Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/15
Outputs
Target Audience:Middle and high school teachers in science, family consumer sciences and agriculture were reached through fact-to-face workshops, continuing education courses and conferences. Students in high school and middle school through the various internet websites that have the Virtual Labs available (i.e. myfoodsciencelab.org, brainpop.org, edmodo, igrow.org). Post secondary students in introductory laboratory courses i.e. microbiology, food chemistry and food science. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Training and professional development have been made available through workshops, continuing education credits (including academic credit) and conferences. Seven workshop reaching 81 educators in Science, Agriculture and Family Consumer sciences (FACS) were conducted across South Dakota. The workshops range from an in-depth session at the SD Math and Science Teachers Conference (2 hours) to three days. Educators experience virtual labs along with an opportunity to engage in a hands-on laboratory sessions similar to the virtual labs. A one-credit FACS Education Special Topics course included the Food Safety Scientist Curriculum and Virtual Labs. This course combined online and physical classroom instruction at SDSU. Nine FACS teachers completed this course for academic credit. The course had three different tracks that all the students completed: Food Safety Scientist (included the virtual labs); Nutrition and Food Science; and Hospitality. A one-day workshop was offered for the Women and Minorities in Science program at SDSU. Six minority high school students from across South Dakota participated. A one-day professional development for a school district in New Mexico reached 40 educators via small-group workshops in using online interactive educational tools, including the Virtual Labs. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?During the life of this project the primary dissemination of the Food Safety Virtual Labs and the Food Safety Scientist virtual labs has been best achieved through the Internet. The Virtual Labs are available through the following web-portals: BrainPOP.com (free online educational portal): As of October 2016 BrainPOP has hosted 700,000 sessions of the Virtual Lab interactive modules. Since that time, the two newest virtual labs (Understanding Water Activity and Controlling Water Activity have been published). In November 2016, BrainPOP released a new build of its platform more accessible from smartphones and tablets. MyFoodScienceLab.org is maintained by New Mexico State University. Over 200,000 sessions since its creation with a current rate of around 10,000 visits per month. SDSU Extension's Portal: iGrow maintains the Food Safety Scientist Curriculum, which is fully integrated with the virtual labs. Over 2,250 have visited the online curriculum. The NMSU team has also distributed the virtual labs to other free online educational portals around the web, including popular platforms Edmodo, Educade, and Cal State's MERLOT. Over 300 teachers have listed the virtual labs in their Edmodo Libraries. Presentation, posters, exhibits and mini-workshops at conferences (since the inception of this project): National Extension Association of Family Consumer Sciences annual session - Presentation on new technologies for learning. North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Organization - over 50 post-secondary agriculture education faculty attended a presentation using the Virtual Labs. Consumer Food Safety Education Conference, Partnership for Food Safety Education - Case Studies on Creating Media That Work (8-member panel) - over 25 session participants. Over 200 conference attendees took the promotional information for the MyFoodScienceLab.org website SANFORD Multistate STEMWISE Conference - Students (over 50) and teachers (15) from across SD, Iowa and Minnesota visited the Food Safety Scientist Exhibit for hands-on activities including an opportunity to experience the virtual labs. South Dakota Indian Education Conference - 10 conference participants (science teachers from across the nation) attended the Food Safety Scientist Virtual Lab session. SD Technical Innovation Education Conference - 30 participants (science, FACS and agriculture teachers) took a copy of the Food Safety Scientist Curriculum. SD Department of Education - Career Technical Education Conference (FACS and Agriculture Teachers) attended the Food Safety Scientist Virtual Lab session to learn more about using this type of technology in their classroom SD Math Science Teachers Association Conference - 15 teachers attended the presentations (which incorporated the virtual labs): Integrating Food Science Concepts into Science Classroom, and Factors Influencing Students Choosing Food and Agriculture Majors South Dakota State University STEM Education Institute (serve as a member and exhibited the virtual labs at various functions across the SDSU campus) South Dakota Women in Science Conference - 8th grade