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<p>The goal of the project is to increase the quantity and quality of undergraduate students involved with food safety and microbiology through the use of innovative case study approaches. Specifically, we will, </p>
<p>(1) collaborate with a nationally recognized expert in case study teaching in the development of 8 different cases on food safety, </p>
<p>(2) implement these case studies in six different Universities/programs, and </p>
<p>(3) assess the impact of this approach on student learning outcomes. These cases will be made available to teachers of food safety and microbiology nationally through hardcopy and electronic means. The outcome of this effort will be students that are better prepared to apply fundamental principles for assuring a safe food supply.</p>
<p>NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY:<br/> Food safety is a significant concern for the health of U.S. citizens and the viability of the food industry. Traditional approaches for teaching food safety and microbiology have focused on instructor-centered lectures, memorization of the names and characteristics of microorganisms, and the role of processing for ensuring food safety. Integration of fundamental concepts for application within a `real world' context has not typically been addressed. The 2009 NRC publication, Transforming Agricultural Education for a Changing World, clearly noted the need for teachers to present material in a contextual manner that promotes experiential learning by students, and to develop the ability of students to learn in team/group formats. Case-study teaching provides a means by which to accomplish this because it provides multiple approaches for effective
teaching through `real life' examples. In this project, we will develop 8 different cases on food safety by collaborating with a nationally recognized expert in case study teaching. We will implement these case studies in six different universities, and evaluate the impact of this approach on student learning outcomes. These cases will be made available to teachers of food safety and microbiology nationally through hardcopy and electronic means. The outcome of this effort will be students that are better prepared to apply fundamental principles for assuring a safe food supply.
<p>APPROACH: <br/>First, a nationally renowned expert on teaching case studies will conduct a two-workshop on case study teaching at the University of Connecticut, train the investigators and collaborators from participating schools to write and teach with case studies, and give feedback on eight cases written by the investigators before they are used in teaching. Secondly, the eight cases on food safety will be used in food safety classes taught to undergraduate and graduate students in food science, nutrition and animal science by instructors at six different universities. Finally, the effectiveness of the case study method for teaching food safety will be administered to student populations at the participating institutions.</p>