Relative Importance of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Core Competencies—A Case Study Survey

ABSTRACT: Nearly 90% of graduating seniors from the Food Science program at Purdue University gain employment in the food industry. Ensuring the program is meeting employers' needs is one mission of our curriculum committee with input from an Industrial Advisory Board (IAB). In light of the recent outcomes-based assessment requirements outlined by IFT, feedback from our IAB members regarding the relative importance of the core competencies was needed. The objective of this study was to survey the IAB members regarding relative importance of each of the 46 core competencies. Each competency was ranked using a Likert scale from 1 = not important to 5 = very important. Statistical analysis was conducted using the Mann-Whitney nonparametric test. Significant differences (P = 0.05) were found between several of the five content categories with Success Skills scoring highest (4.35 out of 5) on relative importance followed by Applied Food Science Knowledge (4.02 out of 5). Also, significant differences (P = 0.05) were found between competencies within each content category. Overall, the results suggest that the 46 core competencies should not be given the same instructional weight within a curriculum. One option for addressing the variation in importance could be to include some planned redundancy within the curriculum for those core competencies that were ranked the highest. In addition, part of the outcomes-based assessment process should include measures of the level of competency being achieved by graduates. By considering relative importance and competency achieved by graduates, important areas for improvement can be identified.     

Clarifying Distance Education Roles and Competencies: Exploring Similarities and Differences Between Professional and Student-Practitioner Perspectives

The authors utilized a Delphi technique to explore roles and competencies as identified and ranked by 106 upper level graduate student-practitioners from eleven academic programs specializing in distance education. Responses were compared to two previous studies utilizing distance education expert/scholar respondents. Although the roles identified were similar to previous studies, the highest rated competencies in the current study emphasized technical expertise to a greater degree than did the previous practitioner/scholar studies. Results included consensus on fourteen distance education roles and twenty-one core competencies.     

Future and changing roles of staff in distance education: a study to identify training and professional development needs

Abstract

The roles of distance education teaching staff are changing, necessitating role clarity and the development of appropriate competency frameworks. This article investigates the perceptions of the teaching and research staff at the University of South Africa, regarding the current and future roles of distance educators, their own competencies in each role and training that they require in order to address competencies required in these future roles. This research forms part of a larger project that focuses on capacity and continuous professional development processes that are necessary to train staff to be prepared for these changing roles. A quantitative web-based survey was sent to all academic (teaching and research) staff at the University of South Africa. Key results indicate that competencies in the roles of technology and instructional design have emerged as crucial for distance educators, and that future training programmes need to be developed to support these areas.     

A Model to Systematize Competencies in Counselor Education

A domain of 2,186 competency statements was collected from a survey of counseling professionals, liteature, and counselor education programs. An examination of these statements revealed they were written at various levels of specificity and often the areas of knowledge, skills, and personal characteristics were confounded within a single statement. A concept analysis showed that competency statements have not been written for all of the duties performed by counselors. This article presents a model to rewrite existing competency statements in a standardized format; eliminating the problems of nonspecific, confounded, and missing competencies. Examples of the application of the model are given.     

Modeling the relationship between pre-service teachers’ TPACK and digital nativity

The purpose of this study is to build a structural equation model that predicts the relationship between Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) competencies and digital nativity. The data was collected from 1493 Turkish pre-service teachers. Two instruments were used in the data collection; a TPACK-deep scale and a Turkish adaptation of the Digital Native Assessment Scale (DNAS). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted to investigate the assumption that digital nativity was a predictor of TPACK competency. It was found that pre-service teachers considered themselves to have high-level ability in both digital nativity and TPACK competency. The most prominent finding of the study was that digital nativity is a significant predictor of TPACK competency. Based on the research findings, implications for practice and suggestions for future studies are also provided.     

Comparing K-12 online and blended teaching competencies: a literature review

This article presents a synthesis of reports and research on K-12 blended teaching competencies compared with K-12 online teaching competencies. The skills needed to teach in online and blended environments are distinct from traditional teaching, but teacher education programs often do not equip preservice teachers for the new modes of instruction. Additionally, there is a dearth of research on blended teaching competencies. This review synthesizes 8 blended teaching documents and 10 online teaching documents. Seven global themes identified in both competency domains are (1) pedagogy, (2) management, (3) assessment, (4) technology, (5) instructional design, (6) dispositions, and (7) improvement. The top 20 blended teaching skills include flexibility and personalization, mastery-based learning, data usage and interpretation, learning management system usage, online discussion facilitation, and software management. The authors recommend that researchers collect more methodologically transparent data about blended teaching and that teacher education programs include the identified skills in curriculum.     

