VHL lecturers are ‘innovative’

The task of lecturers in the applied sciences is to develop knowledge together with those working in the field and to be innovative in their teaching. Wim Timmermans and Hans Hopster have fulfilled these tasks very successfully, according to an external visitation committee. But their innovations need to take root in all the degree programmes. Wim Timmermans, lecturer on Green Cities at VHL Velp, was the first VHL lecturer to come under scrutiny. ‘I signed up for it. I wanted advice from the committee on how I could develop the department further. And they give advice that the school should act on.’ Opinions are often divided on the subject of urban and rural development. ‘Because Timmermans combines various angles and disciplines in action research, refreshing new solutions often emerge,’ says the committee. Timmermans provided teaching material for the Garden and Landscape Design and the Forest and Nature Management programmes, but the committee would like to see his approach being adopted across the board in the Velp degree programmes. Hans Hopster, lecturer in Animal Welfare at VHL Leeuwarden since 2003, has had the same advice. Hopster monitors animals to establish their level of wellbeing and produces controversial studies on the welfare of household pets and circus animals. His group has shared a lot of knowledge about animal welfare with teachers of nature-related subjects via Dierenwelzijnsweb (animal welfare web). He developed two minor modules at VHL and a course on Animal Welfare for vocational tertiary schools. Now Hopster would like to focus more on people’s perceptions of animal welfare. For this reason he is seeking links with the social sciences.