FELC Welcomes Peanut Advisory Board as Sponsor

I will continue the series on Service-Learning next week and address the rationale for developing a service-learning course, and steps needed to plan a service-learning course.

In the meantime, I wanted to take time to welcome another new sponsor of our learning community, the Peanut Advisory Board. The Peanut Advisory Board will prove to be a valuable member of our community as we grow and learn new ways to better teach culinary arts and hospitality education. Please take the time to visit their website and see all the resources they currently have to support your teaching at: http://www.peanutbutterlovers.com/

FELC Welcomes Hass Avocado Board as Sponsor

We want to welcome Hass Avocado as a sponsor of our learning community. Hass has been a proponent of quality eduation in culinary arts and hospitality education for years and continues that fine tradition by sponsoring the FELC. Please visit their most informative website with recipes, videos, and more at: http://www.avocadocentral.com/

Ten Service-Learning Principles, continued

Yesterday, I shared the first five of the 10 Service-Learning Principles recommended for those considering teaching with that pedagogy. Today's post is dedicated to the remaining five.

6. Prepare Students for Learning from the Community

Students should be taught how to extract meaning from experiential learning activities before embarking on them in the community. Otherwise they may not get out of the experience what you or the community partner had intended nor be tied to the course content. Faculty should tale the time to train the students to engage in reflective listening, obtain feedback, make qualitative observations, and deep thinking. This could be accomplished via a simulation or role-play, for example.

7. Minimize the Distinction Between the Students’ Community Learning Role and Classroom Learning Role

In a typical classroom the instructor controls the agenda for each class meeting; it is more teacher-centered. This is not so much the case when students make the community their classroom; their learning becomes more student-centered. The pedagogy in the community is constructivist; the student plays an active role in his/her learning with little guidance from the instructor beyond the charge of completing the learning objectives that are part of the service project. It is the freedom to explore and make sense of the service project that produces learning that is relevant and important to the student and more likely to have a lasting impression/impact on him/her.

8. Rethink the Faculty Instructional Role

If faculty can become comfortable with the notion that SL projects are student-centered, constructivist, and an extension of the classroom the next step is to provide students more chances to be involved in the actual classroom setting, too. When multiple viewpoints or experiences are shared by students and professors alike a richer, deeper understanding is derived from the course; it also increases the likelihood that the course will have a life of its own and be different from class meeting to class meeting, semester to semester, and more.

9. Be Prepared for Variation in, and Some Loss of Control with, Student Learning Outcomes

Although students may be required to complete the same learning objectives during a service project, the professor cannot control all that the student’s experience and learn during the semester. Professors must be ready to allow students the freedom to personalize the meaning they get out of the service project and not judge one student’s experience and meaning to be better or worse than another student. Those things that are experienced via the students’ sensory mechanisms, above and beyond the learning objectives, should be reflected upon and shared openly in a friendly public forum without harsh criticism from the professor as irrelevant, unintended, off the mark, etc.

10. Maximize the Community Responsibility Orientation to the Course

While it is true that the learning that comes from a service assignment is personal, there should also be a conscious effort to reflect upon the shared experience among the students in an open forum thereby turning the classroom into a learning community. In doing so the professor connects the students to each other, the course materials, and the community which is the epitome of Service-Learning.

There are four more key principles that culinary arts and hospitality faculty should keep in mind when teaching via SL:

§ Start small.
§ Find SL colleagues that can serve as mentors or consultants.
§ Build in evaluation components from the beginning of course planning.
§ Community partners should be respected as colleagues that enter into a partnership that provides mutual benefits and learning opportunities for all.

The 10 Key Principles of Service-Learning

Now that we have spent some time on the definitions of Service-Learning in the previous posts, I would like to spend the next two posts sharing the 10 principles for good Service-Learning as suggested in the Service-Learning Course Design Workbook (2001), published by the Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, and edited by Jeffrey Howard.

