Western Carolina University
Nutrition and Dietetics Program Annual Assessment Report Spring
2007-2008
School: Health Sciences
Program: Nutrition and Dietetics
Name of person completing report: Wayne E. Billon, Program Director
Unit Mission Statement
Teaching and learning constitute the central mission of Western Carolina University. Faculty and
students in the nutrition and dietetics program are active members in the community of scholarship at
Western Carolina University. Faculty are dedicated to providing optimal learning experiences for both
majors in the program and students in the Liberal Studies program. Nutrition and dietetics majors are
required to take courses across several disciplines represented in the university.
The nutrition and dietetics program provides a quality baccalaureate program for students who seek a
career in nutrition and dietetics. The program is designed to meet the knowledge and practice standards
of the American Dietetic Association by providing a strong liberal arts foundation with professional
preparation in nutrition and dietetics sciences. Program emphasis is on didactic preparation in
nutrition, dietetics, food science and management with integrated laboratory and clinical experiences.
Graduates will obtain the knowledge requirements for entry-level dietetic positions not requiring
registration and will be qualified to pursue further training through graduate study and/or ADAaccredited internship experiences.
The nutrition and dietetics program also supports the university's commitment to service, research and
creative activities. Faculty provides expertise to local schools and community agencies for nutritionrelated activities and research projects. Students are encouraged to participate in service activities, are
required to volunteer with local nutrition professionals, and are involved in research activities in class
and on their own when possible.
Spring 2008 Findings
Program student learning outcomes (goals) and assessment measures:
Assessment findings are presented in relation to the appropriate program outcome.
The goals and outcomes of the Nutrition and Dietetics program are as follows:
Goal 1:
To provide a quality undergraduate educational program in nutrition and dietetics.
Outcome 1.1:
The Nutrition and Dietetics program will retain accreditation with the American Dietetic
Association.
As previously reported, the Nutrition and Dietetics program received an excellent review during the
site visit in March 1999 and is accredited for ten years effective July 1999. The last five-year interim
report was due on May 1, 2004. It was completed in April of 2004 and the program progress was
approved. The next site visit will be the spring of 2009, the exact date is yet to be determined but it
will be between January and March.
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Goal 2:
To graduate well-trained professionals possessing the knowledge requirements for entry-level dietetics
positions not requiring registration and the skills required to pursue further training through graduate
study or ADA-accredited dietetic internships.
Outcome 2.1:
The program will maintain at least an 80% pass rate on the national registration examination.
Each year the American Dietetic Association reports the average pass rate for the past five years. The
five year average a year ago was under 80%. The five year average this year was 81%. The last two
individual years we had a 92% and an 89% passage, well above the national average. Thus the trend is
excellent. With a new curriculum being put in place next year, we expect to see even greater
improvements.
Outcome 2.2:
Seniors enrolled in ND 439: Introduction to Professional Practice will be prepared to enter into a
professional internship through mock RD exam testing, learning interview techniques, and resume
writing.
In order to be eligible for an internship, students must have a baccalaureate degree and complete all
didactic requirements. That means a student with a degree in biology will not have to get another
degree, but has to complete all of the didactic requirements. We have graduate students in our program
each year that are taking undergraduate nutrition classes as graduate students to complete these
requirements. While they will not obtain an undergraduate degree, they will be a reflection of our
undergraduate program since they will receive a verification statement from us stating that they have
completed all of the undergraduate requirements at WCU. We had two such graduate students apply
for WCU’s internship last year and both were accepted. We had eight seniors apply for internships at
WCU and all were accepted. One senior applied elsewhere.
Outcome 2.3:
Seniors and graduates that pursue an internship will be positively evaluated by a six member
Nutrition and Dietetics Advisory Council in the following areas of competence:
a.
Professional behavior (respectful conduct and communication, dress, etc.),
professional ethics (patient confidentiality, etc.), and work ethic (timeliness, staying
for entire shift, etc.)
b.
