Measures

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The college's expectations for students in communication, problem solving/critical thinking, ethics, environmental awareness, and international/multicultural awareness are clearly reiterated in the FSHN department's learning outcomes for all majors. The following table shows how college and department outcomes correlate in each area.

Area	College Outcomes	FSHN Outcomes
Communication	Be able to speak and write clearly and persuasively Demonstrate the skills necessary to prepare effective visual presentations Be able to receive information effectively through reading, listening and observation	C.1. Communicate effectively with others in one-on-one, small group, and large-group situations. C.2.  Prepare and deliver effective presentations (orally and in writing) of technical information to food science and nutrition professionals. C.3.  Prepare and deliver effective presentations (orally and in writing) of technical information to the general public.
Problem -Solving/Critical Thinking	Be able to work effectively with others on complex, issue-laden problems requiring holistic problem-solving approaches Demonstrate an ability to: distinguish verifiable facts from value claims determine the accuracy of statements identify assumptions and detect bias distinguish relevant from irrelevant information prioritize needs Be able to summarize, analyze, and interpret simple research data.	P.1. Successfully solve multidisciplinary problems as part of a team. P.2.  Successfully solve complex problems on your own. P.3.  Locate and accurately interpret current research literature. P.4.  Summarize and accurately interpret data generated by yourself and others. P.5.  Critically evaluate information on food science and nutrition issues appearing in the popular press.  This includes distinguishing facts from claims, detecting bias, identifying sources of conflict, and evaluating assumptions.
Ethics, Environmental Awareness, International/Multicultural Awareness	Develop an ethical perspective and sense of moral responsibility and values Be able to discuss contemporary ethical and moral issues in professional and private life Be able to critically evaluate their own arguments and those of others Understand the physical and biological properties of the environment and how these properties are interlinked within ecological systems Understand how human activities, such as modern agricultural practices, impact on the environment and how societies are affected by environmental change Have an awareness and understanding of cultural diversity within our own nation and around the world Develop a global perspective on agricultural, environmental, economic, and natural resource issues	S. 1.  Conscientiously apply your profession's code of ethics in your work S. 2.  Discuss the social, multicultural, and environmental dimensions of issues facing professionals in your field.

How goals are measured

After the departmental goals were defined and agreed upon by the FSHN faculty, the FSHN curriculum committee polled all faculty regarding which outcomes were addressed in each FSHN course, how much emphasis was placed on these outcomes, and how student achievement of these outcomes was measured. See Direct and Indirect Measures section for more information. A curriculum map was developed for each undergraduate major in FSHN, which showed the degree to which each departmental goal was addressed in the courses required of that major.

Assessment of student performance in FSHN courses and in achieving departmental goals is made both directly and indirectly.

Direct measures

All food science majors take a capstone course, FSHN 412 Food Product Development, in which they demonstrate their ability to lead and cooperate in teams, apply their knowledge of all aspects of food science in the development and scale-up of a new product, and effectively summarize their results in written, oral, and poster presentations. Their efforts are evaluated by course instructors, other faculty members, and an external board of directors composed of food industry representatives.

While there is no single capstone course for dietetics and nutritional science majors, the four courses taken by seniors in these curricula (FSHN 461, 463, 464, and 466) require students to demonstrate their technical knowledge and their ability to solve problems and communicate information in clinical and community nutrition and nutrition education and counseling. Instructors of these courses evaluate student performance.

Methods of measuring student achievement include:

• personal observation by the instructor in the classroom and laboratory
• instructor and peer evaluation of individual and group oral presentations
• instructor evaluation of written reports
• evaluation of student projects, presentations, and reports by target audience, clients, or external board of directors
• evaluation of student portfolios (this is currently in development)

Rubrics to assist in the evaluation of student performance have been developed for specific assignments in several FSHN courses. In addition, model rubrics for various types of assignments have been developed and made available to faculty. Links to these rubrics can be found in Direct and Indirect Measures.

The final measure of student accomplishment is successful placement in appropriate employment, graduate or professional school, or professional practice program, as well as continued success in these areas.

Indirect measures

Several instructors ask students in their courses to reflect on their learning and accomplishments regularly through required reflections or learning critiques, and/or in a final self-evaluation.

The FSHN department routinely employs the following indirect assessment measures:

• web-based survey of seniors in senior seminar class
• web-based survey of alumni 1 year and 5 years after graduation
• exit interviews of graduating seniors conducted by department chair
• discussions with department’s external advisory committee during their annual visit
• ad hoc discussions with recruiters on campus to interview students

See Assessment Program Materials for various forms used, curriculum maps, model rubrics, survey instruments, etc.

Results of these measurements

Surveys of seniors and alumni as well as exit interviews with graduating seniors over the past several years have indicated that students are happy with their training in FSHN curricula and compare themselves favorably with others who pursued an equivalent degree in a different institution. Likewise, discussions with current employers and recruiters have indicated an overall level of satisfaction with the skills and abilities of FSHN graduates.

While both graduating seniors and alumni have expressed overall satisfaction with their educational experiences in FSHN, both direct observations by faculty and general comments by potential employers indicated that there is always room for improvement in students’ communication skills. The FSHN faculty decided that the various curriculum goals related to communication would be the first to be addressed in a systematic manner. This began in 2001.

Through both self-reflection on their own courses and direct observation of student performance, faculty also identified critical thinking and problem solving as departmental goals that deserved attention and increased emphasis. This began in 2003.

Results of senior and alumni surveys agreed with the mapping of departmental goals across the courses in FSHN curricula: more emphasis was needed on the social implications (including ethical, environmental, multicultural, and international components) of current issues in food science and human nutrition. This was discussed at a faculty retreat in 2004.

Department’s response to these results

An ad-hoc committee of department faculty and staff, named FSHNComm, has worked to improve both oral and written communication in individual, small-group, and large-group situations across all curricula in FSHN. Summary of FSHNComm activities from 2001 until the present.

Specific activities of FSHNComm that have resulted in changes in FSHN courses and curricula include:

• identification of FSHN courses that contain significant communication components, and identification of the nature of these components
• mapping of FSHN curricula to verify that an appropriate range of communication activities is offered to students
• restructuring of key classes taken by all FSHN students at different stages (FSHN 110 – entry level; FSHN 203 – sophomore level; FSHN 480 – senior seminar) to provide the appropriate level of instruction and practice in communication in each course and to ensure that these courses build upon, rather than repeat, each other.

In 2003-2004 the FSHN Curriculum and Outcomes Assessment Committees have begun to focus on critical thinking as an essential component of problem solving, requiring students to critically evaluate information, distinguish verifiable facts from value claims, detect bias, and identify sources of conflicts. An important first step was to get faculty to think and talk about what critical thinking is, how it might be practiced, and how it is incorporated into course activities. While solving problems as a team and/or as an individual was identified by instructors as a major focus in many FSHN courses, three courses were identified by the Outcomes Assessment Committee as key courses that focus on critical thinking: FS HN 261 (taken by Dietetics and Nutritional Science majors), FS HN 403 (taken by Dietetics and Food Science major), and FS HN 480 (taken by all majors in FSHN). Plans are under development to introduce elements of critical thinking into lower level FSHN courses that all students take (FSHN 110 and 203).

The FSHN faculty voted to include FSHN 342 World Food Issues as a required course in all FSHN curricula in the 2005-2007 catalog. This course addresses issues of food quality, nutritional value, safety, and availability from various perspectives, and provides students with the opportunity to explore ethical, environmental, multicultural, and international issues in food science and human nutrition.

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