girls (200+) each year. A total of 600 girls attend this conference. An interactive exhibit using the virtual labs and a food science activity is used to individually interact with students and teachers to share information related to food safety careers. Growing South Dakota Extension Conference - presented to 175 Extension staff promoting the Food Safety Virtual Labs and Curriculum The dairy processing industry offers a Dairy Foods course to over 80 educators in SD, MN and IA. The myfoodsciencelab.org site is reviewed with the teachers as an example of interactive education tools to use in their classroom. Annual meetings of the USDA S-1056 group: The Virtual Labs were presented to food safety researchers in 2013 (web portal), 2014 (pH modules), and 2015 (Water activity modules). Western Extension Directors' Meeting, 2014. The Virtual Labs were presented to Extension leadership as part of a talk on new technologies for education and best practices for appropriate media. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Impact Educators across the nation are using the Food Safety Virtual Labs and hands-on curriculum to better prepare high school and undergraduate students for practical applications of science concepts in food and agriculture careers. Well over one million ethnically diverse students have experienced the Food Safety Virtual Labs. These students are better prepared for the science laboratory classroom improving their confidence and performance. Students are exposed to food safety related careers through the virtual labs, therefore increasing the likelihood they will consider a career related to food and agricultural sciences. Outcomes The Food Safety Virtual Labs and Food Safety Scientist Curriculum have been fully developed and are sustainable beyond the life of the grant. Perhaps most significantly, the virtual labs and curriculum have experienced significant usage nationwide, including via the educational portal BrainPOP, a leading online content provider used by many school districts. BrainPOP has integrated all eight food safety virtual labs into its GameUp platform for interactive learning, where they have proven popular with teachers and students. In 2015 alone, the modules were played more than 700,000 times via BrainPOP. The NMSU team has also distributed the virtual labs to other free online educational portals around the web, including popular platforms such as Edmodo, Educade, and Cal State's MERLOT. On Edmodo, a social media and curriculum platform for teachers, more than 300 teachers have added the virtual labs to their personal libraries. In addition to distributing the modules freely via BrainPOP, New Mexico State University (NMSU) continues to offer free access to the interactive modules via a website (http://myfoodsciencelab.org/), which has hosted nearly 200,000 sessions since 2011, with an average time spent on site of 4 minutes. Currently this website receives more than 10,000 user sessions a month. This website includes all eight virtual labs as well as a link to the hands-on Food Safety Hands-on Curriculum, which is maintained on the South Dakota State University (SDSU) Extension website (http://igrow.org/healthy-families/food-safety/food-safety-scientist/). Over 2,250 Internet users have accessed the online curriculum. NMSU will continue to host the myfoodsciencelab.org website, while SDSU will continue to maintain the Food Safety Scientist curriculum and make it available through their website. This extensive use of the Food Safety Virtual Labs as well as the Food Safety Scientist Curriculum has impacted the ability of teachers to deliver science-related concepts in career and technical education courses as well as science classes. Reflective pre/post evaluations identify an increase in knowledge by all participants (teachers). Additionally, educators continually rate the educational value of the various components of the curriculum and virtual labs as exceptional after completing a workshop. A long-term follow-up evaluation (1 to 3 years) of workshop participants continued to rate the virtual labs as highly valuable (1-3 years). All teachers completing the evaluation (n=10) reported using the virtual labs in their classroom. Of the workshop participants completing the follow-up survey, 90% mostly and highly agree with the following statements regarding the virtual labs: "students related to basic math and science concepts"; "students exposed to careers related to food safety"; "students exposed to laboratory techniques that would be difficult to simulate in the classroom"; "students were engaged with the subject matter"; and "students gain an appreciation for the safety of the food supply." Thirty percent of the participants used the hands-on labs available through the curriculum. Educators in science and career technical education classrooms (i.e., agriculture and family consumer sciences) have an improved capacity of laboratory techniques and science concepts that monitor the safety of the food supply. Through the curriculum and virtual labs, educators