Math Skills Assessment

ABSTRACT: A math review exam, written and administered in conjunction with the Quantitative Assessment Program at the Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison, is used at the beginning of the 1st food engineering course to evaluate math skills needed for successful completion of the course. Students who do not score well on the math exam are targeted for individual remedial work to help bring their math skills up to a level that allows successful completion of the food engineering course.     

A Report from the Higher Education Review Board (HERB): Assessment of Undergraduate Student Learning Outcomes in Food Science

For the past 15 years, Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) has mandated assessment of undergraduate student learning outcomes as the basis for approving food science (FS) programs. No longer is a check‐off course system sufficient to be an IFT‐approved program. The 4 steps to gaining IFT approval include developing learning outcomes for all required FS courses, developing outcomes for the program as a whole, assessing student learning through a comprehensive series of assessment tools, and developing and reporting a plan to use the assessment data collected for continuous program improvement. This article reviews these steps in some detail, providing guidance on possible approaches that may be used. In the end, the aim of the IFT requirements is to improve student learning in FS to advance the field.     

Making the Transition to a Food Science Curriculum Based on Assessment of Learning Outcomes

ABSTRACT: Despite the well-documented advantages of switching to instruction based on assessment of learning outcomes, many academic disciplines, including food science, are still based on the traditional mode of instruction. The problems of converting from traditional to assessment-driven instruction are numerous and change in the university setting is slow. However, certain guidelines can be followed to start the process for change and evaluate the effects on student learning. A partnership between the industry being served and academic instructors is needed to ensure that assessment-based instruction is focused on the proper principles. Methods of assessment of learning outcomes need to be carefully chosen and developed to bring industry standards and student learning together. This can be done only if both direct and indirect assessments at the program level provide faculty with means to answer their most pressing questions about what students know and are able to do as a result of Food Science education.