Those who integrate these principals into their instructional design will in all likelihood meet the Furco definition of SERVICE-LEARNING presented in yesterday's blog post. The first five principals are as follows:

1. Academic Credit is for Learning, Not for Service

Students are learning from the community much the same way they do from the textbook, homework assignments, and so forth. As such, students should not get assessed and/or evaluated simply for doing a “service.” They should be assessed or evaluated depending upon what they learned as a result of doing the “service.”

2. Do Not Compromise Academic Rigor

Service learning is not “soft.” In many respects it is more difficult, challenging and rewarding than the traditional way in which courses are taught. Not only do the students have to satisfy the objectives of both the academic and civic learning objectives. More importantly, SL projects are often times unpredictable and students are forced to bring order out of chaos which makes for an intellectual challenge that constitutes typical academic rigor standards and expectations.

3. Establish Learning Objectives

Faculty cannot simply throw the students out into the community to “learn” from the experience. As is the case in the traditional classroom, the students need to be pointed in the right direction and told the learning objectives they are expected to accomplish; they should also know how the objectives will be assessed and/or evaluated by the instructor. Unless there is structure to the learning that is to take place while the students are participating in the service project there is no way of ensuring whether or not things went as planned.

4. Establish Criteria for Selection of Service Placements

Faculties differ on this principle. There are some that leave the selection of the community partner up to the student. In some respects, this decision is tantamount to a professor telling the student to read any text or supplemental readings they liked when taking a course. Because the service should be tied to the academic content of the course the students should be given a range of acceptable “partners,” a limitation on the scope of the project, stipulate the duration of the service so that it is substantive but not overwhelming, and have the students work on projects that will make a difference in the community.

5. Provide Educationally-Sound Learning Strategies to Harvest Community Learning and Realize Course Objectives

Having the students keep a journal to record their thoughts, feelings, and attitudes toward the service is insufficient for proper academic rigor. There should be meaningful and substantial means by which the students can share what they learned as a result of doing the service with peers and faculty members. Of course, pertinent assignments that have sufficient academic rigor should have been established that adhere to Principle 3.

I will share the next five principles with those in our learning community tomorrow.

Most Recent Coherent Service-Learning Definition

To continue properly defining Service-Learning I would like to share one that has gained in popularity among pracitioners which was developed by Andrew Furco. The great thing about the Furco model is that it establishes service along a continuum that has varying emphasis on the type of service provided and who derives the benefits. For example, on the left-hand side of the continuum the emphasis is on pure service or volunteerism to the community, where the commmunity is the primary beneificiary,and depicted as SERVICE-learning. In the middle of the Furco continuum the service is provided to the community but the benefits go equally to the student and the community partner because the project is connected to what students are learning in the classroom, depicted as SERVICE-LEARNING. Finally, at the far end of the continuum the emphasis is on learning through service such as an internship which primarily benefits the student, and depicted as service-LEARNING. The definition is shown below and you can access the graphic depiction of his concept by visiting:
http://www.usfca.edu/osl/documents/basics/A_Balanced_Approach_Furco.pdf


“... each program type places a different amount of emphasis on service and/or learning and is defined by whether the primary intended beneficiary of the experience is service provider or service recipient. Having a strong emphasis on providing a ‘service,’ community service programs (Service learning) are primarily intended to benefit the recipient of the service activity…In contrast, Service Learning seeks to engage students in activities that both combine community service and academic learning. Because service-learning programs are typically rooted in formal courses (core academic, elective, vocational), the service activities are usually based on particular concepts that are being taught…In service based internship programs (service Learning), students tend to spend time at an agency to learn about a particular career industry while applying what their academic knowledge and professional skills to complete specific projects at the agency.

Source: Furco, Andrew (2002) “Is Service-Learning Really Better Than Community Service? A Study of High School Service Program Outcomes. In Furco, Andrew & Billig, Shelly (Eds.). Service-Learning: The Essence of the Pedagogy. Information Age Publishing: Greenwich, CT.

Service-Learning, continued definitions

My apologies for not adding to the blog yesterday. I am fortunate to be on the committee charged with responsibility of building a new home for my department of Hospitality and Tourism management in what is to be named, Marriott Hall. We reviewed the five finalist architect firms from the pool that bid on the job and had to choose one to move forward. Quite a fascinating day and exhausting.

