Assessment of an Online Module Targeted towards Home-Based Food Operators in Iowa

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2019-01-01
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Temen, Tarah
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Dr. Shannon Coleman
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Food Science and Human Nutrition
Abstract

Understanding safe food practice is important for home-based food operators to prevent foodborne illness. Earlier work has shown that home-based food operators have shown a lack of food safety knowledge and may benefit from training that is specifically tailored to their needs. Unfortunately, home-based food operators may be deterred from enrolling in traditional educational formats due to their busy schedules. The objective of this study was to pilot and evaluate the effectiveness of an online food safety educational module, for home-based food operators in Iowa, through three learning assessments. Twenty-one participants enrolled in a blended workshop, where participants completed an online pilot module before attending a face-to-face session to complete the remaining five modules. The effectiveness of the online module was measured by examining the first-attempt average scores on learning assessments, the number of assessment attempts required to achieve 100%, and the first-attempt performance by question type. The three learning assessment tools resulted in first-attempt averages of 86.33%, 90.53%, and 83.09%, surpassing our standard of effectiveness of 75% and showing good potential for the online format. The learning assessment attempt numbers of 4.65, 1.67, and 3.81 showed trouble with knowledge transfer on some topics. Comprehension and analysis-style questions had first-attempt success rates of 84.92% and 87.84%, respectively. Knowledge and application-style questions were lower, with first-attempt success rates of 80.19% and 75%, respectively. These findings were used to make changes to improve the first online module and guide the transition of the remaining five modules to the online platform.

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Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 UTC 2019