Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 8, 2025
04:54
Iterative Development of an Innovative Smartphone-Based Dietary Assessment Tool: Traqq
Published on: March 19, 2021
5.0K
Redesign and process of reforming an existing undergraduate Nutritional Sciences program
Tyler B Becker1,2, Jim Lucas3, Wei Li1
1Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.
Advances in Physiology Education
|September 21, 2020
Summary
Nutritional Sciences faculty reformed their curriculum using backward design, creating new learning outcomes and concentrations. This process yielded valuable insights for implementing curriculum reform in science-based disciplines.
Area of Science:
- Nutritional Sciences
- Curriculum Development
- Higher Education
Background:
- Curriculum reform is essential to meet evolving disciplinary and accreditation needs.
- Traditional biomedical nutrition focus limited scope.
- Backward design offers a structured approach to curriculum development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To reform the Nutritional Sciences curriculum using backward design principles.
- To align learning outcomes with institutional goals.
- To restructure the major into a core curriculum with specialized concentrations.
Main Methods:
- Implemented backward design for curriculum reform.
- Developed new learning outcomes and mapped them to courses.
- Reorganized the major into a core curriculum with three concentrations: biomedical and molecular nutrition, global health and nutrition, and public health nutrition.
- Created new and modified existing courses.
- Developed two service courses for non-majors.
Main Results:
- Successfully reformed the Nutritional Sciences curriculum.
- Established a core curriculum and three distinct concentrations.
- Integrated new learning outcomes across the major.
- Created supplementary courses for broader nutrition education.
- Gained practical knowledge in implementing curriculum reform within a scientific discipline.
Conclusions:
- Curriculum reform using backward design is feasible and effective in Nutritional Sciences.
- Restructuring the major enhances educational depth and specialization.
- The process provided practical lessons for science-based curriculum innovation.
- The reformed curriculum better addresses diverse student needs and future demands.