Surveying digital competencies of university students and professors in Ukraine for fully online collaborative learning

Collaborative-constructivist online learning appears well aligned with Ukraine’s post-revolutionary aspirations for globalised and transformed higher education. This study explores digital competencies of students and professors at Kyiv National Economic University, Ukraine, to probe readiness for fully online collaborative learning. The General Technology Competency and Use profile tool was completed by 244 participants to measure digital experience and confidence across four categories of human–computer activity. To assess readiness, reported levels of competencies were related to the three dimensions of successful collaborative learning described by the Community of Inquiry model. Despite some key differences between students and teachers, general findings include moderate-to-low levels of self-reported technical, social and informational competency, accompanied by consistently low levels of epistemological competency. These findings suggest that neither students nor teachers are adequately prepared for achieving high levels of social, cognitive and teaching presence in a fully online learning environment. It is recommended that digital-competency development become an educational priority.     

Validation of Virtual Learning Team Competencies for Individual Students in a Distance Education Setting

The purpose of this study was twofold. First, the study aimed to validate the scale of the Virtual Team Competency Inventory in distance education, which had initially been designed for a corporate setting. Second, the methodological advantages of Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM) framework over Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) framework were empirically compared and discussed. A total of 1,355 distance education students participated in the survey designed to elicit their perceptions of their own competencies for working on virtual teams. The study validated the results from prior research that an eleven-factor structure solution for the competency construct achieved the most satisfactory fit. Methodologically, it also demonstrated that ESEM yielded a clearer factor structure and optimal model-fitting indices than CFA in a construct validation study.     

A Competency Model for Process Dynamics and Control and Its Use for Test Construction at University Level

This study examined students’ competencies in engineering education at the university level. First, we developed a competency model in one specific field of engineering: process dynamics and control. Then, the theoretical model was used as a frame to construct test items to measure students’ competencies comprehensively. In the empirical application, the reliability of the test was examined. The results confirmed the applicability of the theory-based test. Also, associations between students’ competencies and individual characteristics were explored. Students who showed higher competencies could be identified based on their individual characteristics, such as participation in self-assessments. Finally, we demonstrated how to apply the standards of theory-based testing to everyday routines at the university and also highlighted some challenging issues to be considered when implementing theory-based testing in practice. This approach could be valuable: Tests based on theoretically sound models allow for appropriate measurement of students’ competencies in higher education.     

Roles and competencies of academic counsellors in distance education

Academic counsellors or tutors are engaged as a link between learners and distance teaching institutions. They perform various roles such as facilitating learning of subject matter content, assessing assignments, providing motivation and encouragement, and supervising research/term papers/project work. Each of these roles requires specific competencies to enable them to perform satisfactorily. This paper identifies the roles performed by academic counsellors at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and the competencies required for each role. It also provides a generic list of competencies required to perform as an academic counsellor. Based on self‐rating of the competency of a group of academic counsellors, the paper recommends the training of academic counsellors and the development of distance teaching materials for use in competence‐building.     

Students’ perceptions on the recognition of holistic competency achievement: A systematic mixed studies review

Holistic competency development is rarely certified in practice, and the assessment of holistic competencies remains an under-researched topic in the education literature. The primary aim of this systematic mixed studies review is to explore students’ perceptions on the recognition of holistic competencies. The review found very few studies that specifically focused on or directly addressed student perceptions in this area. Based on the analysis of 31 studies identified from existing literature, three themes were generated: evidence of overall achievement, assessment of holistic competencies in learning tasks, and challenges. The findings show that there is a lack of attention to holistic competency recognition and is a major gap in the current empirical literature. The current review highlights the need for a systematic process of documenting, reporting, and certifying holistic competency in higher education that takes into consideration the broader level of overall recognition and the assessment of competencies.     

Validated Competencies for Distance Teaching

The International Board of Standards for Training, Performance and Instruction (IBSTPI) provides a methodology for drafting and validating teaching competencies. This study applied the IBSTPI methodology to identify and validate distance education (DE) instructor competencies. The research team's review of DE literature in the past 10 years resulted in a list of 20 competencies. The list was reviewed by 18 distance learning professionals as subject matter experts (SMEs). The SMEs' feedback and comments along with the performance statements developed for the competencies were analyzed which resulted in 54 task statements describing the instructional activities of a DE instructor. These tasks were then rated by 148 instructors in terms of importance, frequency of performance, and the perception of relative time spent on each task. The task analysis resulted in a list of 17 most frequently performed tasks that we linked back to the corresponding original competencies. Analysis of these data pointed out the significant characteristics of teaching from a distance including interaction with learners and technological and logistical requirements. This article presents the methodology and findings of this study and discusses their implications for recruitment, selection, and training of DE instructors.     

基于TPACK理论的学科教育技术课程研究及启示——以英属哥伦比亚大学“运用技术教数学与科学”课程为例

学科教育技术课程是培养教师实施信息技术与学科教学深度融合能力的重要载体.为了探讨如何建设深入学科的教育技术课程,采用内容分析和深度访谈等方法研究了英属哥伦比亚大学的一门在线教育硕士项目课程--"运用技术教数学与科学".研究发现:该课程以TPACK理论和有意使用技术的教学思维框架为指导,其课程特色是以融合为导向,以问题为纽带,以探究为核心,以作品为中心,以协作为形式.这充分体现了整合性STEM教育的5个关键特征:STEM多学科融合,基于问题的学习,基于探究的学习,基于设计的学习,基于协作的学习.研究启示:(1)以学科教育技术为依托培养教师的信息化教学能力;(2)以学科交叉融合为导向培养教师的跨学科教学能力;(3)以信息技术支持的跨学科教育为切入点培养社会需要的创新型人才.     

