Progress 09/01/08 to 08/31/11
Outputs
OUTPUTS: ACTIVITIES: This USDA HEGC has experienced much success in the last 3 years in meeting the proposed timelines for each objective. 1) The sophomore-level food science course and hands-on laboratory for both Nutrition and Dietetic and Family and Consumer Science Education majors at East Carolina University was implemented and assessed. 2) Infrastructure for the distance education food science course has been set up, materials have been developed, the course has been implemented, and assessed. 3) The senior-level community based practice course for Nutrition and Dietetics and Family and Family and Consumer Science Education majors at East Carolina University was implemented Spring 2009 and 2010. EVENTS: USDA PI meeting Edmonton, Canada (Presentations: 1) Service-learning as a strategy to transition from classroom to workplace; 2) Multidisciplinary teaching approaches to food science maintain student attitudes and improve efficacy; 3) Local agriculture engages students in classroom-industry partnership). A Student Food Product Development Showcase takes place every semester now in the College of Human Ecology at East Carolina University as a result of the food science course development. SERVICES: Community-based service learning project resulted in health education services being provided to local schools and business. The food product development assignment continues to provide research and development services to local food business. PRODUCTS: Survey tools (Student attitudes towards: 1) classroom-industry partnership in a food science course; 2) distance education experience vs. classroom experience in a food science course; 3) service learning projects in a senior-level community based practice course). Food Science Course Power Points, Lab Manual, and Distance Education Lab Manual. DISSEMINATION: The USDA HEGC is featured on the FoodMASTER webpage at www.foodmaster.org; Local agriculture engages students in classroom-industry partnership was featured in the Daily Reflector (a local news paper), at the Innovation in teaching practice session at Food and Nutrition Conference Expo in Boston 2010, and at East Carolina University's Scholar Teacher Award Ceremony. PARTICIPANTS: INDIVIDUALS Individuals working on the project included Melani Duffrin, Virginia Carraway-Stage, Nancy Harris, and Barbara Woods (replacement for former CoPI Susan Reichelt in FCS Ed). PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS The senior seminar course that culminated in a community-based service learning project partnered with DSM Pharmaceuticals,Pitt County Schools, and Head Start. The food product development assignment in food science partnered with Duplin Winery and continues to work with other local foods and business. TARGET AUDIENCES: TARGET AUDIENCE The target audience was Nutrition Science and Family and Consumer Science higher education majors. In the community service learning course in year 1, all students were female (N=24) with 79.2% reporting their ethnicity as Caucasian, 16.7% African American and 4.2% Hispanic. In year 2, the majority of the students were female (91.4%), while only 8.6% were male (N=35). Eighty-two percent reported their ethnicity as Caucasian, 5.9% African American, 5.9% Asian, and 5.9% Hispanic. Student demographics in the food science courses were similar. ECU's student body is 79% Caucasian. EFFORTS FOOD SCIENCE LECTURE DEVELOPMENT The lecture course format is designed to appeal to a variety of learning styles. Each lecture begins with Mise en place which utilizes the Advanced Organizer model of teaching. The advanced organizer model provides students with a summary of items or objectives that they will be encountering in the lesson. Students are then challenged with Hors d'oeuvre, which are problems, questions, and/or challenges at the beginning of a lesson to get the student thinking about what they are getting ready to learn. Next, students will reach al dente, which is a set of questions that encounters them to think about the information just presented to them in lecture. Finally, the students might receive more Hors d'oeuvres or challenged to answer questions on-line or engage in other various learning activities. The instructor also regularly uses demonstrations, videos, or video clips to illustrate course content. LABORATORY MANUAL DEVELOPMENT Each activity begins with an introduction and Think about it, this engages the student in thinking about what they already know. Students are challenged with questions and sensory evaluation activities throughout their foods experience. At the end of each foods activity there is an itemized list of Important Science and Consumer Tips. These resources made available for students emphasize the main points of the learning activities and provide them with knowledge skill set resources they can utilized in their future employment. DISTANCE EDUCATION COURSE DEVELOPMENT The course content was set up into modules covering each food science topic as appropriate. The course lecture contained the features of the food science course lecture material described above. Each module contained multiple choice questions for materials assessment. The laboratory portion of the course was offered in the form of at home foods laboratories. Student completed laboratory assignments and documented completion with digital photography. Continued assessment took place in the form of multiple choice questions. SERVICE LEARNING COURSE -Examine evidence-based nutrition and health guidelines from a multicultural perspective. -Analyze influences affecting dietary patterns and nutritional health including dietary intake, culture, economics, education, life style, literacy and others. -Develop, deliver and evaluate a community-based, culturally-specific, nutrition education program. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: MAJOR CHANGE An unexpected outcome for this project was the addition of the industry-classroom partnership in the food product development assignment. This addition came about as the course was being developed. No other major changes were made to the original proposed objectives.
