The National Center for Education Statistics estimates that 11.9% of U.S. students are exclusively taking classes online, while 7.0% are taking partially online distance education classes.  This number has grown tremendously through the years.  In an effort to align more with times, Cornell Dairy Foods Extension has jumped on the online education bandwagon this past year.

We are currently offering partial-online classes as part of our Cornell Dairy Foods Certificate Program including the Basic Dairy Science & Sanitation, the Science of Yogurt & Fermented Products, The Science of Cheese Making and Food safety Plans based on HACCP Principles.  Though these programs are partially available online, there will still be hands-on components and participants can carry their learning back to their employer.

The online offerings are beneficial to the participant as they are able to learn at their own pace, refer back to a topic they were unable to comprehend the first time, test their knowledge throughout the online module and learn in the environment that works best for them.  Online learning not only benefits the participants, but also benefits employers from a cost and time away from work standpoint.

Initial feedback suggests that the majority of participants that have taken the online/ hands-on hybrid have truly benefited from the program and have come away with an extreme amount of knowledge. Comments have included “It was great to be able to work at my own pace.”. “I was able to do this a little at a time and not be out of the plant.”, and “I liked being able to go back and review things multiple times.” We will continue to embrace technology to further support the dairy foods industry in the best ways possible.