Source: UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE submitted to
DEVELOPMENT OF A FOOD SECURITY CERTIFICATE PROGRAM, UTILIZING FOOD4VOLS, A FOOD UPCYCLING PROGRAM ON A COLLEGE CAMPUS
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1031620
Grant No.
2024-70003-41451
Cumulative Award Amt.
$740,000.00
Proposal No.
2023-05288
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Dec 1, 2023
Project End Date
Nov 30, 2026
Grant Year
2024
Program Code
[ER]- Higher Ed Challenge
Project Director
Kwon, J.
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE
2621 MORGAN CIR
KNOXVILLE,TN 37996-4540
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The juxtaposition of food abundance and food insecurity on college campuses is astonishing. While much usable food is wasted in foodservice establishments, food insecurity challenges on college campuses persist. Food4VOLS, a food-upcycling program on a college campus, demonstrated its effectiveness in improving campus food security and reducing food waste while presenting an opportunity to teach food security. Therefore, the purpose of this project is to develop a food security certificate program. Aligning with HEC Program Goal #1, this project aims to strengthen institutional capacities by developing a certificate program curriculum with instructional support materials for well-identified food and agricultural science educational needs in food security. Specifically, we aim to (a) promote innovative teaching of food insecurity challenges and practical solutions to students majoring in food, agricultural, natural resources, and human sciences (FANH), (b) prepare and pilot-test a food-upcycling program on three collaborating institutions as a laboratory course modeling Food4VOLS, and (c) disseminate developed courses and instructional support materials via online repository for other programs to utilize. Deliverables include (a) formal courses for the food security certificate (e.g., syllabi, educational modules, references, and other student engagement strategies), (b) an operation manual for a food-upcycling program, and (c) a resource website to share developed materials, which will extend the project's reach beyond the funding period. Key outcomes include (a) increased food security knowledge of faculty and students in various disciplines, (b) increased frequency and duration of food security education, and (c) ultimately, reduced food insecurity on college campuses and beyond.
Animal Health Component
60%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
40%
Applied
60%
Developmental
0%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
70450103020100%
Knowledge Area
704 - Nutrition and Hunger in the Population;

Subject Of Investigation
5010 - Food;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;
Goals / Objectives
The overarching goal of this proposed project is to develop a food security certificate program at three collaborating institutions, utilizing Food4VOLS, a food upcycling program developed at UTK, as a model for an experiential learning laboratory experience. Specifically, the project team aims to:Objective 1. Develop an experiential learning laboratory course using Food4VOLS as a model,Objective 2. Identify existing didactic courses and develop new courses with instructional support materials for the food security certificate program at three collaborating institutions,Objective 3. Pursue institutional approval for the certificate program and associated courses,Objective 4. Teach the food-upcycling laboratory and one additional course as a special topics course at each collaborating institution and assess student learning outcomes, andObjective 5. Disseminate project outputs and deliverables (e.g., developed course modules, instructional support materials, program assessment tools, and a curriculum map) through academic publications, presentations, and a resource website.