Impacts
FOOD SCIENCE COURSE LECTURE IMPLEMENTATION The lecture portion of the food science course was implemented in the Fall of 2009 (n=47) and Spring of 2010 (N=21). Student feedback from course evaluations was mostly positive. Students enjoyed the lecture course content and felt it applied to the laboratory setting. Knowledge gained by student was measured with mock RD exam food science questions. The majority of students generally performed average to above average (70% to 100% correct) on knowledge exams. Initial formative evaluation of the course format included student feedback both written and verbal. Revised course content was implemented again Fall 2010 (N=42) and summative evaluations evaluated students attitudes towards the course. FOOD PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT ASSIGNMENT IMPLEMENTATION All of the student FPD groups performed above average on the professional presentations. A five-point Likert scale (5=Strongly Agree; 1=Strongly Disagree) was used to assess student attitudes towards the experience. At the end of the FPD experience, students felt confident with their research abilities (4.12 sd .772) and their ability to integrate basic science knowledge into food products (4.12 sd .504). Students also felt FPD was an important experience (3.98 sd .897) and that learning about the food industry would help in their careers as nutrition professionals (3.95 sd 1.035). It appears that a classroom-industry partnership can add a new level of excitement to a FPD assignment for students. Continued evaluation of how classroom-industry partnerships can enhance learning experiences for students is warranted. LAB MANUAL DEVELOPMENT Overall, the materials were a success and the students enjoyed the laboratory experience. Newly developed material including Important Science and Consumer Tips helped the student make meaningful real world connections about the science they experienced. DISTANCE EDUCATION FOOD SCIENCE COURSE Overall, students responded favorably to the course experience. At home food lab using digital photography to document activities worked well for the students and instructor. Students enjoyed the self-paced activity. There were no observational differences in classroom performance on exams, quizzes, or lab questions between on-line students and other students that attended a classroom experience. Continued observation of on-line students' performance in the major and on the registered dietitian exam is warranted. SERVICE LEARNING COURSE In general, for both classes (2009 & 2010) challenges included: transportation to and from implementation site, the amount of time required by the faculty mentors, student inexperience (first time applying skills in population), lack of student motivation, and unprofessional student behavior. Despite issues, students still reported wanting to see more service learning experiences incorporated into the degree curriculum. Statistical outcomes from the course related to self-efficacy showed that students who engaged in a more in-depth, hands-on curriculum development experience were more confident in their ability to develop, deliver and manage a nutrition education program at the end of the course.
Publications
- ABSTRACTS Roseno, A., Carraway-Stage, V., & Duffrin, M. (2011). FoodMASTER: Using inquiry to teach food science to preschool children. New Orleans, Louisiana. McLeod, S., Carraway-Stage, V., & Duffrin, M. (2011). Multidisciplinary teaching approaches to food science maintain student attitudes and improve efficacy. Institute of Food Technology. New Orleans, Louisiana.
- PUBLICATIONS IN PROGRESS Duffrin, M., Carraway-Stage, V., McLeod, S., Roseno, A., Woods, B. (2012). Comparison of student attitudes towards a sophomore level food science class: In class vs. distance education methods. In progress. McLeod, S., Duffrin, M., Carraway-Stage, V., Wheeler, M., Sullivan, S., & Forsythe, W. (2012). Local Agriculture Engages Students in Classroom-Industry Partnership. Under review.