Here is another key definition of Service-Learning from which to compare what you may be doing or help shape a course that you are planning that has a service-learning component to it:

§ Clear educational goals that require the application of concepts, content and skills from the academic disciplines and involves students in the construction of their own knowledge.

§ Having students engaged in tasks that challenge and stretch them cognitively and developmentally.

§ Using assessment as a way to enhance student learning as well as to document and evaluate how well students have met content and skills standards.

§ Service tasks that have clear goals and meet genuine needs in the school or community and have significant consequences for themselves and others.

§ Formative and summative evaluation in a systematic evaluation of the service effort and its outcomes.

§ Ways to maximize the students’ voice in selecting, designing, implementing, and evaluating the service project.

§ Valuing diversity through its participants, its practice and its outcomes.

§ The promotion of communication and interaction with the community and encourages partnerships and collaboration.

§ The preparation of students for all aspects of their service work including a clear understanding of task and role, the skills and information required by the task, awareness of safety precautions, as well as knowledge about and sensitivity to the people with whom they will be working.

§ Student reflection before, during and after service, that uses multiple methods to encourage critical thinking, and is a central force in the design and fulfillment of curricular objectives.

§ Multiple methods are designed to acknowledge, celebrate and further validate students’ service work.

(Source: National Service Learning Cooperative, National Youth Leadership Council, April , 1998)

Service-Learning Series

I thought that I might dedicate a series of posts to the subject of service-learning that I started on January 20 because it is so relevant to what is going on in our nation not to mention a powerful learning tool. So, over the next several posts I will take readers through the general definitions of service-learning, the ten principles of service- learning, rationale for developing a service-learning course, and planning a service-learning course.

In doing so, I hope that culinary arts and hospitality educators will find ways to revamp their current teaching efforts via service-learning or start doing so because it is such a great way to bring course materials to life and make a difference in the community.

The first of two definitions offered today on service-learning is a general one that was authored by Ernest Boyer, who penned a must read book for any educator, Scholarship Reconsidered.

“The late Ernest Boyer called upon institutions of higher education to ‘become more vigorous partners with local communities in resolving societal problems through what he termed a ‘scholarship of engagement.’ Service-learning provides one way a university may meet its obligations to prepare future citizens. It is also regarded as an effective strategy for enhancing student learning, improving the quality of the student experience, and increasing higher education’s visibility and responsiveness to the neighborhoods in which they reside. Service-learning as a teaching strategy is gaining momentum in universities across the country because of documented benefits to students, universities, and communities. More specifically, service-learning promotes the development of cognitive complexity, citizenship skills, social responsibility, and active learning while responding to pressing issues and needs in the larger society.” (Source: http://www.service-learning.ohio-state.edu/)

The second general definition of service-learning is:

“Service-learning is an educational methodology which combines community service with explicit academic learning objectives, preparation for community work, and deliberate reflection. Students participating in service-learning provide direct and indirect community service as part of their academic coursework, learn about and reflect upon the community context in which service is provided, and develop an understanding of the connection between service and their academic work. These learning experiences are designed through a collaboration of the community and the institution or academic unit/program, relying upon partnerships meant to be of mutual benefit. Improvement and sustainability of the experiences and the partnerships are enhanced through formal assessment activities that involve community, faculty, student and institutional perspectives.”

Source: Gelmon, Sherrill B., Holland, Barbara A., Driscoll, Amy, Spring, Amy, & Kerrigan, Seanna (2001). Assessing Service-Learning and Civic Engagement: Principles and Techniques. Campus Connect: Brown University, Providence, RI., p. v.

Community Service Assignment

I thought I would continue on with the theme of yesterday's post having to do with community service. I thought I would share the community service assignment from the syllabus for my large lecture Introduction to Hospitality and Tourism class. If have any questions about the assignment please let me know by sending an e-mail to mlalopa@fooded.org. If you want to share one with me that I can post to blog or members area of the website please send a message to the same e-mail.

