Curriculum Innovation Driven by Industry Inputs: Engineering Technology Pathways

Consumers usually take for granted that the food they buy at any grocery store is of high quality and safe to eat, which is also one of the main concerns of any food producer. However, the food and foodstuff manufacturing areas are becoming more complex as a result of emerging business conditions such as global markets, government regulations and consumer practices. The needs of labor of many food companies have changed. Employers require advanced technical skilled employees with a comprehensive knowledge of food and foodstuff supply chain that are able to perform processes using operations management and biotechnology. These conditions have led to the initiative of creating a food and foodstuff concentration for the Engineering Technology Programs (ET) at the Associate’s and Bachelor’s levels. This initiative is supported by the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technology Education (NSF-ATE) directive and its goal is to facilitate the student’s matriculation from the Associate to Bachelor level. This will allow meeting the critical need for specialized education in food and foodstuff industry. The content of this course concentration is the result of academic and industry interaction, tightly organized around engagement principles. This program may serve as a model for other institutional partnerships in the evolving STEM landscape.