thesis proposal in 7 weeks, yikes!

[cookderosa]

OMG where did the time go? Email from my program chair today. She needs my thesis proposal in the next 7 weeks! :willynilly: If it gets approved, I will start unofficially anytime, but officially in December. (it will be December, I'm in 12 credits this term and holding on by my fingernails). That will be my last requirement. Oh my gosh. I'm excited and nervous and wishing I had a capstone option!!! LOL

[burbuja0512]

OMG where did the time go? Email from my program chair today. She needs my thesis proposal in the next 7 weeks! :willynilly: If it gets approved, I will start unofficially anytime, but officially in December. (it will be December, I'm in 12 credits this term and holding on by my fingernails). That will be my last requirement. Oh my gosh. I'm excited and nervous and wishing I had a capstone option!!! LOL

I know it sounds nerve-wracking, but if anyone can do it, you can!!!!! I have no doubt that you are going to kick butt and take names Good luck!!!

[Lindagerr]

i don't know what you are worried about, anyone who can set up such an awesome schoolroom in their home can do this. I mean what it's not like you have anything else to take up your time

[cookderosa]

NO! I'm whining and freaking out now. Determination and focus will come later lol.

[OpenRoot]

Another you can do it vote here!

Do you have an idea of what youre going to do?

[cookderosa]

Another you can do it vote here!

Do you have an idea of what youre going to do?

Yes! Do you really want to know? LOL I'm not very good at being concise.

So the super-mini-short version is that I am going to collect data on culinary degree program's nutrition instruction and try to measure outcomes. All degree granting culinary programs require a 3 credit lecture/theory course through the biology dept or some through the culinary dept. (like TESC's BIO210) A few (tiny amount) colleges have an addition 3-4 credit nutrition lab course in addition to the theory course; a hand-on cooking course. For cooks/chef/bakers to become certified they need a nutrition course but not a lab.

My thoughts: I would like the educational standard and certification standards to push for a theory + lab. Students who take the lecture only portion, I think, are not able to apply their nutrition/food science knowledge than those who have taken a hands-on course. If student's can't apply their learning, why take the theory course in the first place? It's like reading about baking a cake. NOT the same thing as being in the kitchen doing it a dozen times. In other words, most culinary grads can check the box, but I want to measure if they can apply their nutrition knowledge in a practical way. Nutrition is THE ONLY food course in culinary schools/colleges which don't spend time in the kitchen.

I won't go into the why so much, but industries that didn't use to hire chefs to run their food service now do so for the PR. Grocery stores, packaged brands, frozen foods, spice companies, hospitals, business cafeterias, airports, k-12 schools, colleges, even growers and farms. Chefs never existed in these jobs. Folks with Hotel and Restaurant degrees or Dietary Managers, or Registered Dietitians often fell into those jobs, though not a perfect fit because all lacked the food preparation skill set. Chefs are filling these jobs now, heavily recruited too. This is on top of their traditional role in restaurants, hotels, resorts, etc. Chefs have their hands in a lot of food eaten in this country- not just OUT of your home, but now what you buy and bring back IN too. Chefs need to upgrade their skill set to keep up with the expansion of their role in the food system. This isn't about cooking healthy food really, its about their ability to do so if the situation calls for it. Chefs will say they have no interest in working in a setting that requires any recipe modification, chefs want to cook what they want to cook. That doesn't matter any more than a chef saying they don't want to prepare breads, Italian cuisine, cold salads, or stocks. The bottom line is that a modern chef needs the skill set. Where they choose to work is up to them, but I'd like to be sure our culinary schools are prepping our graduates well.

IF the students who complete a lab in addition to the theory course have significant differences, it makes a case for education reform. If it's only slight, then the increased resources (labs are expensive and a pain to administer) are probably not worth it and another avenue should be considered. I expect the difference to be huge. But, we'll see if that's the case once I do my project.