identify an increased awareness of STEM careers related to the safety of the food supply. Across the nation, Family Consumer Sciences (FACS) teachers are now being required to teach food science. FACS teachers are often faced with no equipment or supplies to teach a food science-based course. The virtual labs provide students with an interactive visual for laboratory experiments that cannot be recreated in a traditional high school FACS kitchen. A FACS teacher in Georgia offers teacher workshops using virtual educational tools in the classroom. This same teacher post links directly to the virtual labs and curriculum on her website (http://justfacs.com/2015/09/22/virtual-labs-for-food-science/). Post-secondary instructors have utilized the virtual labs at SDSU as well as other universities to better prepare students for their laboratory sessions in food safety-related courses, such as microbiology, food microbiology, food chemistry and food science. Students experiencing the Virtual Labs before class had an increased conceptual knowledge of the science concepts integrated in laboratory techniques such Gram staining, using an oil-immersion microscope, pipetting, using a laboratory scale, measuring pH, calibrating meters, measuring water activity and increasing accuracy and precision. Students can also access the virtual labs after class to reinforce the concepts and laboratory techniques taught in class. At SDSU alone over 1,500 students are directed to the Virtual Labs website each year through the General Microbiology and Food Science courses. North Dakota State University (NDSU) served as the third party evaluator for the project. NDSU reviewed the evaluation process conducted by SDSU at their workshops and provided feedback. NDSU also conducted an evaluation of the educational tools created as a result of this grant. They evaluated the Food Safety Scientist curriculum and virtual labs on the criteria of rigor and understanding of content linked to 1) identified gaps in their respective curriculums; 2) instructional or pedagogical design; and, 3) fitness for targeted learners. High school educators in science (biology), family consumer sciences and agriculture conducted the evaluations. Reaching minority populations through this grant has been made possible through online distribution as well as training educators from schools serving a minority population. In the long-term follow-up evaluation with SD participants, over 50% of the respondents teach in schools serving at least 25% of students from combined minority populations of American Indian, Black/African American and Hispanic or Latino.
Publications
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Progress 09/01/13 to 08/31/14
Outputs
Target Audience: Middle and high school teachers in science, family consumer sciences and agriculture were reached through face-to-face workshops, continuing education courses and conferences in South Dakota. Five hundred eighty-eight eighth grade girls and 19 science teachers and guidance counselors experienced the Food Safety Scientist Virtual Labs along with information related to careers in Food Safety at the Women-in-Science Conference in Sioux Falls, SD. Students at South Dakota in post-secondary introductory laboratory courses in food science and microbiology are provided the link to the virtual labs and encouraged to review before related laboratory sessions. Over 30 students in Food Science and 550 in General and Food Microbiology access the virtual labs each year. High school and post-secondary educators are using the food safety scientist virtual labs in their classes across the United States. They are accessing through webpages maintained by South Dakota State University, New Mexico State University and Brain-POP. Brain-Pop is an animated, interactive educational games web-portal that is accessed by educators from all over the world. Over 400,000+ members are registered to use Brain-Pop. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Two workshops and one continuing education course were conducted through South Dakota State University (SDSU). 1) Nine high school science teachers participated in a day-long workshop in June 2014. The workshop included the opportunity to experience the Food Safety Scientist Curriculum that incorporates the virtual labs. All of the teachers identified they would use the curriculum and virtual labs the coming school year. Participants also recognized an increased awareness of food safety related careers and the application of food safety to real-life learning of STEM concepts in their classrooms. 2) Nine Family Consumer Sciences (FACS) high school teachers took a week long summer course that included two days of experiencing and using the Food Safety Scientist Curriculum and the Virtual Labs. All nine teachers identified an increase of knowledge. And all nine teachers identified how they intend to incorporate the Food Safety Scientist Curriculum (including the virtual labs) into their food related classes. 