Newswise — According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for dietitians and nutritionists will grow by 7 percent by 2033—faster than the average for all occupations in the same time frame. That’s thanks in part to growing interest in the role of diet as a preventative healthcare measure and as a bulwark against chronic health conditions.
However, most states have license and certification requirements for people who provide nutritional guidance, and it has been challenging for professionals in related fields to access affordable, noncredit, nutrition-related courses designed for career advancement.
Enter the Tufts University College Nutrition Micro-Credentials Portfolio.
Newly offered through University College in partnership with the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the portfolio includes a series of workshops and short courses designed to provide relevant skills and qualifications, culminating in digital badges that can help individuals continually meet licensure and certification requirements.
Dietitians and nutritionists, along with medical personnel, public health experts, physical fitness and wellness experts, and educators, are among the professions that can benefit from this new approach to continuing professional education.
Meeting Industry Demands with Flexibility
This new portfolio offers nine standalone workshops that award digital badges grouped thematically into three content areas: Assessing Nutrition Information, Food Sustainability, and Nutrition in Industry. Within these areas, learners can explore:
- Key principles of scientific literature in order to deepen their understanding of the strengths and limitations of various study designs used in nutrition research
- Challenges and trade-offs of incorporating sustainable practices within the food chain (i.e., agricultural production; manufacturing, processing, and distribution of food; and the selection and consumption of food at the retail and consumer levels)
- Creation, development, and promotion of healthy products that meet consumer demands, while understanding and adhering to regulations related to nutrition and ingredient labeling in order to credibly leverage the power of food marketing to promote positive nutrition.
Each workshop is delivered asynchronously online. Learners engage with the content by watching recorded lectures, examining case studies, and completing readings, quizzes, and written assignments.
The workshops were designed and developed by the Friedman School in collaboration with industry experts and with market validation from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The workshops align with the continuing professional education requirements of the academy and the Commission on Dietetic Registration and were developed to meet specific needs of practitioners.
As a result, the offerings in the micro-credentials portfolio both meet industry job demands and address crucial learning outcomes, according to Wylecia Wiggs Harris, chief executive officer of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
“The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is thrilled to have established a connection with Tufts to expand offerings in nutrition education as well as for prospective future collaborations,” said Wiggs Harris. “We are pleased to have the opportunity to help design a high-quality, market-ready professional online program that benefits from the expertise of the Friedman School and that may propel future collaborations with other schools at the university.”
“Most industry associations focus on certification education and continuing education—while few have partnerships with universities to co-develop market-driven continuing education products,” said Timothy Griffin, dean for educational affairs at the Friedman School.
“Partnering with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has allowed us to craft a truly unique curriculum precisely designed to meet the exact needs of our audience, and there is much more to come,” Griffin added.
In addition to having identified key topics for inclusion in the portfolio, the academy also contributes directly to the course content, supplying presentations, lectures, information, data, statistics, case studies, and videos that ensure the program’s relevance and leading-edge subject matter.
Relevant—and Accessible—Content
The courses have been designed to be as accessible as possible. They carry no required prerequisites and are low-cost, self-paced, and short in duration.
They also rely on content and resources that incorporate diverse viewpoints and integrate accessible design practices to support students with learning disabilities.
“For a range of reasons, learners have difficulty accessing graduate education in nutrition,” said Griffin. “Our offerings provide nutrition-centered content in smaller, more manageable, and more affordable modules than are available in semester-long graduate courses, aligned with our aim of serving as broad a swath of the population as possible.”
Course content will be frequently reviewed to ensure continuing relevance to both the industry and learners, Griffin added. Keeping pace with advancements in this way will allow the program to support individuals as they continue growing their knowledge and skills in an evolving field. It also will empower them to address emerging health challenges, adopt innovative approaches, and identify the strengths and limitations of research they rely on in their work, he said.
“In making high-quality information on food, nutrition, and related issues more widely and easily accessible, we’re positioning learners to dive deep into critical subject matter—and ultimately to be more competitive on the job market,” Griffin said.
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