The community service assignment in my large lecture class is worth 25% of a students grade, with the rest being comprised of two exams, reaction papers in response to guest speakers, and an end-of-semester reflection paper. The community service assignment itself is spelled out below in italizized text. Also note that I cancel classes to compensate students for the requirement which is consistent with Purdue's policy on requiring such assignments. I zlso provide many more opportunities than those stated in the syllabus to control the assignment because I have had students cheat on it by making up the community partner, the nature of the service performed, and then hand in a paper based on lies, which is truly sad but true.

1. Each student will be required to complete a minimum of 6-8 hours’ worth of community service work (referred to at Purdue as part of Service Engagement) by the end of the semester, which is worth 200 points. I have cancelled six classes during the semester to compensate you for the time you will be required to spend doing service to the community. There are four reasons for the community service requirement. The first is to make a positive contribution to the community of which Purdue is apart. The second reason is that more and more hospitality firms are requiring the management team to become involved in the community as part of their job. The third is that many recruiters will be interested in the community service work you have done while in school when considering you for an internship or job. Fourth, community service is a top priority at Purdue, given the mission to “facilitate higher level learning and citizenship…and respond to social, environmental and economic development needs…leading to long-term community changes.”

The primary community service project to be completed by students is the Feast of the Hunter’s Moon, which is a major tourist attraction each fall not far from campus on South River Road. Students are encouraged to select from the following dates to help set-up (9/13, 9/20) and tear down (9/28) the event.

Students may choose to do a community service project other than those offered by Boiler Volunteer Network (BVN) as long as it is approved by the instructor prior to October 2. To get approval, students will need to provide the instructor with the name of the community partner, contact person, phone number, and scope of the service to be performed. The instructor will contact the community partner to confirm the information and approve the project. Any student that does not choose to volunteer for the Feast or get approval to volunteer to assist another community partner by October 2 will get a zero for the assignment.

Also note that students must refrain from doing projects that are being done as part of another class, student association, fraternity/sorority, church group, etc. In other words, no double-dipping will be allowed.

To complete the community service requirement each student is to do the following tasks:

a. The first step is to select the date that works best to volunteer to help set up or tear down the Feast, or get approval for an alternate project.

b. Once the community service project is complete, each student is to get the certificate of participation issued by BVN or a letter from the community service partner (that is written on the partner’s letterhead). That document is to be stapled to the report that is to be written according to “c” below:

c. A typed report is also to be prepared by each student that answers the following questions once the project has been completed:

i. Why did you select the community partner you chose to do your community service project for this semester?
ii. Please list and describe the key things you did as part of your service to the community partner.
iii. What did you like most about your community service project? Please explain.
iv. How will doing this community service project be valuable to you in the future?
v. What advice would you give to members of the fall 2009 class to help them choose a community service project that would be personally rewarding and a benefit to the community?

You may hand in your paper once your community service requirement has been completed. All community service projects and papers are due no later than November 1, 2008.

Please note that there will be no partial credit for this activity, students will get either full credit or a zero. To get credit for the community service project you will need to complete 100% of the tasks outlined in this section of the syllabus. Also note that those students who sign up for a project and do not show up for it will be give a zero unless have a medical excuse with note from a doctor as to why unable to make it.

I hope this exerpt from my syllabus on a community service project helps those reading this post to compare and contrast with already doing or start anew.

A Time to Serve

Today is a day that our newly elected President, Barack Obama, called upon us all to serve in every way possible to rebuild this nation. We in culinary arts and hospitality education can and should do all we can to connect our students to the community of which they are a vital part through community service. I am doing so every fall in a class of 200+ students by requiring each one of them to perform six hours of community service for a non-profit organization that is connected to our discipline. In doing so, some have helped to set up a major tourism event that raises funds for the Tippecanoe Historical Association, some have helped to faciliate fundraising dinners that benefit the arts, while others have helped the local food bank raise funds and collect food to feed those who are hungry. In the spring, the student associations I advise will also be asked to give of their time and talents to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate in our community.

