Virtual Food Safety Education Programs Reveal Significant Opportunities for Accessible and Effective Distance Learning

The demand for food safety extension programing continued throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, even as in-person training was restricted for over a year in the U.S. Consequently, innovation in virtual education occurred rapidly. Here we share the outcomes from our experience offering 23 courses to >2,000 very small food processors in 11 states between 2020 and 2021. Courses were taught in English and Spanish, offered in both synchronous and asynchronous modalities, and varied in structure, in collaboration with our in-state partners. Our goal is to provide successful strategies rooted in the pedagogy of adult education to help direct future work in virtual food safety education. For example, a clear positive outcome involved improved accessibility among audiences due to reduced travel costs and increased audio-visual options. The use of Universal Design for Learning and Resilient Pedagogy frameworks supported participant engagement, which could also be enhanced through the use of chat functions, breakout rooms, office hours, and applying Bloom’s taxonomy to learning outcomes in food safety education. Positive participant feedback suggested that, now that restrictions relaxed, the opportunities available in virtual food safety education will remain an important, complementary option to in-person trainings to improve accessibility, engagement, and learning outcomes in the future.