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Progress 09/01/09 to 08/31/10
Outputs
In the fall of 2008, USDA CSREES HEGC funded a three year project titled Impacting food and agricultural sciences education through distance education and service learning. This three year project was designed and planned to address the needs of multiple disciplines in food and agricultural sciences education. In the three year period, the project was to fulfill the following objectives: 1) Create an on-campus sophomore-level food science course and hands-on laboratory for both Nutrition and Dietetics and Family and Consumer Science Education majors at East Carolina University. 2) Create a distance education sophomore-level food science course and home-based laboratory that would be appropriately offered to all students wishing to pursue appropriate food and agriculture majors. 3) Create an on-campus senior-level community based practice course for both Nutrition and Dietetics and Family and Consumer Science Education majors at East Carolina University. This USDA HEGC has experienced much success in the last year in meeting the proposed timelines for each objective. 1) The sophomore-level food science course and hands-on laboratory for both Nutrition and Dietetic and Family and Consumer Science Education majors at East Carolina University was implemented and assessed. 2) Infrastructure for the DE food science course has been set up and materials in development phase. 3) The senior-level community based practice course for Nutrition and Dietetics and Family and Consumer Science Education majors at East Carolina University was implemented this spring. PRODUCTS: Lecture Development 2009 In preparation for this course, project staff has developed a series of power point presentation lectures and a hands-on class laboratory manual. The lecture course format is designed to appeal to a variety of learning styles. Each lecture begins with Mise en place which utilizes the Advanced Organizer model of teaching. The advanced organizer model provides students with a summary of items or objectives that they will be encountering in the lesson. Students are then challenged with Hors d'oeuvre, which are problems, questions, and/or challenges at the beginning of a lesson to get the student thinking about what they are getting ready to learn. Next, students will reach al dente, which is a set of questions that encounters them to think about the information just presented to them in lecture. Finally, the students might receive more Hors d'oeuvres or challenged to answer questions on-line or engage in other various learning activities. The instructor also regularly uses demonstrations, videos, or video clips to illustrate course content. The Laboratory Manual The hands on laboratory manual developed for the course is typical of a foods lab manual with additional features emphasizing the multidisciplinary nature of food and agriculture science. Each activity begins with an introduction and Think about it. This engages the student in thinking about what they already know. This Think about it technique challenges the student in a similar fashion to the way educators begin with problem-based learning which is rooted in constructivist learning theory. However, we take a little different turn with this approach using it to lead the students into some very specific, directions included, learning activities. Students are challenged with questions and sensory evaluation activities throughout their foods experience and are finally left with useful features of our hands-on laboratory manual. At the end of each foods activity there is an itemized list of Important Science and Consumer Tips. These resources made available for students emphasize the main points of the learning activities and provide them with knowledge skill set resources that can utilized in their future employment. The laboratory manual is currently being revised with student input from last academic year. Overall, the materials were a success and the students enjoyed the laboratory experience. Important Science and Consumer Tips helped the student make meaningful real world connections about the science they experienced. The manual will be sent for graphic design and make available in pdf (free of charge to other teachers) on the www.foodmaster.org website in spring of 2011. USDA HEGC will be acknowledged for the materials and aggressive marketing to promote the materials to other food science instructors will take place. OUTCOMES: Lecture Implementation 2010 The lecture portion of the food science course was implemented in the fall of 2009 (N=47) and spring of 2010 (N=21). Student feedback from course evaluations was mostly positive. Students enjoyed the lecture course content and felt it applied to the laboratory setting. Knowledge gained by students was measured with mock Registered Dietitian (RD) exam food science questions. The majority of students generally performed average to above average (70% to 100% correct) on knowledge exams. Initial formative evaluation of the course format included student feedback both written and verbal. Revised course content will be implemented again this fall of 2010 (N=42) and summative evaluation will take place to evaluate students attitudes towards the course. Plans are to publish summative evaluation information from the overall course experience in 2011-2012. To achieve the on-campus senior-level community based practice course objective, NUTR 4600 Exit Seminar, a one semester hour course was selected. Curricular changes were approved to transition the course into a three semester hour course NUTR 4600 Senior Seminar which included a senior-level community based practice. Course content was revised to meet the academic needs of both majors. The data collected from the implementation of this course both qualitative and quantitative is currently being analyzed. Plans are to publish the information in a service learning journal or other appropriate journal format. