2001 IFT Education Standards: A 5‐Year Perspective

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The current IFT Education Standards used to evaluate Food Science programs for IFT approval have been in place now for 5 years. Most Food Science programs in the United States (as well as some in Mexico and Canada) have been reviewed according to these standards. The transition to instruction based on assessment of student learning outcomes, in accord with these Education Standards, is well under way. In the first round of reviews, the Committee on Higher Education (CoHE) focused mostly on the Core Competency grid, also making sure programs were writing learning outcomes and instituting meaningful assessment programs. In the 2nd round of reviews, there will be more focus on assessment of learning outcomes. CoHE would like to see that programs (administration, faculty, and students) have embraced the transition to assessment of learning outcomes and are making significant progress in aligning the curriculum with this educational format. As in the past, CoHE offers assistance to any program that would like help in making this transition. Finally, the next revision of the IFT Education Standards is due out in 2011 (10 year cycle) and it is already time to think about what this might entail. Some thoughts and suggestions for future directions are provided.