3) Three high school FACS teachers serving as supervisors for student teachers participated in a ½ day workshop to learn more about the Food Safety Scientist Curriculum and Virtual Labs. All the teachers will be working with their SDSU student teachers to incorporate the virtual labs and explore careers related to food safety. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? One SDSU undergraduate student in biology education conducted research with 23 food science students and presented the results at a SDSU undergraduate research poster session. This project introduced the undergraduate student to an entirely new subject matter to help students learn, apply and interpret basic scientific concepts that are often difficult to comprehend. This project fulfilled her undergraduate research requirement. She is now teaching in a Minnesota high school and using the Food Safety Scientist Curriculum and the Virtual Labs. Wright State University has created a new program: Food Science Bachelor of Technical and Applied Studies. The assistant professor has integrated the virtual labs into a hybrid introductory food science course. He intends to continue to use the virtual labs in this course making it mandatory that all students experience the virtual labs to compliment the hands-on laboratory sessions. This is one example of the various introductory college and high school courses that are integrating the virtual labs and aspects of the curriculum into their programs. The Virtual Labs appear in the libraries of 305 teachers through Edmodo. A "library" is an Edmodo user's reference folder for resources they use in class or assign to students via Edmodo. Edmodo is a teacher’s social media platform with over 30 million people accessing its learning network. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? North Dakota State University is evaluating the curriculum and virtual labs for the following criteria: 1) rigor and understandable content linked to identified curriculum gaps; 2) instructional or pedagogical design; and 3) Fitness for targeted learners. These criteria will be assigned a value of 1 to 4 along with a justification for the evaluation. A high school science teacher conducted this evaluation. It is now going to be carried out by a FACS and Agriculture teacher. NDSU serves as the third party evaluator overseeing this process. The final virtual lab "Controlling Water Activity in Food -- Sun Drying Corn" will be launched. A survey will be sent to all educators that have been trained in using the Food Science Curriculum to obtain information regarding the use and potential impact from the educational outcomes from this project. A manuscript, "The Effectiveness of Virtual Simulations Impacting Conceptual Knowledge and Proficiency of Laboratory Techniques in an Undergraduate Microbiology Laboratory Course" will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
One additional virtual lab was completed – “Understanding Water Activity.” This has been posted to the NMSU website. The research conducted by the graduate student investigating the impact of the virtual labs on knowledge and student’s laboratory technique was completed with over 200 students in the SDSU general microbiology course. A thesis was generated from the research and a graduate student successfully defended her work.
Publications
- Type:
Theses/Dissertations
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Peterson, L. The Effectiveness of Virtual Simulations Impacting Conceptual Knowledge and Laboratory Proficiency of Laboratory Techniques in an Undergraduate Microbiology Laboratory Course.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Schadewald, E., Hegerfeld-Baker, J., Peterson, L. and Nepal, M. 2014.
Impact of virtual labs on student performance when teaching basic science concepts and laboratory techniques. Poster presented at South Dakota State University, Brookings SD, Undergraduate Research Poster Session
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Progress 09/01/12 to 08/31/13
Outputs
Target Audience: Target Audience: College, high school and middle school students in basic laboratory science couses as well as career and technical education courses in Family and Consumer Sciences and Agriculture Sciences. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Math and Science Teachers Conference reviewed and experienced the Food Safety Scientist Curriculum and Virtual Labs: 23 teachers Interactive Presentation for Food Safety Related Careers and Interactive Virtual Labs at South Dakota - Sioux Falls Area Women in Science Conference (8th grade girls): 90 students (16 Native American) and 28 adults (parents and teachers) Technical Innovation and Education Conference: Over 30 teachers experienced the Food Safety Scientist Curriculum and Interactive Virtual Labs. 17 Teachers signed up to receive the curriculum and training updates when curriculum is completed and published in 2014. Over 25 CD's with the curriculum draft were distributed. Workshops include hands-on training, access to curriculum as it is being developed, and laboratory kits to compliment