Faculty-led Inquiry into Reflective and Scholarly Teaching (FIRST)
Date of this Version
2019
Document Type
Portfolio
Citation
Bianchini, Andreia. "FDST 396 – Preventive Controls for Animal Food" (2019). UNL Faculty Portfolios, 141. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/prtunl/141
Abstract
This portfolio is a benchmark for the course Preventive Controls for Animal Food, which was offered for the first time in Spring 2019. The objectives of this course were (1) to provide students with the ability to distinguish between Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs), other prerequisite programs, preventive controls, and where they fit into the regulatory framework of the Food Safety Modernization Act – Preventive Controls for Animal Food; (2) to help students understand the hazard analysis process and resources to help conduct such analysis; and (3) to teach students the needed concepts to build a food safety plan. This course is unique in the sense that it has a standardized curriculum that must be followed; while it may seem to be a simplification of the teaching process, it definitely comes with its own challenges. Teaching methods and course activities included traditional lecturing, the use of a textbook and exercise workbook, as well as in-class exercises, activities and discussions. Student learning was assessed through formative and summative evaluations, with the main outcome of the class being a Food Safety Plan developed by the students for a facility processing an extruded dog food. In addition to ensuring teaching and learning excellence in the course Preventive Controls for Animal Food, the goal around building this portfolio also included professional development. More specifically, it included improvement in the assessment of student learning, how to best collect information from those opportunities and how to use the data collected to improve course delivery, information retention and overall learning.