I hope you will join me to find more ways for our students to give of themselves to those in the community that can use the help and in doing so make both better off for it. I also invite those of you who are working to connect the classroom to the community through civic engagement to share your stories with me so that I can pass them on to our faculty learning community in this blog.

A Time for Reflection

Today is a day we spend doing whatever we like away from the office and the classroom due to the legacy of one man. I was fortunate enough to have listened to an audioboook on Marting Luther King's life, as narrated by LeVar Burton which included recordings of speeches I had never heard before, while travelling through Alabama during my first sabbatical some years ago. Listening to the historical accounts of King's life and then sitting in the 16th Street Baptist Church put the Civil Rights movement into a whole new perspective when trying to imagine the tragic events that transpired inside and outside of that building not so long ago; it sent a chill down my spine that I will never forget. This day could also be a great time to reflect on whether or not our teaching helps those we teach realize the dreams they have one day of being a chef, hotel manager, etc., or not. I know it is for me now, especially based on the personal experiences I had while visiting historical sites and hearing from those who were at the center of the Civil Rights moving during part of my sabbatical 8 years ago at Samford University in Alabama.

Clemson's Presentations at FELC Summit

A week ago we indicated that Clemson is the co-host of the first annual FELC Summit. In case you have not visited www.fooded.org to see the updated agenda, I would like to call your attention to the presentation titles, presenters, dates and times that will be available to those attending the FELC Summit as part of what we are calling, Clemson University CHEFS® Corner Presentations. The content of these presentations are very much in keeping with current trends in the hospitality industry and a valuable addition to those who teach courses that pertain to the presentations.

Friday, February 27
1:00 p.m. - Panel Presentation, "Culinary Science Creative Inquiry Undergraduate Initiative"
2:00 p.m. - “Introduction to Sensory Science for the Classroom” – Dr. Aubrey Coffee
3:00 p.m. - “Food Science: Real Time examples for the Classroom” – Dr. Johnny McGregor

Saturday, February 28
3:00 p.m. - “Plating up Restaurant Portions that Look Right & Taste Great” – Dr. Margaret Condrasky
4:00-5:00 - “The Chemistry Behind the Smoothie” – Clemson Student Team

I Will Remain Calm

Well, the first week of classes have come and gone and the semester is underway. It is deja vu all over again, as Yogi say's, because time has been spent to tell a new group of students the course objectives and same basic expectations I have of students and how the class is taught; just as I have done for the legions of students that have come and gone before this new batch of fresh faces.

All of which seems to have been in vain when the first assignment comes due. That is the day that a handful of students ask before, during, or after class if they can hand in the assignment late due to any number of -- what they think to be -- legitimate reasons (I am sure you have heard them all, too). That is also the day when such questions are met by me with a prompt (often edgy) response of "No, I do not accept late assignments as I have stated numerous times in class and outlined in the syllabus to prepare you for this day!"

So, as the frustration starts to mount in the face of attempting to get yet another class up and running, always later than sooner, I will remember to recite this little prayer to myself to anyone out there, up there, down there who will listen and help me remain calm. Maybe it will be useful to those reading today's blog, too :)

A TEACHER'S PRAYER (By Olga de Juana)

Help me to be a fine teacher, to keep peace in the classroom, peace between my students and myself, to be kind and gentle to each and every one of my students.

Help me to be merciful to my students, to balance mercy and discipline in the right measure for each student, to give genuine praise as much as possible, to give constructive criticism in a manner that is patatable to my students.

Help me remain conscientious enough to keep my lessons always interesting, to recognize what motivates each of my students, to accept my student's limitations and not hold it against them. Help me not to judge my students too harshly, to be fair to all, to be a good role model, but most of all, help me to show your love to all of my students.

Amen

Great Scholarship Opportunity for Students

There is a great chance for students to earn scholarships to travel to Italy and get experiential learning about Italian culinary and winemaking traditions. The scholarships are being offered by The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) and Gruppo Ristoratori Italiani (GRI)/Giacomo Bologna. The six award recipients will get an all-expense paid trip to Italy, departing from New York, to cover travel and lodging as well as educational culinary/wine seminars and viticulture workshops. Award recipients will be required to cover personal and incidental expenses not included in the award.