the virtual labs. Minni-workshop with FACS teachers supervising student teachers - 6 teachers. Teacher Train-the-Trainer Workshop for FACS and Ag Teachers to use Food Safety Scientist Curriculum: 18 teachers Teachers (FACS and AG) participating in the Food Safety Scientist Workshops significantly (p < 0.05) increased their knowledge regarding the laboratory techniqus and science concepts that monitor the safety of hte food supply. They increased their familiarity of careers impacting the safety of the food supply, and participants identified they will use the food safety scientist curriculum in their educational setting. The teachers had hands-on kits to use in their classrooms. the use of the curriculum will be evaluated in 2014. The teachers identified the value of the various components of the Food Safety Scientist Curriculum as follows (scale of 1 to 5, 5 being exceptional): Quality of Virtual Labs (engaging for students, exposing students to food safety related careers, and usefulness in the classroom): 4.53 Power Point Presentations (ease of use): 4.11 Hands-on Activities (use in classroom) pH: sensational salsa company -- 4.35; acidifying egg yolks -- 3.71; Curds and whey -- 4.35 Aflatoxin (tesing for corn toxins) -- 4.26 Food Microbiology -- Raw vs Pasteurized Milk -- 4.35; Quick Swabs -- 4.53; Gram Staining -- 4.0; Oil immersion microscope* - 3.88 *Oil immersion microscope (OIM) is not available in many high school labs. However, the use of OIM is a struggle for many students in introductory microbiology classes in college. The teachers (58%) participating in the train-the-trainer workshop have requested additional supplies to conduct the hands-on versions of the virtual labs. Conversations with two 1994 Landgrants in South Dakota to incoproate the Food Safety Scientist Curriculum into their science courses. Progress continues to be made for potential workshops in 2014. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Proposals for presentations have been submitted to the SD Science and Math Teachers Conference 2014, and will also submit to the NACTA Conference 2014. Presentations provided through graduate student seminars and defense of dissertation. Connected with STEM Education based websites to promote the Virtual Labs as well as the Food Safety Scientis Curriculum. Currently, three of the virtual labs and lesson plans are now accessibile to students and teachers through Brainpop. Brainpop which is a website that has a collection of animation, games and interactive programs for educational purposes. They also create their own content. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Complete two more virtual labs incorporating the scientific concept of water activity related to the safety of food products. Scheduled to be completed by December 20, 1013. Evaluate all teachers that have been exposed to the Food Safety Scientist curriculum (including the virtual labs) since the inception of the grant and promote the final product. Conduct a Train-the-Trainer Food Safety Scientist Curriculum hybrid workshop using webinars and hands-on programs. The webinars will be four to six hours in total time, the hands-on components will be one day. And the teachers will be given the option of a one credit college course if they utilize food safety scientist curriculum in their classroom and write a report which includes an evaluation for the project. This is sceduled to be offered in Febrary through April of 2014. Develop short podcasts or other types of mobile access to components of the virtual labs (to be completed with NMSU). Develop and implement strategy to make the results of the project sustainable. Include connecting with STEM education based website to promote and link to the Food Safety Scientist website on iGrow. Publish research results from 2013 and 2014
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Through the use of virtual labs and real-life situations students in introductory science courses are using the virtual labs at high schools and introductory college courses to assist students to better understand science and math concepts that are critical to the field of study. The lab techniqes incorporate real-life situations featuring food safety professionals monitoring the safety of the food supply. To date over 1000 students just at South Dakota State University in introductory food safety related courses have used the virtual labs. North Dakota State University (NDSU) serves as the third party evaluator for this project. Based on evaluation of the curriculum during the first year, changes were made to the curriculum. The Next Generation Science Standards were also incorported into the curriculum. NDSU has reviewed the research protocol, surveys, and additional tools used to gather research. They have suggested to review the incorporation of Bloom's taxonomy into the curriculum objectives. They also reviewed the prototype of the soon to be released Food Safety Scientist Website. They expressed a need for additional efforts to direct teachers to the igrow.org website.
