Abstract
Educating and training a multisectoral food systems workforce is a critical part of developing sustainable, resilient, and healthy food and water systems. This paper shares perspectives from a working group of educators, learners, and food systems subject matter experts that collaborated over the course of a year to develop, pilot test, and evaluate two interactive webinar series with a multi-site cohort of dietetics interns and graduate students. The three-part webinar series format included a training webinar, a practice activity, and a synthesis webinar. In reflecting on the effectiveness of this format, we provide direct assessments of student learning from subject matter experts alongside indirect assessments from pre- and post-surveys fielded with learners. Learners who participated in an interactive webinar series demonstrated skills in several dimensions of systems thinking and gained confidence in food systems learning outcomes. Learners also shared valuable feedback on the opportunities and challenges of using online platforms for this experience. As online learning opportunities become more common, it will become increasingly important for educators to prioritize strategies that effectively equip students with the higher-order thinking skills, such as systems thinking, needed to address the complexities of sustainable food systems. The interactive webinar series format described here provides an opportunity to leverage didactic webinars in combination with interactive experiences that enable learners to deepen their knowledge through practice with peers and subject matter experts. Though this format was piloted within dietetics education programs, many of the lessons learned are transferable to other food systems educational contexts.
Highlights
A GROWING NEED FOR EFFECTIVE ONLINE LEARNING IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMSIt is widely recognized that food systems are both drivers and outcomes of sustainability and are integral to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) [1, 2]
This paper provides insights from a working group that collaborated to develop, pilot test, and evaluate an interactive webinar series format to introduce complex food systems topics to dietetics interns and graduate students
These perspectives are transferable to other fields of study within sustainable food systems more broadly, and we hope these insights can provide educators and learners a means to navigate an evolving field that continues to challenge disciplinary and sectoral boundaries
Summary
A GROWING NEED FOR EFFECTIVE ONLINE LEARNING IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMSIt is widely recognized that food systems are both drivers and outcomes of sustainability and are integral to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) [1, 2]. A workforce that can support sustainable food systems is diverse and includes, among others, scientists, health and public health professionals, and stakeholders in public policy, civil society, and the private sector Though these career pathways may be divergent, higher education is a point of intervention for training stakeholders to support the shared goals of sustainable resilient, and healthy food and water systems. Valley et al [6] center systems thinking on the principles of holism and pluralism, where holism refers to perceiving the interactions between system components and pluralism refers to “the explicit engagement and valuing of multiple perspectives in defining systems objectives, boundaries, interventions, and evaluations.” Drawing from these definitions, we frame systems thinking as an analytical skillset that engages multiple perspectives, including those from multiple scientific disciplines and multiple sectors beyond scientific research Arnold and Wade [5] define systems thinking as “a set of synergistic analytic skills used to improve the capability of identifying and understanding systems, predicting their behaviors, and devising modifications to them in order to produce desired effects.” Valley et al [6] center systems thinking on the principles of holism and pluralism, where holism refers to perceiving the interactions between system components and pluralism refers to “the explicit engagement and valuing of multiple perspectives in defining systems objectives, boundaries, interventions, and evaluations.” Drawing from these definitions, we frame systems thinking as an analytical skillset that engages multiple perspectives, including those from multiple scientific disciplines and multiple sectors beyond scientific research
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