Academic preparation and knowledge
These data are collected annually in a semi-structured focus group session with ND faculty and the
Advisory Council.
At some point in time before my appointment as Program Director, the Advisory Council ceased
functioning in this capacity. I am in the process of reorganizing a similar advisory council that will be
in effect next year. However, as in the past two years, preceptors of the interns continue to informally
communicate with the Internship Director and the Program Director that during the 2007-2008
academic year, the students from WCU's dietetics program continue to be well-prepared and able to
complete internship requirements with few problems. Professional behavior also has continued to be
excellent for the past year with no incidents that I am aware of. Our students continue to compare
favorably with the other institutions and I have been informed that an improvement can be seen.
Program graduates who have been hired by facilities in Western North Carolina continue to perform
well. Recent graduates are now employed in several facilities in the area and employers report that they
have become valuable members of their staffs, exhibiting excellent preparation and professional
behavior while providing services to the community as well as the facility. As was the case last year, in
the class of interns finishing 2008, at least four have been offered jobs by one of the facilities they
trained in. This is the highest compliment we can be paid.
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Outcome 2.4:
Alumni will indicate satisfaction with the program. The satisfaction outcomes to be measured
include:
a.
Academic preparation (overall and compared to other recent graduates)
1.
Food service
2.
Food science
3.
Food service management
4.
Clinical nutrition
5.
Community nutrition
6.
Nutrition science
7.
Research methods
b.
Employer expectations (ability to meet employer expectations for knowledge and
skills)
Data designed to measure these outcomes were collected in the fall of 2003. The survey instrument was
sent to alumni who had graduated in the past five years as required by the Didactic Program in
Dietetics accrediting agency, the Commission on Dietetic Education of the American Dietetic
Association. An alumni survey has been updated and was sent out last year and is in the process of
being evaluated. Even though it is not required, additional surveys will be sent to employers of students
this summer in preparation for the site visit. Based on the informal positive feedback from alumni and
employers during the past year, it is anticipated that the surveys will continue to be positive.
Outcome 2.5:
Graduates will be evaluated as highly competent by dietetic internship preceptors and employers,
where competence includes knowledge and skills in the areas listed in outcome 2.4 that are
applicable to the graduate's position.
As in previous years, the Dietetic Internship Program Director continues to receive extremely positive
feedback from internship preceptors during preceptor visits for the 2007-2008 academic year and no
major problems have been reported to the Internship Director or the Program Director.
Our student numbers are increasing but they do not seem to be increasing as the demand for program
graduates increases. The positions that do not require the RD classification, as Nutritionist I and
Nutritionist II, are also increasing. Facilities call the undergraduate and internship Program Directors
to inform them of potential and current position openings. Often, WCU dietetics faculty are given
advance notice of openings because the employers express that they prefer WCU graduates to those
of other programs. Many interns are offered positions at facilities in which they were placed during
the internship if openings exist.
Goal 3:
To provide service to the region and the profession, the ND program and student association will
participate in extracurricular activities and service learning projects.
Outcome 3.1:
100% of students will participate in at least two nutrition-related campus or regional service
activities before graduation.
The class of 2007-2008 participated in several nutrition-related campus or regional activities. Most
participated in more than two activities, and many participated in more than five activities. Many of
these activities were on last year’s list because students are required to complete similar projects
each year.
