Performance-Based Learning: A Case Study in Experiential Education

2020 ◽  
Vol 112 (2) ◽  
pp. 65-71
Author(s):  
Holly S. Kihm ◽  
Jayetta Slawson
Keyword(s):  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Student Learning ◽  
Experiential Education ◽  
Family And Consumer Sciences ◽  
The United States ◽  
Professional Preparation ◽  
Social Significance ◽  
Obesity Epidemic ◽  
Academic Scholarship ◽  
Consumer Sciences

Experiential education is a highly prized and effective interdisciplinary methodology to supplement classroom instruction and to improve student learning. Experiential theories have a wide reach, traceable to Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates. John Dewey's pivotal work Experience and Education, first published in 1938, is canonical in academic scholarship and has been expanded on throughout the 20 th century, most notably by Kolb's scholarship spanning the 1980s to present day (Dewey, 1938). David Kolb's four-stage learning cycle is still used across disciplines in scholar's conversations on useful methods for helping students grasp complex academic content and experience transformative learning opportunities (Kolb, 2015). Four senior-level projects carried out in a special topics course in Family and Consumer Sciences at Southeastern Louisiana University provided students with an opportunity to rehearse the research skills they will need after graduation. These experiential learning projects focused on the obesity epidemic in the United States; they had a significant impact on student learning, not only for professional preparation, but also for emphasizing a topic of social significance.

Teaching in an Undergraduate Dietetics Program and Internship During COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 113 (2) ◽  
pp. 25-29
Author(s):  
Stephanie Rogus ◽  
Shadai Martin ◽  
Sylvia Gabriela Phillips
Keyword(s):  
Family And Consumer Sciences ◽  
The United States ◽  
State University ◽  
Spring Semester ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Dietetics Education ◽  
New Mexico State University ◽  
Consumer Sciences ◽  
Learning Competencies ◽  
Nutrition And Dietetics

During the spring semester of 2020, COVID-19 disrupted teaching at universities across the United States ("Coronavirus Hits Campus," 2020). Transitioning courses online presented many difficulties for instructors (Gannon, 2020; McMurtrie, 2020b; Schmalz, 2020), and educators in family and consumer sciences (FCS)–and dietetics in particular–worked to engage students, administer exams, address confusion with content, and identify alternatives for supervised practice within a very short timeframe. This paper discusses the challenges faced and solutions discovered by undergraduate and graduate dietetics program faculty at New Mexico State University (NMSU) in transitioning face-to-face courses to online. It also discusses how changes in teaching practices during this time will affect the future of dietetics education. Both programs are accredited by The Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND), which requires programs (undergraduate, graduate, and dietetic internships) to meet specific learning competencies and supervised practice hours and provide documentation that requirements are met (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2020b). Although accreditation is not unique to dietetics programs, the specific requirements, varied practice sites, and range of possible solutions merit attention.

Gatekeepers in the food industry: acceptability of edible insects

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-243
Author(s):  
H.J. Hunts ◽  
F.V. Dunkel ◽  
M.J. Thienes ◽  
N.B. Carnegie
Keyword(s):  
Food Industry ◽  
Family And Consumer Sciences ◽  
The United States ◽  
Edible Insects ◽  
Market Demand ◽  
North Central ◽  
Exact Test ◽  
The North ◽  
Consumer Sciences ◽  
Insects As Food

For billions of consumers around the world, insects are not only considered edible, they are considered delicious! Currently, in the United States, there is a distinct movement from ‘yuck’ to ‘yum’ in terms of insects as food. This movement towards acceptance can be seen in the market-demand for edible insects, but the pace of the demand is modified by the level to which key gatekeepers in education, research, and the food industry are providing supportive information to consumers. In this paper, we hypothesised that there would be differences in the perceptions of edible insect acceptability across three gatekeeper groups, entomologists (specifically, members of the North Central Branch of the Entomological Society of America), food technologists (specifically, members of the Southern California Institute for Food Technology), and secondary family and consumer sciences teachers (specifically, members of the Montana Association of Family and Consumer Sciences). Further, we hypothesised that nutrition and environmental information would be the most important among entomologists. We exposed each group to information and tasting opportunities. Our findings supported our hypotheses with statistically significant differences using the Fisher’s exact test across the three gatekeeper groups in terms of acceptability (P-values of less than 0.01 in all pairings; P=1.003e-12 overall). We found differences between entomologists and family and consumer sciences (FCS) teachers in the importance of nutrition as a factor (P=0.014) but not between other pairings. Environmental impact information was statistically different across the groups (P=0.024) and statistically significant in FCS teachers compared to the other groups but not food technologists versus entomologists (P=0.95). We offer theoretical reasons why differences exist and offer suggestions on how we can move towards more acceptance among gatekeepers leading to more support for consumer demand.

