Dr. Gina Pazzaglia

Dr. Pazzaglia is committed to improving learning for all students and creating meaningful, inclusive learning environments. “Our goal as educators is to improve learning and promote development of learner’s skills, knowledge and personal growth. Assessment is beginning with the end in mind, and it assures that all aspects of what we teach and what they learn are aligned to maximize learning.” She believes that not only do we ensure better learning outcomes by consistently evaluating our processes, but we can measure outcomes and adjust our approach to provide students with optimal meaningful learning experiences.

While building the online MPS in Nutritional Sciences, Dr. Pazzaglia led the design and development of courses and provided the vision for the curriculum and all the pathways the program offers. One of these pathways is an accredited pathway for future dietitians. In 2018, she led the development of a competency based educational approach which included the integration of competencies and performance indicators into all didactic and supervised experiential courses. All student in all pathways benefit from this approach. In 2024, she successfully led a self-study and site visit for reaccreditation. As program director, she is responsible for yearly program assessment, both planning and reporting. She has served on the Expanded Standards Committee for the Accreditation Council for Education of Nutrition and Dietetics. This committee authored the doctoral level standards and competencies for the Advanced Doctorate in Nutrition and Dietetics. She also served as a member of the ULAC (2019-20) and as director of the program, has guided and  mentored MPS faculty and program coordinators.

Throughout the development of the MPS curriculum, accreditation standards and competencies were strategically incorporated into each course. Using backward design to develop the courses, measurable outcomes were aligned to course content, resources, assignments and assessments that purposefully use formative and summative assessment to continually monitor, and revise courses and curriculum as needed. These efforts created a deep structure for the curriculum and as a result outcomes were not only met but exceeded as confirmed by the 2024 reaccreditation report.

As part of data collection for learner outcomes and competency achievement, the program is changing external outcome-tracking software to create a better user experience for students, faculty, and preceptors in the supervised experiential learning component of the program. As part of the program’s continuing improvement plan, updates are being made to rubrics and assignments to better meet the needs of learners while strategically utilizing technology to enhance learner experience and student engagement. Assignments that are more robust in addressing writing skills and critical analysis of research articles as well as more intense communication about these skills will be incorporated while embracing repetition across the curriculum to facilitate depth of understanding for students as to the critical importance of these skills for their development.