Project Methods
?Assess the current status of and interests in food security education in U.S. baccalaureate institutions: Educator interviews, educator survey, and student survey (Year 1) Target Population and Participant Selection: The target population of this section of the project is faculty members and students in FANH programs related to food security. The participants will be recruited from the above-listed programs at land-grant universities. The department heads, program directors, or deans of relevant programs will receive an email requesting to forward the survey invitation to their faculty and undergraduate students. Instrument Development: To develop the faculty survey instrument, interviews will be conducted with approximately 30 faculty members in a variety of disciplines. Each faculty member will be asked to share (a) current coverage of food security in their classes, (b) perceived challenges with food insecurity on their campus, (c) current efforts to mitigate food insecurity on their campus, (d) barriers to food security education in their program, and (e) desired educational resources that will motivate and help them to teach food security in their program. Based on educator interviews, a tentative faculty survey questionnaire will be developed including five sections described above, followed by demographic information. The tentative student survey questionnaire will include (a) perceived food insecurity on their campus, (b) types and quality of available food, (c) previous education experience in food security content area, (d) interest in food security certificate program, and (e) demographic information. Data Collection and Analysis: Once finalized, surveys will be transferred to an online survey platform (i.e., Qualtrics), and pilot-tested with students and faculty members in selected programs at UTK, UofSC, and MSU. Data from the pilot-study will be used to evaluate internal consistency and usability of the final survey instrument. Subsequently, survey invitations will be sent to department heads, school directors, or deans of targeted disciplines related to food security in land-grant universities to solicit participation of their faculty and undergraduate students. While we cannot estimate the number of participants in these surveys, we estimate over 100 faculty members and 400 students participating in these surveys. Once data collection is completed, descriptive and inferential statistics will be calculated to summarize the data and draw meaningful conclusions from the data with p<0.05. Findings from the surveys will be used for finalizing program learning outcomes and the development plan for courses and educational resources, as well as revising existing course learning outcomes to address the topics of food insecurity, food waste, and food upcycling.Develop an experiential learning laboratory course using Food4VOLS as a model (Obj. 1)Food4VOLS has made a significant impact on the UTK campus, effectively reducing food waste (119,427 lbs in 2022) and serving 300 meals daily on campus. An experiential learning laboratory modeling Food4VOLS may ignite developing a campus-wide food upcycling program. The course descriptions, course learning outcomes, lecture and laboratory content and sequence, and assignments and evaluation protocol will be developed. In addition, for this unique learning opportunity, each school will identify their food suppliers (e.g., campus dining facilities, grocery stores, and food rescue programs) and distribution outlets (e.g., on-campus pantry). With consultation from Chef Tyler White, director of Food4VOLS, the project team will develop the course plans. Chef White will visit and assist instructors at UofSC and MSU. At the same time, the project team will create an implementation manual for campus dining services to develop a food upcycling program. See Table 1 for potential learning modules of this lab course.Identify existing didactic courses and develop new courses with instructional support materials for the food security certificate program at three collaborating institutions (Obj. 2)Three collaborating universities have several courses that may be included in the proposed food security certificate program. Based on the tentative PLOs, the existing courses are identified along with new courses to be developed during the project period (Table 2). PDs will ensure that the existing courses cover PLOs and that student learning outcomes are measured. Once existing courses are identified, new courses will be developed to cover the PLOs. Course descriptions, course objectives, topics, assignments, testing materials, case studies, and other instructional support materials will be developed along with assessment plans. For student engagement, the team will develop instructional videos, case studies, and other resources.Obtain institutional approval for the certificate program and associated courses (Obj. 3)According to the course and curriculum review protocols at each institution, the PDs will work together to prepare materials for the course and curriculum review. PDs will submit applications for the food security certificate program and new courses and monitor the approval process.Teach the food-upcycling laboratory and one special topics course at each collaborating institution and assess student learning outcomes (Obj. 4) Class Offering and Pre- and Post-test: Each institution will teach the newly developed Food Upcycling Laboratory and one additional class in Year 3 (one in fall and the other in spring semesters) as special topics courses. At the beginning of each semester, students will complete a pre-test, which consists of food security knowledge questions, student attitudes toward food security challenges, and demographic information. Student learning outcome measurements will be developed for formative and summative assessments of student learning for each class. A formative assessment will be conducted to document student progress during Week 8 of the standard 16-week courses. At the end of each semester, a summative assessment will be conducted to document student learning (i.e., increased knowledge) and changes in student attitudes. In addition, the post-test, with the same questions as in the pre-test in a different order, will be conducted at the end of the semester to make comparisons with the pre-test results. Data Analysis, Assessment of Student Learning, and Course Revision: The pre- and post-test results will be compared using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) with controlling impacts of covariates (e.g., demographic variables) with p < 0.05. Based on the evaluation of student learning outcomes, course content will be revised as appropriate. The entire team of PDs and other instructors will work collaboratively to revise courses based on student learning outcomes.Disseminate project outputs and deliverables through academic publications, presentations, and a resource website (Obj. 5) After revising the course content and other support materials, all developed materials will be stored on a resource website for educators from other institutions to access and use them free of charge. Due to student assessment materials (e.g., tests) being included on the website, educators who wish to use the developed content will be asked to contact the PDs for an access code.UTK provides Volweb, which is the web hosting part of the Public Linux Environment, to host content management systems free of charge for faculty and staff. The entire deliverables of this project will be stored, managed, and disseminated through a website created by using Volweb, at UTK. In addition, PDs will prepare manuscripts and abstracts for presentations in academic conferences and USDA PD meetings to disseminate what we learned from this project.

