The Webinar Vet is delighted to announce that from November 2020 it has taken over the ownership, care and maintenance of WikiVet from its previous care holder, the WikiVet Educational Foundation which has been responsible for the content and maintenance of the site for the past 14 years. The Webinar Vet looks forward to taking WikiVet into a new era of online learning in support of veterinary education as it starts the next phase of its virtual existence.
The WikiVet project originated in 2006 initially involving the creation of WikiPath, a small project to provide access to the veterinary pathology undergraduate curriculum. In 2007, when academics from the veterinary schools of Cambridge, Edinburgh and the Royal Veterinary College came together to collaborate and expand these resources, WikiVet was born. The team were joined by the University of Nottingham veterinary school (2008) and continued to enhance the site to include most aspects of the curriculum of the Veterinary Sciences as taught in the UK.
The vision of WikiVet has from the outset been to enhance veterinary education through the provision of free online resources to students and practitioners worldwide, and by the use of new opportunities offered by web-based technologies to support veterinary lifelong learning. This support of improved veterinary education through the sharing of high quality open educational resources can then assist the maintenance of animal health standards and support of human health and livelihood across the globe.
Commenting on the transition, Anthony Chadwick founder of The Webinar Vet said:
“WikiVet is an amazing resource for the veterinary profession. I’m so happy that The Webinar Vet has been able to support WikiVet in its evolution. I’m really excited to see what the future holds for this fabulous platform!”
Prof Susan Rhind BVMS, PhD, FRCPath, PFHEA, MRCVS Chair of Veterinary Medical Education and Director of Veterinary Teaching at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies added:
“WikiVet has for many years provided valuable support for students of veterinary science around the world. Having struggled in recent years to find the financial support it has needed to survive, I am delighted that a means has now been found for it to continue to offer such a range of reliable core information – free to its users.”
Gillian Brown – PFHEA NUIT Project Manager, Newcastle University and Former Trustee of WikiVet Educational Foundation also commented:
“At a time when all aspects of veterinary education are under strain, it is reassuring to see that the continued existence of a supportive resource such as WikiVet has been secured by this move. I wish it, and all those who may make use of its content, every success for the future.”
Dr. Bev Panto BVetMed BSc (Hons) CertAVP (ZooMed) PGCert (VE) FHEA MRCVS RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Zoological Medicine, Honorary Lecturer University of Liverpool and Former Trustee of WikiVet Educational Foundation also added:
“After a number of years of struggle to keep WikiVet viable and freely available for its users, I am really pleased to see it now moving to a more secure base. Having used the site myself since my student days, I am thrilled that students around the world will be able to continue to benefit from this fantastic resource, and through my recently appointed role with the new HKVS vet school, it is great to see that the students have already started relying on WikiVet to support their studies!”
No action is required by existing members to continue to use WikiVet at this time.
Any necessary changes in instruction on how to log-in to the site in future will be provided by a further email to existing members.
If you are a member and require support at any time regarding continued use of the website, or would like to make changes to your account or to delete it, please email wikivet@thewebinarvet.com.