Publications
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2012
Citation:
Virtual Labs. New Mexico State University, South Dakota State University and North Dakota State University. virtuallabs.nmsu.edu
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Progress 09/01/11 to 08/31/12
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Two new virtual labs were created by South Dakota State University and New Mexico State University that incorporate the use of pH to monitor and maintain the safety of the food supply, and experience the role of a career in food science that develops food products with an extended shelf life based on pH and temperature. This will be posted on the SDSU Food Safety Scientist Blogsite http://foodsafetyscientist.blogspot.com/p/teachers.html, and New Mexico State Universities Learning Games Lab website. Presently they can be viewed at http://medios.nmsu.edu/vl2/AcidSalsa.php The Food Safety Scientist (FSS) Curriculum was modified and additional hands-on educational materials relating to pH of foods were added to the curriculum. The FSS curriculum was tested with teachers and students, and reviewed by faculty at SDSU. This has been made available to teachers across South Dakota that participated in a Food Safety Scientist Educators Workshop. After revisions are made, it will be posted on the Food Safety Scientist Blogsite. The Food Safety Scientist Workshop to 17 teachers in Pierre, SD, to utilize the virtual labs and FSS curriculum in their schools. Conducted in an area of the state where several teachers serve schools with a sizeable Native American Population. Presentations at the following conferences (presenting information on the FSS Curriculum and Virtual Labs): SD Association of Agriculture Teachers Conference (55 participants); Sanford Multi-state STEMWISE Conference (25 participants); SD Science and Math Teachers Conference (83 teachers); SD Women in Science Conference (over 200 8th grade girls, as well as teachers and volunteers); Growing SD Conference (175 participants). PARTICIPANTS: As the External Evaluator of the project, North Dakota State University (NDSU) utilized the evaluation questions from the grant proposal to create a rubric that provides quantitative and qualitative analysis of the products created from this project. Anita Welch, NDSU Assistant Professor, specializing in educational research, oversees the work of a North Dakota high school science teacher, Don Kenna - that is also a graduate student, to conduct the evaluation. Their analysis is proving to be very valuable as we move this project forward. In May of 2012, SDSU hosted a conference with NDSU and NMSU for this grant and a previous HEC grant that was in its final year. This time was used to provide professional development focusing on the K-12 framework for science education, inquiry based standards and evaluating science education. Dr. Anita Welch provided the presentation "Science/STEM Education Research" and led a discussion. Many teaching faculty members attended and the response was extremely favorable. Dr. Jeanne Gleason from NMSU provided a presentation titled: Educational Interactive Computer Technology. The information provided by Dr. Welch and Dr. Gleason, along with updates from Project Investigators, Dr. Charlene Wolf Hall and Joan Hegerfeld-Baker were used to strategize, define partnerships and priorities as we move forward. The development of the virtual labs requires many people contributing their expertise and talents. The list of credits at the conclusion of each virtual lab is rather lengthy. It includes the following categories of people needed to obtain the final product: Principal Investigators; Content Contributors and Advisors; Project Coordinators; Executive Producer; Instructional Designer; NMSU Interactive Module Team (Project Manager, Project Lead, Programming, Art Director and Artist, Script Editing, Voice Talent, Audio Engineering, Technical Support, Instructional Design Team, Web Development Team, Web Writing Support, Studio Support), Content Reviewers. The entire team consists of approximately 50 different people providing their insight and expertise. The acknowledgements for each virtual lab state the following: South Dakota State University (SDSU) and New Mexico State University (NMSU) produced this project as part of a USDA NIFA Higher Education Challenge Grant "Innovation STEM instructional techniques to increase the number and diversity of students in food safety related majors" (No. 2011-38411-30625). SDSU serves as the lead institution for the overall project as well as creating the virtual lab content and development of supporting educational materials. NMSU is leading the digital creation of classroom media, animations and interactive educational technologies. North Dakota State University is serving as the external evaluator of the project. TARGET AUDIENCES: Target Audiences include the following: High School and Introductory