Ontario Agricultural College

Key Individuals: Lawrence Goodridge, Christine Baes, and Colleagues

The visit to the University of Guelph offered a comprehensive overview of experiential and work-integrated learning in animal sciences and related fields. Within the past year, the college launched a master’s program that combines academic coursework with internships and co-op experiences through partnerships with faculty and industry employers. The IAEF 6030 course code is used college-wide to support paid internships of at least 420 hours, typically during the summer semester. Students apply through platforms like Experience Guelph, with eligibility tied to program alignment, application activity, and full-time enrollment.

Preparation workshops equip students with job search skills and workplace readiness, while placement is facilitated through systems such as Rank and Match or the Direct Match Open System. About 80% of students secure placements, with support available for those who do not. Successful completion of the internship course is required for credit, and policies are in place for students unable to fulfill the experience. Employers must meet liability and workplace standards, while students are responsible for independently sourcing and applying for opportunities.

Experiential learning at Guelph extends beyond the master’s internship program. Opportunities include co-ops, practicums, capstone projects, applied courses (i.e., welfare judging, dairy challenges, event management), and unique experiences like “mini-masters” and independent research modules. Faculty also employ labs and virtual simulations to expand access, particularly when resources or scheduling pose challenges. Industry engagement is emphasized through guest lectures, critique sessions, and collaborations such as the animal welfare rotation, where students present research directly to stakeholders.

Faculty highlighted both challenges and successes. Barriers include limited resources to support all students, infrastructure constraints that restrict animal-based experiences, funding pressures spread across departments, and oversubscription of resource-intensive courses. Some faculty also expressed uncertainty about the broader purpose and integration of experiential learning within their teaching capacity. Additional important things to note included: paid versus unpaid, insurance coverage, liability, and compliance with the Employer Standards Act.

At the same time, several strengths stood out: structured partnerships with industry for capstone and practicum experiences, including the use of simulation-based learning to broaden access; targeted job preparation workshops, and employer engagement through events, critiques, and guest presentations. Faculty agreed that the master’s internship program and course-based experiential opportunities underscore a curriculum that values internships over summer jobs and ensures that program mapping translates into meaningful, career-relevant learning experiences.

Johnston Hall, a historic landmark at the University of Guelph, where NC State Food Animal Initiative personnel met with University of Guelph faculty to discuss future collaborations supporting NC State’s mission.

Visit to the Meat Processing Center

As part of the visit, the group toured the University’s Meat Processing Center, a campus-operated facility that provides students with hands-on experience in meat science, food safety, and processing techniques. This center serves as both a teaching and training space, offering courses that integrate practical skill development with an understanding of food animal processing systems. In addition to supporting student learning, the facility produces and sells meat products to the public and university entities, reflecting an emphasis on applied learning and engagement.

Visit to Dairy at Guelph

The group also visited the Dairy at the Guelph Research Station, which offered insight into how the University partners with industry to conduct innovative research benefiting faculty, students, and external stakeholders. The facility exemplifies how academic and industry collaborations advance applied research in areas such as animal nutrition, health, genetics, and welfare, while also supporting student learning through direct exposure to real-world dairy operations.

Touring the University of Guelph’s Meat Lab and pictured from left to right are Food Animal Initiative personnel Dennis Duncan, Joy Morgan, and Mikayla Daniels, alongside Christine Baes, Dean of External Relations at University of Guelph, whose support was instrumental in making this study tour possible.

Ontario Veterinary College

Key Individuals: Derek Haley, Anne Schwanke, Todd Duffield

The Animal Welfare Judging Course and its associated Dairy Cattle Rotation Program at the University of Guelph are nationally recognized, highly structured experiences situated within the Ontario Veterinary College, which houses 400 graduate students college-wide and 160 within the department. The program was originally catalyzed by a national dairy cattle welfare scandal and has evolved with a clear emphasis on linking science-based animal welfare practices to both veterinary education and industry application.

Funding for these initiatives is secured through long-term partnerships, notably with the Saputo Dairy Care Program, which has ensured 15 years of stable support for the program. This collaboration targets senior veterinary students, especially those interested in food animals, but participation is also extended to veterinarians, producers, and students from Canada, the US, and the UK, with travel subsidies provided to reduce financial barriers.

The dairy cattle rotation is organized as a week-long initiative, offered twice annually (late November and early February). Its curriculum begins with foundational knowledge, including definitions of animal welfare, a review of hot topics from multiple national perspectives, regulatory standards, and major industry animal care programs. However, experiential experiences are central to its objectives. Students participate in farm visits, conduct animal-based welfare assessments (such as body condition and lameness scoring), tour calf-raiser and veal farms along with research centers, attend auctions, and engage in structured reflective and debriefing sessions. “Expose Exercises” use real-world scenarios and videos to challenge students to formulate welfare recommendations tailored to different audiences, balancing what the law requires, what industry standards prescribe, and what best practices suggest.

The program requires students to distill these experiences into presentations, where teamwork and faculty mentoring drive group projects aimed at solving farm-level welfare challenges. Presentations are typically delivered to the farm’s own veterinarians to facilitate direct knowledge transfer, as communication and stakeholder engagement are key capstone goals.

Cohorts are purposefully small (typically 6–12 students), both to maximize engagement and because of facility constraints. Notably, while there’s strong external demand, in its earliest years the program initially struggled to attract Guelph’s own students as participants. Block enrollment and first-come-first-served or lottery systems now manage over-subscription.

Recognizing the challenge of program adoption and buy-in, the faculty have found that inviting respected industry practitioners and outside experts (rather than only local faculty) increases student engagement. Small group meals and informal time together also foster mentoring relationships. The program regularly invites faculty from other institutions to contribute to broaden perspectives and strengthen its relevance beyond Guelph-centered problems. Complementing the rotation, a two-year herdsperson apprenticeship program allows dairy producers to access targeted coursework without completing a formal diploma.

A curious cow greets visitors during a tour of the 175,000-square-foot Ontario Dairy Research Centre at the Elora Research Station, an advanced facility supporting dairy and cattle research initiatives at the University of Guelph.

Program Reflections

The University of Guelph’s initiatives demonstrate notable strengths in curriculum mapping and in linking theoretical instruction with practical application through a range of applied, competitive, and flexible learning pathways. At the same time, discussions underscored barriers such as limited resources and the ongoing challenge of aligning student interests with industry expectations. Programs such as the Animal Welfare Practicum were highlighted as particularly successful examples of industry-responsive training, offering targeted skill development and strong stakeholder engagement. In contrast, the broader master’s internship models lacked clear mechanisms for identifying and embedding industry-driven competencies, resulting in gaps in both structure and purpose. These observations provide beneficial insights for the design and refinement of comparable initiatives at NC State University in balancing scalability with the need for targeted, industry-aligned outcomes.

Sincere appreciation is extended to all of the key individuals for organizing such an engaging and informative visit. Christine Baes and Larry Goodridge were instrumental in setting up the agenda for this University of Guelph experience. Appreciation is also due to the many faculty and staff members who, though not individually named, played an integral role in shaping this experience.

Attended by: Mikayla Daniels, Dr. Dennis Duncan, and Dr. Joy Morgan