Thursday, July 30, 2009

Distinguished Faculty Award

Neal Fortin received the first Master of Science in Food Safety Program Distinguished Faculty Award. He is Professor and Director at the Institute for Food Laws & Regulations at Michigan State University.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Lead Instructor Opening for OIE Course

The Institute for Food Laws & Regulations (IFLR) at Michigan State University is seeking a lead instructor for a course on the OIE and world animal health. This is a three credit course is taught completely over the Internet and is designed for those interested in the global animal health and its relationship to international trade in animals and animal products.

For more information on the opening, visit here.

Friday, July 17, 2009

How Consumers View Food News, Labels, and Other Food Information

YOUR NUTRITION AND FOOD SAFETY RESOURCE
IFIC - INTERNATIONAL FOOD INFORMATION COUNCIL
July 2009

Upcoming Events from the IFIC Foundation
Upcoming Educational Web Casts:

Confused and Conflicted: How Consumers View Food News, Labels, and Other Food Information

The Second in 2009 Food & Health Survey Web Cast Series

Wednesday, July 29 2 p.m. EDT/11 a.m. PDT

Join the International Food Information Council Foundation for the second of a series of Web casts based on the findings from the 2009 Food & Health Survey on Wednesday, July 29 at 2 p.m. EDT/11 a.m. PDT. This edition focuses on consumers' views of the food label; news related to food and health; dietary guidance, including MyPyramid; and other food information resources. Get tips on how to better communicate with consumers about searching for and using food information. Visit https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/671256362 to register. Space is limited.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

The Effectiveness of Online Education

Online students perform better than students receiving face-to-face instruction

A systematic search of research literature by the U.S. Department of Education identified more than a thousand empirical studies of online learning. Analysts screened the studies and then conducted a meta-analysis. One important finding of the study was that, “on average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction.”

This report holds special interest because online learning is one of the fastest growing trends in educational uses of technology. Other conclusions of the study include the following:

  • “The effectiveness of online learning approaches appears quite broad across different content and learner types.”
  • “Inclusion of more media in an online application does not appear to enhance learning.”
  • “Online learning can be enhanced by giving learners control of their interactions with media and prompting learner reflection. Studies indicate that manipulations that trigger learner activity or learner reflection and self-monitoring of understanding are effective when students pursue online learning as individuals”
  • “Providing guidance for learning for groups of students appears less successful than does using such mechanisms with individual learners. When groups of students are learning together online, support mechanisms such as guiding questions generally influence the way students interact, but not the amount they learn.”

The entire U.S. Department of Education report, Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Leaning (2009) is available here.

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