To be eligible to apply, applicants must demonstrate a commitment to Italian viticulture and be a full-time student enrolled in a college or culinary arts program. To apply or obtain more information, please visit www.nraef.org/scholarships. Additional questions pertaining to this scholarship opportunity can be answered by contacting the NRAEF Scholarships Program at scholars@nraef.org or by calling 800-765-2122 ext 6738.

Applications MUST be postmarked no later than FEBRUARY 13, 2009

Fourth Annual University Hunger Summit

Because so many of us are in the food chain, both literally and professionally, I thought this post might be interest to those of you actively involved in the community. This opportunity, of course, is only for those who cannot attend the first FELC Summit in Charleston, SC.

NASULGC has been asked to forward to you the following announcement:

We cordially invite your university or related agency to participate in the Fourth Annual University Hunger Summit (previously scheduled for George Washington University) to be held February 27th - March 1, 2009 at Auburn University. Online registration for the Summit is now open at http://www.universitiesfightingworldhunger.org/2009summit and we will be updating the website regularly with more details as plans evolve.

As stated in previous years, we are fully aware that universities are at different stages in their efforts to address issues of global and domestic hunger. Therefore, please do not hesitate to register, regardless of your university's current level of involvement. The most important thing is the opportunity to come together to learn and to share so that we, as members of the university community, can effectively mobilize to address one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century...our ability to feed a hungry world.

The weekend will begin with a late afternoon or evening session on Friday and end by noon on Sunday. We recommend that a combination of students and university faculty/administrators attend. Due to space limitations, representatives should register their intent to participate as soon as possible by contacting Jayne Kucera via email at 0hunger@auburn.edu. The format of the summit will consist of a series of speakers, panels and breakouts addressing a variety of topical issues related to academic initiatives (i.e., teaching, research, and outreach) public policy, student activism, and advocacy.

We hope you will make plans to attend the Summit and encourage others from your campus, as well as other campuses and hunger organizations, to become a part of this rapidly growing social movement. Questions/comments can be sent via the website (http://www.universitiesfightingworldhunger.org)/ or directly to 0hunger@auburn.edu.

Food Self-Sufficiency in Japan

There is a growing concern in Japan over its dependence on foreign imports to feed its people, due in part to the Japenese diet becoming more "Americanized." Instead of producing some dry report to educate the Japanese people on the importance of going back to sustainable traditional diets the Agricultural, Forestry & Fishery Ministry employed the services of a design studio to produce a short animation to raise awareness about Japan's low food self-sufficiency compared to other nations, not to mention it's history and traditions.

I have previewed and it would be an excellent short video to show in class to support a discussion on sustainability of food sources.The video has been viewed by over 100,000 people so far and can be seen by visiting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ok3ykR2GHCc.

Of greater interest (or perhaps concern) is that if the Japanese apply their innovative spirit to agriculture (as they did to automobiles and electronics) in the attempt to be more self-sufficient and rely less on imports to feed the nation the impact will be significant. One negative impact for the US will be the lost revenues enjoyed now by those exporting foods to Japan. Another impact (which is both negative and positive depending on your perspective) is the technnologies and subject matter expertise that Japanese entrepreneurs will develop to make the country less reliant on imports which will then be exported to other nations producing Third Wave revenues for Japan. There will no doubt be other resulting positive and negative impacts for the world and it underscores the importance of establishing a worldview perspective for those graduating from our respective culinary arts and hospitality programs.

Work on an Organic Farm

It is becoming increasingly important for culinary arts and hospitality students, instructors and administrators to be in tune with the consumers growing appetite for foods that are grown closer to where they consume them (locavore) without the heavy use of pesticides, herbicides, and genetic modification. Anyone reading Pollan's work know's this to be true.

There is a way to learn more about organic farming by actually doing it through the World Wide Opportunity on Organic Farms (WWOOF), which was started in the UK in 1971 by Sue Coppard, a London secretary, under the name of Working Weekends on Organic Farms to provide Londoners a chance to participate in the organic farming movement and become more connected to the land. The idea was for individuals to spend a weekend working on a farm in exchange for room and board and it has since flourished internationally.

