Progress 04/15/17 to 03/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:Working professionals who require additional formal training in core concepts in Sensory & Consumer Science. Changes/Problems:Rollout timeline was delayed by slow administrative processes required for course accrediation as well as the COVID19 pandemic. Despite these delays, the overall project was successful. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?To date, 22 students have been enrolled- please see narrative above for additional details. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The program has been discussed in detail with our industrial advisory board, via our professional networks, and the program has been advertised at professional conferences and trade publications. Please see narrative above for additional details. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
In USDA NIFAGrant 2017-70003-26389, we originally proposed to develop a set of novel courses for an online graduate program inSensory & Consumer Sciencethat was targeted for working professionals, especially women, who need to enhance their professional skills for career advancement. There is a chronic shortage of academically trained individuals in this area, so this program also facilitates workforce development for both the food and beverage industry, but also companies who make other Fast Moving Consumer Goods (e.g., shampoo, razors, etc). Over the course of the project, Drs. Hayes and Hopfer (the project director and co-director) held ongoing discussions with key industry stakeholders, eLearning professionals in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State, and experts in online curriculum development, marketing, and delivery (the USNWR top ranked Penn State World Campus). These discussions led Drs. Hayes and Hopfer to narrow the scope from a hybrid in person / remote Master of Professional Studies (MPS) degree program to a fully online Graduate Certificate program that consisted of a four course (12 credit hour) sequence of courses (as indicated in prior progress reports). This decision was heavily influenced by input from Penn State World Campus staff based on their experience across multiple MPS programs. Their experience indicated that hybrid programs are typically unsuccessful due to travel demands; further, many potential students are intimidated by the scope of a full degree program, and efforts that offer a more targeted and accredited graduate certificate instead (possibly en route to a larger graduate degree) are far more accessible and appealing, as they offer students the opportunity to try a program of study with a smaller upfront commitment. Further, some students only require ala carte courses for targeted professional development, rather than enrollment in the full certificate program. As currently offered, our graduate certificate inSensory & Consumer Sciencehas four online courses that can be completed completely remotely, including: STAT500 - Introduction to Statistics FDSC403 - Sensory Data Collection and Analysis FDSC515 - Sensometrics FDSC516 - Consumer Insights The STAT500 statistics course was pre-existing at Penn State, and was already implemented. The remaining three courses (FDSC403, 515, 516) were newly developed using resources from the NIFA HEC grant. All have received full approval as permanent standing courses by all appropriate academic units at Penn State (i.e., College level Curriculum Committee, University level Faculty Senate), which a key step for credentialing/accreditation, as it allows students to apply for federal student aid for these courses, or receive reimbursement from their employers. FDSC515 (Sensometrics) has been taught yearly (each spring) since 2019. FDSC516 (Consumer Insights) has been taught yearly (each fall) since 2019. FDSC403 (Sensory Data Collection & Analysis) was first taught online in Fall 2020, and will be offered again in Fall 2021, before moving to annual Summer offering starting in 2022. As of Summer 2021, a total of22 studentsare enrolled in the graduate certificate program developed with resources from this grant. Of these, three quarters are women. Although first initiated in April 2017, work on this project was slowed relative to the original proposed timeline for three reasons: a) personnel turn over in the College of Agricultural Sciences eLearning office delayed online course development and rollout, b) approval for three new courses by various committees at the University was slower than expected, c) approval ofthe overall graduate certificate program by all appropriate committees took longer than anticipated, in part because this approval could not be initiated until all associated courses were fully approved (i.e., no parallel submission track), and d) the COVID-19 pandemic and related lockdown delayed final implementation of the last course to be rolled out. The pandemic also delayed gathering a final round of input from key industry stakeholders. However, as indicated in this report, project goals were still ultimately successful. In Jan 2021, we held a final meeting with our industrial advisory board (via Zoom, given pandemic related travel restrictions), reviewing the content of the courses in our certificate program. We gathered direct feedback, including suggestions for further improvement of current content as well as future priority areas. These key stakeholders from major contract service providers and multinational food and beverage companies indicated that our current offerings already provide a strong core foundation that directly relates to the needs of the working professional. They also helped us focus on topic areas most appropriate for development of additional courses in the future (e.g., business competencies/communications, case series topics, quality control). We plan to use this input to improve current course content but also to grow the program organically in the future as resources allow. In summary, despite unanticipated delays, this project was very successful overall, as evidenced by full rollout of three new fully online courses (FDSC403/FDSC515/FDSC516), and creation of an entirely new graduate certificate program inSensory &Consumer Science,with successful enrollment of almost two dozen professionals working in the field. Our program has seen a steady increase in enrollment since it was first launched in Summer 2019.The firstfive studentswill have fully completed the graduate certificate program as of December 2021. Based on feedback to date from students enrolled in the program, the courses and course content are well received and are described as engaging, and are found to be extremely helpful for their professional careers. Further, students in the program report that they appreciate the peer engagement in each course, which is perceived as an informal networking opportunity.
Publications
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Progress 04/15/17 to 04/14/18
Outputs
Target Audience:
Nothing Reported
Changes/Problems:Although the project was initiated in April 2017, work on the project was somewhat delayed due to a) personnel turn over in the College of Agricultural Sciences eLearning office, and b) slower than anticipated approval for new courses by required committees at the University. These issues delayed performance of the work originally described in the proposal, but as noted elsewhere in this progress report, substantial progress has been made and we do not anticipate any further problems. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the coming reporting period, the online modules for the Sensometrics course will be completed, as will the online modules for Sensory Data Collection and Analysis. All three new courses will undergo content review by an outside expert, for further refinement. Upon completion, learning from this process will be shared via peer reviewed publications.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Via numerous discussions with industry stakeholders, eLearning professionals in the College of Agricultural Sciences, and experts in online curriculum development, marketing, and delivery (the USNWR no.1 ranked Penn State World Campus), the project director and co-director (Drs. Hopfer and Hayes) have chosen to focus more narrowly on a 4 course / 12 credit sequence of courses to form a graduate certificate that will serve as the core of the proposed MPS program. This decision was driven by recent experience of Penn State World Campus across multiple MPS programs that indicates that many potential students are intimidated by the scope of a full degree program, and programs that offer a more targeted and accredited graduate certificate en route to a larger graduate degree tend to more accessible and appealing as they offer students the opportunity to try the program with a smaller upfront commitment. The 4 core courses for this targeted graduate certificate in Sensory and Consumer Science include: * Introduction to Statistics * Sensometrics * Consumer Insights * Sensory Data Collection and Analysis The statistics course was pre-existing, and was already implemented and online. All new courses at Penn State require approvals at both the College and University level, and this is a key step in terms of credentialing/accreditation. For the Sensometrics course, all required approvals have been obtained, the online content modules are fully implemented, and the course is currently being offered online for the Spring 2019 semester. For the Consumer Insights course, all required approvals have been obtained, and the online modules are currently under development. More than half have been completed thus far, and the remaining modules will be finished by summer 2019. We plan launch this class in the coming academic year. For the Sensory Data Collection and Analysis Course, tentative approval (pending minor revisions to the course proposal) has been obtained, and the content overview is complete. The online content modules will be implemented in Fall 2019 and Spring 2020, with an initial offering in summer 2020. All three new courses will undergo content review and evaluation by an outside expert. An appropriate expert (with 30+ years of industrial experience) has been identified and retained, and the content review will proceed in the Summer and Fall of 2019 and Spring of 2020.
Publications
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