Progress 12/15/23 to 12/14/24
Outputs
Target Audience:The target group for the Development of a Diverse and Competent Food Safety Compliance Workforce to Enhance Trust in a Food Secure Food System, known as the audit, inspection, and assessment (AIA), are undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in higher education programs. Direct contact with this population did not occur in Year 1 of the project. The project team is currently developing the course curriculum, which is projected for completion by Q3, 2025. Once the curriculum is complete, beta testing will begin in Q3/Q4 of 2025. Establishing a high-quality, adoptable curriculum requires support from educators, especially educators specializing in AIA. There is no known group of university educators specific to AIA and this project team created a goal to establish a community of practice (COP). Contact with this population did not occur in Year 1, but the planning for the Community of Practice of AIA educators did. As part of this initiative, the project team is planning two community of practice events in fiscal year 2025, with communication and interaction taking place initially via Zoom. Potential members will be identified and invited by the project team, with plans for the group to expand through word of mouth as well as marketing. A third population identified by this project are advisory board members. A project goal is implementing a sustainable model for dissemination, and developing an easy-to-access network of professionals and organizations for educators and students to engage with; both of these goals will be supported by an advisory board. Board members were identified in January 2024, and invitations to join the advisory board were sent out in February 2024. Approximately 15 invitations were issued, with a ~85% response rate. Communication with advisory board members occurred on January 15 and February 10, 2024. They were also invited to partake in a DELPHI survey to help confirm the curriculum. Invitations for new members to join the advisory board were distributed on May 2, 2024, and the REVAMP newsletter was sent to advisory board members on December 12, 2024, providing updates on the project's progression. Changes/Problems:The approach to Goal 4--producing research-based marketing strategies and materials for recruiting students into food AIA careers for food safety educators--has evolved since the project's inception. Initially, the plan involved hiring students at Tuskegee University to explore marketing methods for the AIA curriculum and to develop the necessary marketing materials. However, the Co-PI overseeing this goal transitioned into an Assistant Dean position. This advancement into an administrative role allowed them to collaborate directly with a dedicated university marketing team, enabling the production of the project deliverables. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Members of the team were afforded a trip to Long Beach, California July 14-24, 2024. The project team submitted an abstract for a Round Table titled: Strengthening the Frontline of Food Safety: Meeting the Growing Demand for Competent Auditors, Inspectors, and Assessors. Team members coordinated and ran the round table and were also able to attend additional learning sessions for the duration of the meeting. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?A newsletter was sent to advisory board members on December 12, 2025, updating them on the progress of the project. The plan is to engage advisory board members to review the curriculum content but this will not occur until Q3/2025 at the earliest. The COP has not met yet, so information has not been shared. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The anticipated outcomes for Year 2 primarily involve the completion and beta testing of the curriculum. This process will include at least two rounds of review: one conducted by advisory board members and the second by the AIA project team. In addition to the curriculum review, there will be a meeting with the advisory board at least once throughout the year. The Community of Practice (COP) is scheduled to meet in March 2025 and October 2025, and the insights gained from these meetings will inform the planning of ongoing sessions in project Year 3. It is expected that the COP will continue to function beyond the project's completion. Additionally, the implementation of the marketing strategy and plan is anticipated to occur late in Year 2.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Goal 1: Develop a turnkey and flexible curriculum that equips food safety educators to cultivate the next generation of food AIA professionals. The curriculum is currently being developed by a team of subject matter experts and an instructional designer. They are creating educational modules based on the project plan and insights from the DELPHI survey conducted with AIA Advisory Board members. There will be a total of sixteen modules, with four of them already in development. The training will incorporate both asynchronous and synchronous learning formats. Goal 2: Develop an AIA community of practice (COP) for food safety educators. The planning for the COP meetings took place in 2024, with two sessions scheduled for Q1 and Q3 of 2025. These will be conducted virtually via Zoom, hosted by North Carolina State University, and led by members of the AIA project team. Each session in 2025 will feature a speaker, followed by a question-and-answer segment. The AIA team will kickstart the recruitment process for COP attendees, encouraging them to share the opportunity with others who might benefit from joining the community. Following the initial meetings, the AIA team will assess what worked well and what didn't to refine future meetings. Goal 3: Develop and implement a sustainable model for the dissemination of the curriculum. Focused work on this goal is not expected to begin until Q1 of 2026. However, one of the tasks of the advisory board is to help with the dissemination of the curriculum by identifying organizations they work with directly who would benefit from such a curriculum. An advisory board has been created. Goal 4: Produce research-based marketing strategies and materials for recruiting students into food AIA careers for food safety educators to use. Progress on this goal is on track. A marking group was identified in Year 1 to develop a strategy and implementation plan to reach students informing them of the types and benefits of AIA careers. The assigned lead of this goal is in negotiations with the marketing group with the expectation that a contract will be executed by the end of Q1/2025. Goal 5: Develop an easy-to-access network of professionals and organizations for educators and students to engage with. Progress towards this goal has commenced with the establishment of the advisory board. The names of the members will be made available on an upcoming platform for students and educators. Additionally, the advisory board will be consulted for recommendations on effective networking strategies for students and educators, as well as for platforms to publish curated contact information.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Stevenson, C. (2024). Strengthening the Frontline of Food Safety: Meeting the Growing Demand for Competent Auditors, Inspectors, and Assessors. International Association for Food Protection annual meeting, July 14 17, 2024.
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