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Internet-based food safety education for high school family and consumer sciences teachers |
W. C. MORRIS1, P. M. Davidson1, C. A. Costello2, and M. L. Kane2. (1) Dept. of Food Science & Technology, Univ. of Tennessee, PO Box 1071, Knoxville, TN 37901-1071, (2) Dept. of Consumer & Industry Services Management, Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996 CDC estimates 53% of foodborne illnesses are attributed to food service sources. Youths working part-time in this industry frequently have little knowledge of food safety. Food safety education programs for these youths through high school classes are a potential solution to the problem. With continued improvements in access to the Internet, a web-based course is a viable option for delivery of food safety information. The objective of this project was to develop an educational program to be delivered via the Internet to high school teachers in family and consumer sciences on current food safety information. The purpose of this course was to educate teachers and provide them with tools to educate their students. The course was divided into basic microbiology, food microbiology, sanitation, and food handling. In addition to factual information in each section, links to related sites were provided along with activities for students. Each section also included a computer slide presentation teachers could utilize. The course had 25 question pre- and post-examinations to determine how much knowledge teachers gained in addition to demographic and effectiveness surveys. Data was analyzed using SAS. One hundred fifteen teachers registered for the course and 79 successfully completed it. Only 57% had prior food safety training and less than half had worked in food service. The average score on the pre-examination was 13.3 of 25 (53.2%) while that on the post-examination was 22.6 of 25 (90.4%). Post-examination knowledge was statistically greater following course participation. It appears that a web-based course is effective in communicating food safety knowledge to high school teachers. Most teachers (81%) were willing to participate in future web-based courses. The Internet was found to be an excellent method for providing high school teachers information on food safety that they could use to educate their students.
Session 11, Education: Food Science Education
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