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: Dissemination of information The USDA HEGC is featured on the FoodMASTER webpage at www.foodmaster.org. Continuation plans are to feature developed materials in pdf format on the site. Students from the food science course were featured in a local news paper article. Summative evaluation of the FPD experience is being presented at the Institute for Food Technology July 2010 and a manuscript is currently under review with the Journal of Food Science Education. The USDA Higher Education Grant Challenge Award is acknowledged for support of this work on both the poster presentation and the manuscript. The data collected from the implementation of the on-campus-senior level community based practice course both qualitative and quantitative is currently being analyzed. Plans are to publish the information in a service learning journal or other appropriate journal format. HEGC Award PI, Melani Duffrin, received the East Carolina University Scholar Teacher Award and highlighted this project in the award presentations. Continuation plans for professional dissemination include outcomes data from the project to be presented at meeting outlets such as ADA, IFT and other as applicable. Along with professional journals. FUTURE INITIATIVES: The distance education format of this course is currently being developed. Infrastructure is currently in place to offer this course in 1 unit continuing education modules or as a complete course. The 1 unit modules will be offered anytime throughout the year and the complete course will likely be offered in a variety of formats. These options are still currently being explored along with ideas for marketing the course. Power point presentations with voice and embedded video will be used for the lecture component of the course and hands-on food activities for the "at home" learner are currently being created. These at home food laboratories will take into consideration the home kitchen environment, equipment that is available, and cost efficiency consideration for the individual learner. All of the DE course materials are currently in the development phase and plan to implement are consistent with the proposed timelines. Overall, programmatic efforts and evaluation are currently on schedule with the proposed timeline. To date, feedback from students has been positive and the project is moving forward as planned.
Impacts
Project Impacts To date, 68 Nutrition and Dietetics and Family and Consumer Science majors have received quality food science experience. This number is expected to be replicated each year producing hundreds of quality food and nutrition professionals. To date, have reached a combined total of 40 Nutrition and Dietetics and Family and Consumer Science majors with quality community-based service learning experiences. This number is expected to be replicated each year producing hundreds of service-minded community-based food and nutrition professionals. The developed lab manual will be shared free of charge on-line and every nutrition and dietetics program in the US will be notified of the availability of these materials. The materials are expected to provide a benefit to foods instructors and students by making quality materials available free of charge. It is expected that these materials will serve thousands of students in years to come. Lessons learned from the project will be shared at professional meetings such as the Institute for Food Technology and published in peer-reviewed journals reaching hundreds of individuals. The sharing of outcomes information will benefit educators who seek to improve food science education and service learning experiences for students.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 09/01/08 to 08/31/09
Outputs
This USDA HEGC has experienced much success in the last year in meeting the proposed timelines for each objective. 1) The sophomore-level food science course and hands-on laboratory for both Nutrition and Dietetic and Family and Consumer Science Education majors at East Carolina University are currently being implemented and tested. 2) infrastructure for the DE food science course is currently being set-up and materials are being prepared. 3) Curricular changes for Nutrition and Dietetics majors have been made and students will be in a "test" classroom this spring for the implementation of the senior-level community based practice course. Overall, programmatic efforts and evaluation are currently on schedule with the proposed timeline. To date, feedback from students has been positive and the project is moving forward as planned. Susan Reichelt, FCS Ed faculty, Co-PI, decided to pursue a new job opportunity with a K-12 system in the Washington DC area. While Sue remains highly supportive of the FoodMASTER Initiative and has already spread the word about FoodMASTER in her new work environment, she will be unable to complete her role on this grant project. This will necessitate a change of Co-PI related to her position. Barbara Woods, FCS Ed Faculty, PhD, will replace Susan Reichelt as Co-PI to fulfill the grant objectives related to FCS Ed. PRODUCTS: 1) Create an on-campus sophomore-level food science course and hands-on laboratory for both Nutrition and Dietetics and Family and Consumer Science Education majors at East Carolina University. In preparation for this course, project staff has developed a series of power point presentation lectures and a hands-on class laboratory manual. The lecture course format is designed to appeal to a variety of learning styles. Each lecture begins with Mise en place which utilizes the Advanced Organizer model of teaching. The advanced organizer model provides students with a summary of items or objectives that they will be encountering in the lesson. Students are then challenged with Hors d'oeuvre, which are problems, questions, and/or challenges at the beginning of a lesson to get the student thinking about what they are getting ready to learn. Next, students will reach al dente, which is a set of questions that encounters them to think