Student testimonial
Jan-Willem Heesakkers’ experience
The online Food Technology courses offer professionals in the food industry the opportunity to deepen, broaden and update their expertise. The courses can be taken separately or as a fully online master's programme. Curious to hear the opinions of course participants?
The module had a lot of depth and consisted of diverse, useful and stimulating learning material.
What knowledge where you looking for?
I wanted to refresh my knowledge of microbiology so I could better assess the microbial risks involved in trial installations of production processes in the context of safety management. I don’t need to be an expert in this area, but I felt the need to expand my knowledge so that I could do better work. Fortunately, my employer NIZO was also willing to invest in my plan.
Why did you choose this online course?
When looking for an online programme, I came across the website of Wageningen University & Research (WUR). Because I had studied at WUR, the information immediately felt familiar; in addition, the course in Advanced Food Microbiology offered what I was looking for. The price-quality ratio was also an attractive factor.
What was your experience with the course?
For four weeks I spent one workday and one free day on the module. I had to consciously schedule this time, but it provided me with a lot of new knowledge in a short period. The module had a lot of depth and consisted of a lot of learning material, enough for about 75 study hours. Demanding, especially combined with my work, but also diverse, useful and stimulating. The module is a mix of knowledge clips, recorded lectures and slides with blocks of information. Thanks to the interim test and the practice exam, I had mastered the material well enough to pass the final exam. In retrospect, I can say that it was a good experience.
Do you have any tips for others?
The interim contact with professors was digital and satisfactory. I would have enjoyed face-to-face contact or a phone call, but perhaps more people have to get used to this. I can definitely recommend this module to others! But it’s a good idea to first check to see if your basis knowledge is sufficient for taking the course you want.
Do you have questions about an online Food Technology course? For example, whether or not your previous education is sufficient to be able to follow the course of your choice? Then contact Chantal Doeswijk, who will be happy to help you.