IUFoST Activities in Distance Education

By Daryl Lund and Donald Mercer

IUFoST has three thrust areas: (1) Food Security, (2) Food Safety, and (3) Education and Training.  Within Education and Training there are two active areas under development: (1) Core Curriculum in food science and technology and (2) Distance Education. Elsewhere in this synopsis of the Education session at the 16th World Congress of Food Science and Technology held in Brazil in August 2012, Professor Aman Wirakartakusumah, Chair of the Education Committee, will review progress to date on the core curriculum and review of programs. In this report, activity in distance education will be reviewed.

Three major initiatives have been the focus of the Distance Education Task Force: (1) Identify institutions that offer food science and technology courses for academic credit, (2) Develop training programs for professional continuing education, and (3) Identify resources for use in teaching food science and technology. More information on each of the programs can be found on the IUFoST website (www.iufost.org/Education-Training) , click on Distance Education)  

Institutions That Offer Food Science and Technology Courses for Academic Credit:

Every five years starting in 2003, IUFoST has conducted a survey of academic departments and adhering bodies to identify courses offered by accredited institutions for academic credit. The survey form itself can be found on the IUFoST website and may be submitted at any time to the IUFoST Secretariat. In some cases, there is also a certificate or academic degree associated with successful completion of a prescribed curriculum. To enroll in a course, please directly contact the person identified in the survey.  IUFoST is not authorised to offer courses for academic credit.

Training programs for professional continuing education:

Background:

To initiate this activity, in 2003 the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST) identified the development of a training program for food industry workers in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) as a major initiative. Training of these individuals is viewed as one way of addressing problems associated with establishing a reliable and sustainable supply of safe and nutritious food for the people of this region. Reduction of poverty and hunger is a United Nations' Millennium Development Goal and is one that IUFoST is ideally qualified to address. Although initially targeted to SSA, the training program is not location specific.  The contents of each module can be tailored  to accommodate the specific needs  of different regions.

Module Development:

IUFoST's Distance Education Task Force recruited well-known scientists to prepare a set of training modules to meet its training objectives. Each module consists of one to three levels (introductory, intermediate and advanced) depending on the subject matter. The modules are:

• Food Safety
• Quality Assurance
• Food Laws and Regulations
• Shelf-Life of Foods
• Thermal Processing
• Dehydration and Drying
• Food Freezing
• Food Packaging
• Practical Human Nutrition
• Minimal Processing

"Dehydration and Drying" was selected as a pilot module and used to assess methods of course delivery; utility of website and course infra-structure and evaluation process; and establish the suitability of the material for our intended target audience of food industry workers. The results of the alpha and beta tests were very encouraging and the website has been redesigned to facilitate easy adoption of the training program. 

Method of Delivery:

When a course is delivered, there is a course instructor to oversee the offering of the entire course at various sites in different countries.  A specified time frame is designated for completing each course.  Training materials are designed to be delivered through a local mentor who has identified local participants. Typically, the mentor will be associated with a local college, university, or food industry.  The course instructor will serve as a resource for the course mentor.  Mentors and participants must both register with the IUFoST Executive Secretary through the IUFoST website. 

If the participant does not have internet access, the mentor will download and print the course materials and deliver them to the participant. The mentor will generally review progress toward completion with the participant and administer the assignments, including grading the assignments. The mentor is expected to meet with the participants under their guidance on a regular basis. Once the course is completed by the participant to the satisfaction of the mentor, a certificate of completion will be issued to the participant by IUFoST. The mentor will receive an honorarium based on the number of participants he or she is guiding through the course.  Payment will be made by the IUFoST Secretariat upon successful completion of the course by the participant.

In addition to these generic modules on food science and technology, other resources are also included on the website.  For example, there is a power point presentation on making jams and jellies. If you have materials suitable for posting please forward to the IUFoST Secretariat.   

Resources for Use in Teaching Food Science and Technology:

IUFoST has identified numerous materials that can be used to enhance teaching food science and technology for both academic credit and continuing professional development. As further materials are identified the links will be added to the IUFoST website.

Examples of materials posted on the website are:

• Professor Richard Earle’s electronic book on food processing;
• Professors Richard and Mary Earle’s electronic book on food product development;
• Professor Paul Singh’s website with animations demonstrating various food engineering principles;
• IUFoST’s case studies book;
• IUFoST’s book on food science

Dr. Daryl Lund is Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA, former President (2010-12) of the International Academy of Food Science and Technology  and Chair, IUFoST Distance Education Task Force (e-mail: dblund@wisc.edu) ; Dr. Donald Mercer is Associate Professor, Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada and a  DE Task Force member.