What core competencies are related to teachers' innovative teaching?

The purpose of this study is to investigate teachers' core competencies in relation to their innovative teaching performance. Based on the literature and previous studies in this field, four competencies (learning competency, educational competency, social competency and technological competency) are theorised as core competencies for teachers' innovative teaching. A questionnaire on teachers' core competencies and innovative teaching performance was developed and tested. The findings indicate that teachers' educational competency, social competency and technological competency were positively related to their innovative teaching performance. The study also shows that a supportive relationship with colleagues is important for teachers' innovative teaching performance. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Differences in competencies between doctoral students on‐campus and at a distance

Abstract

This article describes differences between on‐campus and distance learners by knowledge, skills, and abilities. On‐campus doctoral students at Texas A&M University were compared with doctoral students enrolled in a distance education program offered jointly with Texas Tech University. Student perceptions of their competency levels were gathered using a mixed mailed/Internet questionnaire. On‐campus and distance education students had different levels of competence. Competency models can serve faculty and administrators as an assessment tool for strategic decision making and development of courses and curricula. This study provides a model for benchmarking competencies and provides baseline data for making such changes.     

An exploration of the professional competencies required in engineering asset management

Engineering asset management (EAM) is a rapidly growing and developing field. However, efforts to select and develop engineers in this area are complicated by our lack of understanding of the full range of competencies required to perform. This exploratory study sought to clarify and categorise the professional competencies required of individuals at different hierarchical levels within EAM. Data from 14 field interviews, 61 online surveys, and 10 expert panel interviews were used to develop an initial professional competency framework. Overall, nine competency clusters were identified. These clusters indicate that engineers working in this field need to be able to collaborate and influence others, complete objectives within organisational guidelines, and be able to manage themselves effectively. Limitations and potential uses of this framework in engineering education and research are discussed.     

Driving performance improvements by integrating competencies with human resource practices

This study explores the issues in the development and application of a competency model and provides implications for more precise integration of competencies into human resource (HR) functions driving performance improvement. This research is based on a case study from a Korean consumer corporation. This study employed document reviews, observation, and interviews. Although competency modeling is time‐consuming work, this study's results found that it can be a helpful intervention tool for improving HR performance in several ways. Furthermore, the results identified critical issues for success in each aspect of competency modeling. This article offers practical and useful insights into the relationship between competency modeling and HR performance improvement.     

Bridging courses by distance education for overseas‐trained professionals migrating to Australia: Practical and viability issues

This article discusses the issues concerned with using distance education to help provide bridging courses for overseas‐trained professionals migrating to Australia. Often such courses are specialised, have small enrolments and are required on demand by the recently arrived migrant. Therefore, there are significant practical and viability problems to be expected for the providers of such courses. The article draws on work from a 1997 study of the potential and viability of distance education bridging courses for overseas‐trained professionals migrating to Australia. The study was commissioned and funded by the National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition, of the Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs, under its Evaluations and Investigations Program. A discussion is provided of the particular problems encountered in the provision of on‐campus courses for students whose locations, schedules and circumstances are quite diverse. However, whilst distance education provision might seem a reasonable solution to such problems, for some professions there are particular practical matters concerning such provision. A key issue addressed is conceptualising the viability of developing and providing such courses through distance education, and how this may help distance educators view the viability of other small ‘boutique’ courses in distance education.     

The development and initial validation of a questionnaire of inclusive teachers’ competency for meeting special educational needs in regular classrooms in China

The aim of this study was to develop and validate an instrument of inclusive teachers’ competencies for teaching students with special educational needs in China. Data were obtained from a preliminary and large-scale investigation in Beijing. The primary analyses included exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. The findings indicated that Chinese inclusive teachers’ competency is underpinned by four factors: teaching and instruction; communication and cooperation; attitudes and beliefs; and reflection and development. The four-factor model was obtained with satisfactory reliability and validity. The validated questionnaire generated a theoretical understanding of inclusive education teachers’ competency in China. In addition, the findings of the study provided knowledge that will allow for the development of professional standards and teacher education programmes for inclusive education.     

远程素质教育模型与模式：从理论到实践

远程素质教育的模型建构和模式建构是影响远程素质教育开展的两大命题。通过对北京广播电视大学所属30所分校、工作站和教学点的55位教职员工和9个分校13个专业的334名学习者进行问卷调查,尝试建构了从职业到学业再到职业的远程素质教育金字塔模型,该模型从塔基到塔顶依次由远程生理素质教育、远程心理素质教育、远程道德素质教育、远程思政素质教育、远程文化素质教育和远程能力素质教育6大维度构成。在此基础上,提出了从校内到校外的远程素质教育模式,该模式由知识积累素质和能力转化素质构成,前者关注人才培养模式的设计和教师水平的提高,后者重点解决教学实践和社会实践的问题。