Level College Courses. The Virtual Labs are being used in the General Microbiology Course at SDSU if they are learning a new technique such as gram staining or using a microscope. High school teachers are being exposed to the Virtual Labs and Food Safety Scientist Curriculum at various conferences and workshops (as reported in the output section of this report). Reaching out to minorities -- working with teachers that serve minority schools, particularly Native American populations. Having a presence (usually through a hands-on exhibit booth) at conference where students are exposed to various careers in STEM. The Women in Science program in Sioux Falls, SD brings in over 200 8th grade girls. We have one-on-one interaction with the girls. Approximately 50% of the youth are of racial and ethnic minorities and come from schools that serve over 50% low income families. Several SDSU Extension field staff and graduate students work with Joan Hegerfeld-Baker on this project to allow for one-on-one interaction. Several computers are set up, along with hands-on opportunities. This is always a very popular exhibit, and also an opportunity to connect with teachers to use the virtual labs and curriculum. Post workshop surveys have been carried out to measure knowledge gained, potential for reaching minority students, and utilization of the educational tools created with this project. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
The Food Safety Scientist workshop in Pierre, SD familiarized teachers with science concepts and lab techniques used in food safety related careers to monitor and maintain the safety of the food supply from farm to table. The proposed learning outcomes for participants included the following: 1) increase their knowledge of laboratory techniques and science concepts that monitor the safety of the food supply; 2) become familiar with careers that impact the safety of the food supply; and 3) utilize the Food Safety Scientist Curriculum (FCC) in educational settings. A reflective pre-post evaluation was conducted at the conclusion of the workshop. Participants identified that knowledge was gained in all topics addressed in the workshop. A t-test analysis of the data was conducted on the topic areas to identify if the difference in means between previous knowledge and knowledge gained were significant. A statistical significance was found in all topic areas at a p < 0.01 Therefore all means were significantly different regarding reflective knowledge gained in the following topic areas: Lab Safety Protocol; Microbial Analysis Techniques; Food Toxins and ELISA; Foodborne Illness Prevalence and Investigations; and pH of Foods. The calculations of Cohen's d, ranging from d=0.84 to d=0.96 indicate a large effect size. This is subject only to this sample group of educators in FCS, Ag and Science. The participating teachers rated the value of various components of the FSS Curriculum on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being exceptional). The mean scores ratings regarding the virtual labs: engaging for students (4.54); exposing students to food safety related career paths (4.62); and, usefulness in the classroom (4.62). The mean score ratings for the eight different lab exercises included the following: usefulness (4.40); and engaging for students (4.5). The mean scores for the guided discussion include the following: user friendly (4.20); adaptable to use with various groups (4.40); and, challenging questions (4.60). Critical to offering this workshop in Pierre was the close proximity to teachers from schools in Native American communities. Eleven schools were represented at the workshop. Two of the eleven schools have a 92% Native American student population; one school has 25%; and the remaining schools have a Native American population of 1 to 7%. Seventy-seven percent of the participants said they would definitely use the curriculum, 23% said maybe. The external evaluation of the projects outputs are being conducted by North Dakota State University to assess content validity of the projects virtual labs and curriculum.
Publications
- Hegerfeld-Baker, J. M., Anand, S., Gleason, J., Sohn, E., Meyers, D., & Peterson, L. A. (2012). Become a Food Safety Scientist Through Food Safety Virtual Labs in the Classroom NACTA/DOCE Abstracts North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Journal (Vol. 56 (Supplement), pp. 1). University of Wisconsin, River Falls, WI.
- Hegerfeld-Baker, J., Gleason, J., Peterson, L., Sohn, E., Anand, S., & Underwood, K. (2012). The pH Scale and Meter Calibration - Virtual Lab: South Dakota State University Extension and New Mexico State University Learning Games Lab.
- Hegerfeld-Baker, J., Gleason, J., Peterson, L., Sohn, E., Underwood, K., & Anand, S. (2012). Acidifying Salsa Virtual Lab: South Dakota State University Extension, New Mexico State University Learning Games Lab.
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