Today, one can pay a small fee of $20 to join a national organization associated with WWOOF and then recieve a directory of host farms in that country. In WWOOF USA there are more than 600 host farms for members to work given the primary requirement of willingly working cooperatively with organic farmers for 4-6 hours per day. Those who have participated in the programs have found it to be richly rewarding and educational.

This opportunity could prove to be an invaluable learning experience for culinary arts and hospitality students to do over the summer break to enrich their personal lives and understanding of our profession. It would be easy to administer because all anyone would have to do is point the students in the direction of the website and have them be responsible for joining and then identifying an organic farm to work cooperatively with the farmer. To learn everything you need to about this great organization and procedures to join, visit: http://www.wwoofusa.org/apply.html.

Tips for Launching a Successful Class

Since many of you are getting ready to start a new term or semester I thought a teaching tip on launching a successful class would be appropriate. If you are already under way, compare what you did to start your classes and compare to this tip to see if there are changes that could be made when you start up the next class. This teaching tip is quoted directly from Richard Lyons, Senior Consultant, Faculty Development Associates (http://www.developfaculty.com/).

The First Class Meeting

Steadily increasing political and market pressures are requiring colleges and universities to retain those students who come through their doors throughout each course, then throughout the entire program study until their completion. The primary responsibility for retention falls upon the individual professor. The first class meeting has historically proven to be one of the key points when students withdraw from classes. The strategic-minded professor who manages the first class meeting effectively will achieve a large share of his/her retention goals. Following are nine proven practices for retaining students at the start of the term.

1. Orchestrate a positive first impression of you and the learning environment. Today's student has been conditioned by fast-action television and movies, instant-response computers, and other technology to make quick assessments of visual stimuli. Therefore, make sure the classroom is neat and clear, and your appearance professional.

2. Identify yourself effectively, to individual students as they enter the classroom, and to the class as a whole when beginning the agenda. Remember, students are increasingly value-conscious, so demonstrate your competence without being perceived as arrogant.

3. Clarify class goals and expectations. Your careful, probing review of an eye-appealing syllabus that addresses nearly any question a reasonable student might have about the course is the key tactic.

4. Up to this point, you have controlled the stage. Address students' needs for social interaction by conducting an interactive icebreaker. In the process, you will foster relationships that will lead to the development of study groups and friendships.

5. With students in an open frame of mind, gather useful information from students that will enable you to identify and adapt to learning challenges inherent in the contemporary classroom. Using or adapting the "Student Profile" included in The Adjunct Professor's Guide to Success would be especially useful for this purpose.

6. With the completed Student Profiles in hand, learn and use students' names. You might also employ name tents or tags to facilitate students' learning each others' names.
Whet students' appetites for the material in your course. Show a video clip from last night's news, or display a critical headline from today's newspaper, that demonstrates the relevance of your subject matter.

7. Before they get away, gather some informal feedback from students - anonymously on 3 x 5" index cards. Simply print three open-ended questions on the board, including "are there any critical questions to which you didn't receive answers?"

If those of you reading today's post have other tips for getting one's class off on the right foot please send them to me at mlalopa@fooded.org. Please also provide your name, a jpeg photo, and short bio so I can give credit to the person who authored the post for our learning community.

FELC Welcomes it's 50th Member

The FELC has reached another milestone. Susan Moberg, from Moses Lake High School in Moses Lake Washington, has become the 50th member! The Moses Lake High School offers a variety of Career and Technical Education classes to meet the demand for students pursuing careers in the technical area. Moses Lake offers classes in a variety of Career and Tech Ed areas that expose students to occupations that they may want to pursue after graduation. Many of the school's classes offer Tech Prep Credit where the student can begin earning college credit for free during their regular scheduled vocational class.

Welcome aboard, Susan!

Don't Worry, It's Not on the Test!

Russ Hunt at St. Thomas University called this song to my attention via a listserv I am on and written by Tom Chapin, brother of the late, great, Harry Chapin.

