, where we have to teach the students oral communication. In connection with this, we had the CED stop by to hold a workshop on the topic. It is not that the CED has decided how the course should be structured. But it has given us inspiration for what we can do.”

Each semester includes a course in which the students have to complete a project that integrates content from all the courses offered that semester. For this purpose, the CED has also helped develop a new learning resource for students on how to work in groups and project-orientated:

“Here, the students learn to take responsibility for their learning, engage in project work, and collaborate in groups. This is, after all, a discipline in its own right,” concludes Tine Rousing.

A new phase for Animal Science

After two years of intensive work to develop the animal science programme, Tine Rousing and Maria Eskildsen have now entered a new phase. The two heads of the degree programme face new challenges as they work to ensure that the programme meets its established goals.

“Now we have reached the stage where we must manage ongoing activities. And still, many questions arise. So, moving forward, we will certainly reach out to the CED when we need to adjust and make quality checks to ensure we are still on the right track. Among other things, we need to do course evaluations and do student interviews to gather data,” explains Tine Rousing.

“We are not done – we never will be. After all, it will still be five years before the first graduates embark on their careers. So, we do not yet know how well it all worked out. The goal is for the students to go out and secure a relevant job where they can succeed and thrive. This is where the real test lies,” concludes Maria Eskildsen.

How can the CED help you?

The CED is involved in both small and large-scale collaboration – everything from designing engaging teaching activities and courses to degree programme development and AU strategic initiatives, such as student onboarding, motivational teaching and learning environments, and highly qualified graduates with relevant competencies.

If you seek collaboration on a university pedagogical development project or process, you can book a consultant. If you submit a request via the form, we will make sure you are matched with the best-suited consultant or team.