about the information just presented to them in lecture. Finally, the students might receive more Hors d'oeuvres or challenged to answer questions on-line or engage in other various learning activities. The instructor also regularly uses demonstrations, videos, or video clips to illustrate course content. The hands on laboratory manual developed for the course is typical of a foods lab manual with additional features emphasizing the multidisciplinary nature of food and agriculture science. Each activity begins with an introduction and Think about it; this engages the student in thinking about what they already know. This Think about it technique challenges the student in a similar fashion to the way educators begin with problem-based learning which is rooted in constructivist learning theory. However, we take a little different approach using it to lead the students into some very specific learning activities. Students are challenged with questions and sensory evaluation activities throughout their foods experience and are finally left with some really useful features of our hands-on laboratory manual. At the end of each foods activity there is an itemized list of important science and consumer tips. These resources made available for students really emphasize the main points of the learning activities and provide them with knowledge skill set resources they can utilized in their future employment. OUTCOMES: Students are formatively evaluated after each foods laboratory using open ended questioning. Additionally, oral questioning takes place before every laboratory period to solicit feedback on lecture activity. Ultimately, all of the oral and written comments are typed up and utilized for restructuring course format, improving course materials, and/or making small but necessary changes. During this process, tips for instructors are also being developed as well as shopping lists and costing for each activity. Students have also completed pre test knowledge and attitude surveys regarding their attitude towards the course and will be post tested as well. This testing/surveying is being conducted utilizing instructor developed surveys. It is our intention to share the final curricular products and our data collection with the scientific community at the completion of this project. These products are also being utilized for the development of DE material for objective #2. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES: The USDA HEGC is featured on the FoodMASTER webpage at www.foodmaster.org Continuation plans are to feature developed materials in pdf format on the site where other educators can register for access and be maintained in our data files. East Carolina University has issued several press releases which have been highlight in various places on the ECU website including the main page at the beginning of the award. Several local newspapers picked up the story as well. Continuation plans are to continue to do stories as products for educators and students develop. FoodMASTER has received the honor of Distinguish Poster Presentation at the International Nutrition Conference in Thialand in October 2009. The USDA HEGC will be mentioned as a funding resource for the FoodMASTER Initiative. Continuation plans for professional dissemination include outcomes data from the project to be presented at meeting outlets such as ADA, IFT and other as applicable. Along with professional journals. FUTURE INITIATIVES: 2) Create a distance education sophomore-level food science course and home-based laboratory that would be appropriately offered to all students wishing to pursue appropriate food and agriculture majors. The distance education format of this course is currently being developed. Infrastructure is currently in place to offer this course in 1 unit continuing education modules or as a complete course. The 1 unit modules will be offered anytime throughout the year and the complete course will likely be offered in a variety of formats. These options are still currently being explored along with ideas for marketing the course. Power point presentations with voice and embedded video will be used for the lecture component of the course and hands-on food activities for the "at home" learner are currently being created. These at home food laboratories will take into consideration the home kitchen environment, equipment that is available, and cost efficiency consideration for the individual learner. All of the DE course materials are currently in the development phase and plans to implement are consistent with the proposed timelines. 3) Create an on-campus senior-level community based practice course for both Nutrition and Dietetics and Family and Consumer Science Education majors at East Carolina University. The on-campus Senior Seminar course, which will include a community-based service learning component, is being developed and will be offered for Nutrition and Dietetic majors during spring semester 2010. Mrs. Harris has established community partners to help mentor students in the service learning activities and to evaluate the impact of this experience on student efficacy. The nutrition majors will provide a variety of nutrition education opportunities for fourth and fifth grade students attending East End Elementary School in Robersonville, North Carolina. Some of the nutrition education activities will be classroom based and others will include developing a nutrition fair for the entire K-5th grade students and their parents. Additional activities will include providing educational programs for parents on managing the food budget, developing balanced menus, healthy food preparation techniques, and smart shopping in the grocery store. A variety of teaching techniques will be utilized including presentations, food preparation demonstrations, grocery store tours and displays.
Impacts
The project is currently impacting 48 students enrolled in a food science course.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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