Not on the Test

Go on to sleep now, third grader of mine.
The test is tomorrow but you'll do just fine.
It's reading and math, forget all the rest.
You don't need to know what is not on the test.

Each box that you mark on each test that you take,
Remember your teachers, their jobs are at stake.
Your score is their score, but don't get all stressed.
They'd never teach anything not on the test.

The School Board is faced with no child left behind,
With rules but no funding, they´re caught in a bind.
So music and art and the things you love best
Are not in your school `cause they´re not on the test.

Sleep, sleep, and as you progress
You´ll learn there´s a lot that is not on the test.

Debate is a skill that is useful to know,
Unless you´re in Congress or talk radio,
Where shouting and spouting and spewing are blessed,
'Cause rational discourse was not on the test.

Thinking's important. It's good to know how.
And someday you'll learn to but someday's not now.
Go on to sleep, now. You need your rest.
Don't think about thinking. It's not on the test.

To hear the song, visit: http://www.notonthetest.com/

When I read the lyrics and then listened to the song I wondered to myself whether or not the things I am teaching students and the methods used to assess or evaluate their learning are indeed preparing them to apply that knowledge, skills, or abilities to the world of life and work that awaits them upon graduation. I also wonder if there are things that they are learning as a result of taking my classes that are not in the syllabus that are helping to help or hurt their chances to be successful beyond graduation. Such reflections humble me to realize I must constantly evaluate the quality of my teaching for the benefit of the students beyond my classroom.

Clemson University to Co-Host FELC Summit

Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, is one of the best universities in the country with a Food Technology Program. Their “Student Centered Research Initiative” is designed to engage students at all levels, in multi-year, team oriented research, in Food Technology, Nutrition & Dietetics. Recognized by the Institute of Food Technologists, Research Chef’s Association, and the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education, Clemson is leading the way in food studies.

Join FELC and the team of Clemson Professors, Dr. Anthony Pometto, Kim Collins, Dr. Aubrey Coffee, and Dr. Marge Condrasky, as they lead seminars in: Sensory taste analysis, Culinary Science Principles from Food Technology and Chef’s perspective, analysis of ingredients in health food drinks, and the role of chefs in sports and health nutrition.

These seminars and many more will be just a part of the Summit from Friday afternoon through Saturday. Clemson will also provide opportunities for chef educator’s continuing education. Don’t miss this great opportunity to re-invent yourself as a culinary or hospitality educator and add more to your learning tools tool box

Hot Dog Fun!

With all the doom and gloom about the recession these days everyone could probably use a hearty chuckle so enjoy the photo.

Please also let it inspire you to see how you can stimulate the creativity of your students this semester or term with something as simple as a hot dog, too!

"What's Hot in 2009"

Every year the National Restaurant Association surveys more than 1,600 American Culinary Federation chefs nationwide and asks them to rank 210 culinary items as a "hot trend," "yesterday's news" or "perennial favorite." The results of the survey produce the "What's Hot in 2009" culinary forecast.

According to this year's survey the top ten trends are:
1. Locally grown produce
2. Bite-size/mini desserts
3. Organic produce
4. Nutritionally balanced children's dishes
5. New/fabricated cuts of meat (e.g. Denver steak, pork flat iron, bone-in Tuscan veal chop)
6. Fruit/vegetable children's side items
7. Superfruits (e.g. acai, goji berry, mangosteen)
8. Small plates/tapas/mezze/dim sum 9. Micro-distilled/artisan liquor
10. Sustainable seafood

Since school is underway, or soon about to be, for many of you why not kick off your first class by having the students put together their top ten list and see how it compares to the ACF chefs. That would be a good way to start a dialogue with the students to connect what they are doing in the classroom or kitchen to the industry of which they will one day be a part.

To read more about the survey and the results visit:
http://blogs.citypages.com/food/2009/01/forecasting_200.php
http://www.dineout.org/research/chef_survey_2008.cfm
http://www.dineout.org/pdfs/research/2009chefsurvey.pdf
http://www.dineout.org/pdfs/research/top_10_trends.pdf