Pandemic Panic and Retail Reconfiguration: Consumer and Supply Chain Responses to COVID- 19

2021 ◽  
Vol 113 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-16
Author(s):  
Barbara L. Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Change Agents ◽  
Family And Consumer Sciences ◽  
The United States ◽  
New Era ◽  
Product Availability ◽  
Online Sales ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Brick And Mortar ◽  
Consumer Sciences ◽  
Grocery Products

COVID-19 ignited a revolution in retail. Family and consumer sciences (FCS) professionals, including students of retail and consumer sciences, can be the change agents that create the post-pandemic retail future. Massive disruptions to traditional retail practices for both consumers and retailers will result in changed retail environments as the United States and the world recoil and enter a new era changed by the global pandemic. Consumers have experienced panic and product availability anxieties, especially in food and grocery products. Shelves have been devoid of toilet paper, antibacterial products, and flour. Online shopping, including delivery and store pickup, is the new reality, with online sales at full-assortment grocers up 325% for March 12 and 13 in the midst of the panic (Melton, 2020). Retailers, especially grocers, have scrambled to maintain inventory and boost employment to feed the population, while non grocery brick-and-mortar retailers closed their doors and lost revenue to pay employees, leases, and outstanding invoices. How long until familiar times return—or will they? Forging ahead and influencing the post-pandemic retail world presents an opportunity for FCS professionals and consumers.

Engaging Students in a Latino Neighborhood Initiative: Transformative Learning at a Farmers' Market

2010 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 27-31
Author(s):  
Russell Rhoads
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Study Abroad ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Student Learning ◽  
Experiential Education ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Learning Assessment ◽  
Transformative Experience ◽  
Farmers Market ◽  
Field School

How can experiential education facilitate higher levels of student learning? Can one assume that the experience itself of participating in a service learning project or study abroad or a field school will lead a student to a transformative experience? My research explores the idea of better designing courses that engage students in the process of transformative learning. The process illustrates the need for learning assessment tools integrated into the design of a project or course.

The Obesity Epidemic in Chinese American Youth?: A Literature Review and Pilot Study

2008 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robyn Matloff ◽  
Angela Lee ◽  
Roland Tang ◽  
Doug Brugge
Keyword(s):  
Asian Americans ◽  
Ethnic Diversity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Community Health Center ◽  
Chinese American ◽  
The United States ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
Waiting Room ◽  
Obesity Epidemic ◽  
American Children

Despite nearly 12 million Asian Americans living in the United States and continued immigration, this increasingly substantial subpopulation has consistently been left out of national obesity studies. When included in national studies, Chinese-American children have been grouped together with other Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders or simply as “other,” yielding significantly lower rates of overweight and obesity compared to non-Asians. There is a failure to recognize the ethnic diversity of Asian Americans as well as the effect of acculturation. Results from smaller studies of Chinese American youth suggest that they are adopting lifestyles less Chinese and more Americans and that their share of disease burden is growing. We screened 142 children from the waiting room of a community health center that serves primarily recent Chinese immigrants for height, weight and demographic profile. Body Mass Index was calculated and evaluated using CDC growth charts. Overall, 30.1 percent of children were above the 85th we found being male and being born in the U .S. to be statistically significant for BMI > 85th percentile (p=0.039, p=0.001, respectively). Our results suggest that being overweight in this Chinese American immigrant population is associated with being born in the U.S. A change in public policy and framework for research are required to accurately assess the extent of overweight and obesity in Chinese American children. In particular, large scale data should be stratified by age, sex, birthplace and measure of acculturation to identify those at risk and construct tailored interventions.

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