Progress 12/01/23 to 11/30/24

Outputs
Target Audience: Undergraduate students interested in food security topics and solutions. Food-insecure college students and community members Changes/Problems:While there are no changes in goals and objectives, the MSU team has concluded that working with MSU Culinary Services for upcycling food waste will unlikely result in a successful outcome due to a) minimal food waste identified by this organization and b) the perceived lack of interest in engaging with the project. Therefore, the MSU team has shifted its partnership focus to the community food security organization, Human Resources Development Council (HRDC) in partnership with the MSU campus farm, Towne's Harvest Garden. These have proven to be enthusiastic partners for upcycling food waste to ameliorate food security challenges on campus and throughout the community. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?UTK: The graduate research assistant (Started in August 1, 2024) has been training on food security and food upcycling related literature. UofSC: This project has led the researchers to attend multiple discussions, symposiums, meetings, etc. to learn more about related projects and initiatives that are occurring across campus or within the local community. One of the researchers at USC is now serving on a committee focused on food insecurity on college campuses in South Carolina and North Carolina. MSU: The graduate student on the project has received training on food rescue from the staff at the partner organization Human Resources Development Council (HRDC) and faculty/staff at the campus farm, Towne's Harvest Garden. She was also trained by the PI (Dr. Wenhao Zhang) on manuscript development, including literature review, survey development and distribution using Qualtrics, and data analytics using SPSS and Excel. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?UTK: As the leading institution with a very well-established food upcycling program (Food4VOLS, food waste reduction and food security project), the food security related efforts were fairly well known on the campus. Separate from this project, UTK received a foundation funding to study on-campus food insecurity and student food acquisition behaviors in fall 2024. Results will become available to this project team and through potential publication. UofSC: Multiple meetings, discussions have been hosted by the researchers at USC to discuss the project overall as well as preliminary findings. A focus group was hosted with various stakeholders on campus during April 2024 and results will be utilized to develop the survey instrument that will be disseminated in the coming weeks. The data from this focus group was shared with the grant working group but hasn't been shared directly with other stakeholders on the USC campus specifically yet. A summary of the focus group is part of the data that is planned to be presented at an upcoming conference in Summer 2025. A meeting was held in August, 2024 with a variety of stakeholders on campus. This meeting was to determine what resources there were on campus in order to determine where synergy could be created. MSU: Through focus groups and small academic program team meetings (Sustainable Food Systems, Nutrition/Dietetics, Hospitality Management) the Co-PI's have communicated the overall project objectives and relevance to the MSU academic community. The level of interest in engaging with food upcycling laboratory activities and food security certificate development is high among MSU faculty. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?UTK: The UTK team plans to: 1) Develop details of the laboratory course in spring and summer, 2025 to teach the course in Fall 2025. 2) Develop and submit food security certificate program application in collaboration with on-campus stakeholders. 3) Support UofSC and MSU with developing their on-campus food security program. 4) Collaborate with team members for manuscript development and presentation opportunities. UofSC: The UofSC team plans to: 1) Teach the first lab-based course in Spring 2025, which will provide new information on best practices for the class and any things that need to be modified for future semesters. Instructional videos and interviews will be recorded, along with the development of interactive case studies and other class activities for use in the lab course and other potential courses to support student-engaged learning. 2) Continue follow-up and plan additional courses with necessary stakeholders on campus to plan for the minor/certificate. 3) Preliminary findings will be disseminated and discussed at the 2025 ICHRIE conference, as well as within the campus community and the Food Insecurity Committee with SC & NC. MSU: The MSU team plans to: 1) Develop and pilot test food upcycling courses/modules, and simultaneously develop pre- and post-tests related to student learning outcomes. Additionally, the MSU team will pilot test these evaluation instruments within a food upcycling course in the Fall 2025 semester. 