SACSCOC Fifth Year Interim Report
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Assessment : 2011 - 2012 : Educational Programs :
Family and Consumer Sciences BS (Food Science and Nutrition)
Family and Consumer Sciences BS (Food Science and Nutrition)
4 Goals 4 Objectives 3 Indicators 4 Criteria 4 Findings 4 Actions
| GOAL: Knowledge And Skills |
| Objective |
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Food Science and Nutrition students will demonstrate knowledge and skills necessary to meet the standards of the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND). |
| Indicator |
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| The Exit Survey for food science and nutrition majors includes multiple-choice and short-answer sections that test retention of course material; it is graded on a pass/fail basis. (Each program area has questions that are specific to that program content.) To develop this instrument, faculty in the content area reviewed course and program objectives and chose questions from exams that reflected important concepts that students should retain. The test is used repetitively and the scoring is consistent. For security reasons, the test portion (multiple-choice, short-answer questions) is not attached. However, this document is available in the chair's office. |
| Criterion |
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| 80% of the students who complete the food science and nutrition program's Exit Survey will score a grade of Pass or High Pass on the content portion of the exam. |
| Finding |
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| Of the 4 students from whom data was collected, all four passed the Exit Survey content area -- three received a score of High Pass and one received a score of Pass. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action |
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Although the results were very good for those who took the Exit Survey, it would be better to get results from a larger group of graduating students. A greater effort will be made to intercept students as they are preparing to graduate and set aside a specific time for them to take this survey. |
| GOAL: Becoming Registered Dietitians |
| Objective |
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| Students will demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary for entry-level dietitians. |
| Indicator |
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| The information concerning passage of the credentialing exam can be verified by an annual report sent to program directors by American Council on Education of Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND), the accrediting arm of the AND (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, formerly the American Dietetic Association). |
| Criterion |
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| At least 80% of students will receive a passing score on the Registration Examination for Dietetics. |
| Finding |
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All three students who took the RD Exam (100%) between June 2011 and May 2012 passed the exam on the first attempt. Therefore, this criterion was met. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action |
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| The program is pleased with this high passage rate; it exceeds the 80% benchmark rate set by ACEND (the accrediting arm of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, formerly the American Dietetic Association). In order to maintain this high passage rate, the program must retain its rigor. An additional Registered Dietitian is needed on the faculty, and this position will be requested. |
| GOAL: Computer Literacy |
| Objective |
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| To assure competency in this area, students will complete specific assignments in FACS 2368 (a written assignment requiring use of a word-processing program and a budget assignment requiring the use of a spreadsheet) and FACS 4362 (a presentation using PowerPoint). Satisfactory completion of these three assignments will indicate achievement of computer literacy skills that students are projected to need as they graduate from the Food Science and Nutrition Program and enter the world of work. |
| Indicator |
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| Students who graduate from undergraduate programs in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, including the Food Science and Nutrition Program, will satisfactorily complete three assignments in courses required of all undergraduate majors in the department: a word-processed assignment and a budget prepared using a spreadsheet in FACS 2368 Consumer Education and a presentation involving use of PowerPoint in FACS 4362 Presentation Techniques. In addition, Food Science and Nutrition majors will do two additional computer literacy assignments that will be assessed. For FACS 3370, students will complete a PowerPoint assignment on a nutrition-related metabolic disorder, and for FACS 3339, students will submit a Review of Literature Analysis of Evidence related to a community nutrition problem. There are rubrics for each assignment. |
| Criterion |
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| 90% of program majors who take the courses FACS 2368 and FACS 4362 during the 2011-2012 academic year will score 3 or better on a 5-point scale with 5 being the highest score and 1 being the lowest score on the three assignments that are required to meet this computer literacy competency. Examples of assignment sheets for these three assignments and rubrics for grading them are attached. |
| Finding |
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| 97% of Food Science and Nutrition majors who took one or both of the courses FACS 2368 and FACS 4362 during the 2011-2012 academic year scored 3 or better on the assignments used to measure computer literacy. Therefore, this criterion was met. |
| Criterion |
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| All Food Science and Nutrition majors take FACS 3370 and 3339 as part of their program. Computer literacy assignments include a Review of Literature Analysis of Evidence (FACS 3339) and a PowerPoint presentation for a nutrition-related metabolic disorder or "hot topic" related to nutrition pathways (FACS 3370). 90% of students in these courses will score at least a 3.0 on these two assignments. |
| Finding |
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| 100% of Food Science and Nutrition majors who took FACS 3370 and FACS 3339 during the 2011-2012 academic year scored 4 or better on the assignments used to measure computer literacy. Therefore this criterion was met. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action |
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| For the last cycle, it was decided that instructors who teach the courses believed that additional work in the area of database management was needed. |
| GOAL: Application To Dietetic Internship Programs |
| Objective |
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| Well-qualified students will be recruited to enter a dietetic internship program. |
Actions for Objective:
| Action |
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The DPD Director works directly with students in preparing their packets so that chances for admission are increased. The group for this particular year had some timing issues with personal life circumstances, and several are planning to apply for DI programs in February for Fall 2013 admission. Although we met the goal, we want to increase the percentage of students applying for and being admitted to, DI programs. |
| Closing the Loop |
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Dr. Valencia Browning-Keen came to this program after 10 years in clinical settings and 5 years in community and nutrition programs and with program director experience, For the past three years, she has been a strong advocate for this stringent and growing accredited program. There have been increases in numbers of students enrolled in the program, and also in the number of program graduates under her direction. This year saw a substantial increase in the number of program graduates admitted to Dietetic Internship programs (75% for 2011-2012 as compared to 46.6% for 2010-2011), an important marker for program success as seen by ACEND, the accrediting arm of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association). Areas needing improvement are in relation to administration of Exit Surveys for tracking successful attainment of knowledge and skills on an annual basis, and database management for the computer literacy criterion, although these program graduates, as a group, scored better than any other group of program graduates from the department in the area of computer literacy. Dr. Browning-Keen is working to develop more corporate bridges in food manufacturing and distribution and corporate donors in the food industry for scholarship and program resources. She is seeking more collaboration in coordinating knowledge requirements of DPD courses and is working toward identifying grants for ongoing research with student involvement. Her overall goal is to enhance cultural competency of DPD students throughout the DPD curriculum. This small program is seeing unprecedented success and is becoming well-known as a successful program for nutrition an dietetics in this region of the State of Texas.
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