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Examples of activities include:
volunteering at the local "soup kitchen" (Community Table)
presenting a nutrition lesson to teachers and students in the Jackson County
School System
volunteering with the campus nutritionist for various campus activities
conducting research with WCU students enrolled in wellness classes on eating
preferences, nutritional intake, and body image
presenting research data at the North Carolina Annual Dietetic meeting in
Raleigh, NC (eight abstracts were presented this year)
attending meetings of the Jackson County task force for prevention of
overweight in children (two faculty members are members of the task force)
volunteering to help with health assessments in HSCC 101 classes
volunteered at the free Good Samaritan Clinic in Sylva
Program changes or improvements resulting from assessment and need for updating:
In January of 2007, the American Dietetic Association announced a list of new
requirements to be completed to become a registered dietitian. In addition, last spring, they
announced what they want the dietitian to look like in the year 2017. To comply with these
requirements and to meet these new goals, the Nutrition and Dietetics curriculum has been
revised and the new curriculum will be effective next spring. In addition, to meet the needs of
the State for nutritionists that are not required to have registered dietitian status, a new track in
Community Health has been created. The following list the new curriculums for both tracks:
The major core for a degree in Nutrition and Dietetics requires 41 hours as follows (9 of which are included
in the Liberal Studies core):
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BIOL 140 Principles of Biology Credits: (4)
BIOL 240 Introduction to Genetics Credits: (3)
HSCC 220 Medical Terminology Credits: (3)
HSCC 370 Introduction to Pharmacology Credits: (2)
MATH 170 Applied Statistics Credits: (3)*
ND 239 Dietetics as a Profession Credits (1)
ND 310 Food and Culture Credits: (3)*
ND 330 Human Nutritional Needs (3)
ND 331 Food Science Credits: (4)
ND 334 Nutritional Applications Credits: (3)
ND 335 Nutrition Through the Life Cycle Credits: (3)
ND 340 Community Nutrition Credits: (3)
ND 433 Research Methods in Nutrition Credits: (3)
PSY 150 General Psychology Credits: (3)*
* These 9 hours are included in the liberal studies core.
In addition to the core, the Registered Dietitian concentration requires 43 additional hours (6 of which are
in the Liberal Studies core).
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BIOL 293 – Human Physiology I Credits: (4)*
(course to be completed before the junior-year.)
CHEM 132 – Survey of Chemistry I Credits: (4)*
(course to be completed before the junior-year.)
CHEM 133 – Survey of Chemistry II Credits: (4)
(course to be completed before the junior-year.)
HSCC 260 Etiology Credits (3) or
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BIOL 313 Microbiology Credits: (3)
ND 333 Quantity Food Production Credits: (3)
ND 342 Nutrition and Athletics Credits(3)
ND 432 Institutional Foodservice Management I Credits(3)
ND 435 Institutional Foodservice Management II Credits (3)
ND 439 Professional Practice Credits: (1)
ND 441 Nutritional Biochemistry I Credits: (3)
ND 442 Nutritional Biochemistry II Credits: (3)
ND 451 Medical Nutrition Therapy I Credits (3)
ND 452 Medical Nutrition Therapy II Credits: (3)
ND 453 Medical Nutrition Therapy Lab Credits: (1)
ND 461 Media Presentations for Dietetic Professionals Credits: (1)
ND 483 or 484 or 485 Credits (1)
* Six of these 8 hours are in the Liberal Studies core).
Electives: General Electives 9 hours
Total Hours for Degree with a Registered Dietitian Concentration: 120
In addition to the core, the Community Health concentration requires an additional 42 hours.
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BIOL 293 Human Physiology Credits: (4)*
CHEM 132 General Chemistry Credits: (4)
CHEM 133 Organic and Biochemistry Credits: (4)*
COUNT 430 Individual and Group Counseling Credits: (3)
ENVH 470 Principles of Epidemiology Credits: (3)
HEAL 305 Current Health Problems Credits: (3)
HEAL 312 Comprehensive Health Education Credits: (3)
HSCC 210 Global Disparities in Public Health Credits: (3)
HSCC 260 Etiology or BIOL 313 Microbiology Credits: (3)
ND 444 Nutrition Education Credits: (3)
ND 450 Nutrition Therapy for Health Professionals Credits: (3)
PSY 363 Behavioral Intervention Credits: (3)
PSY 470 Abnormal Psychology Credits: (3)
* Six of these 8 hours are in the Liberal Studies core). Electives: General Electives 10 hours Total Hours for
Degree with a Community Health Concentration: 120
These changes will help prepare the dietetics student for the profession of dietetics, meet the
advances taking place in medical and nutritional knowledge, and meet the American Dietetic
Association’s additional requirments.
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