2) Submit certificate approval requests and gain the required approvals for the food security certificate program, to begin in late 2025 or 2026. 3) Develop instructional videos, interactive case studies, and other class activities to support student-engaged food security education.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? All PIs worked collaboratively toward accomplishing these project goals. We met biweekly to discuss progress to make sure three universities are working toward completing the project objectives and consistent program learning objectives. Because of differences in available facilities and staffing among three universities, slightly different approaches were taken. Below, please find the summary of accomplishments in three collaborating universities for Objectives 1 through 4. University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK): Objective 1: One lab-based course has been developed and will be taught in Fall 2025 Objective 2: A list of courses taught across campus has been identified and respective department representatives (e.g., faculty or administrator of teaching departments) gathered to discuss developing food security certificate program. There was strong support for this certificate program. Objective 3: Initial conversations have occurred, and UTK's College of Emerging and Collaborative Studies is leading the effort of developing inter-disciplinary certificate program. The goal is to develop the proposal for the certificate program in Spring 2025 and to submit it in Fall 2025 to be effective in Fall 2026. Objective 4: Lab class will be taught for first time in Fall 2025, as a special topics course. Formal course application will be submitted in Fall 2025. University of South Carolina (UofSC): Objective 1: One lab-based course has been developed and will be taught in Spring 2025 on Food Upcycling with the collaboration between the School of Hospitality and Tourism and the foodservice provider on campus, Aramark. Objective 2: A list of courses taught across campus has been collected and syllabi have been requested to determine fit with the minor/certificate Objective 3: Initial conversations have been had with faculty, department chairs, staff members, etc. across campus to plan for approval of the minor. Conversations with the Assistant Provost for Student Affairs were conducted to get more support across campus and to use synergy of a variety of resources. Objective 4: Lab class will be taught for first time in Spring 2025, second course is still in planning stages Montana State University (MSU): Objective 1: Groundwork for establishing a new experiential laboratory course has been conducted. Specifically, MSU Co-PI's have a) met with HRDC leadership to explore use of their commercial kitchen and teaching space for upcycling labs; b) met with course instructors from food fundamentals lab course to explore embedding upcycling modules within this existing course, and pilot testing these modules in the Fall 2025 offering of the course. Objective 2: In March of 2024, conducted a focus group of Montana State University faculty and staff engaged with food security education on the MSU campus. IRB approval was granted for this focus group which included approval of the focus group question set. A comprehensive list of existing courses with any food security content was gathered. A strong consensus existed among focus group participants on the need and value of developing a new food security certificate program at MSU. Program learning outcomes were outlined, as were essential content areas within a food security certificate program. Barriers to program success we identified and discussed, as were strategies for overcoming these barriers. Findings from the focus group have informed the national educator survey instrument - developed in September 2024. Objective 3: Project staff (Dr. Wenhao Zhang and Mary Stein) met with college administrators within the College of Education, Health and Human Development to map out a clear process and timeline for gaining institutional approval for the food security certificate program. The program proposal will be circulated through an approval process beginning in late 2024. Objective 4: No progress on Objective 4 in Year 1. The teaching of a food-upcycling laboratory course and other courses associated with the new food security certificate will begin in Fall 2025. Objective 5: A national survey of faculty in food security related programs at 50 Land-Grant University was completed in November 2024. Over 300 valid data have been collected and are being analyzed. The team plans to present the survey and focus group findings at the Annual International CHRIE Conference in June 2025. Additionally, food collection and distribution data from the last two years are being analyzed for potential publication.

Publications