Abstract:

The introduction of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) involves a continuous assessment of the students. Simultaneously, it is performed an evaluation system of teaching quality based on different sources of information that allow developing several indicators which show the evolution of the Masters. The indicators can be classified as: satisfaction of student and teachers, evaluation of teaching and the academic outcomes. This work presents a system for evaluating the students’ knowledge obtained in the seminar sessions in the subject “Risk assessment and safety of substances in food” in the Master of Applied Human Nutrition and Dietetics. The coordinated seminars are based on the presentation of a topic of interest chosen by the student from several topics selected by the Master teachers, such as toxic substances which can be found on foods and are important for human health. Methodologically, there are regular meetings with student groups (depend on the number enrolled students) organized by the course coordinator teacher. Then, all considerations about the topic chosen by the student are noted. The structure of the work consists of introduction (Historical perspectives, Classification and uses, Physico-chemical properties, mechanisms of toxicity, Toxicity data in animals and in humans, including epidemiological data, Toxicokinetics data (absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion) according to administration routes or exposure to the agent involved, Risk assessment (hazard identification, hazard characterization, exposure assessment and risk characterization), Recommendations to follow and Literature. From this moment is set three meetings which subdivided the seminar in three phases: 1) Location phase: the teacher help to the student in selecting databases and information resources which are useful for developing the work. 2) Compliance phase: the information is reviewed and it is discarded or included. 3) Correction phase: The final dossier is given by the student to be corrected. Finally, every student has to prepare a presentation of 10-15 minutes. And the students and the teacher assess the work, presentation and defense review. With this system it is intended to show the student-teacher collaborative work which is essential in the teaching innovation, bring together students who are taking the subject for the course and to experience new models of teaching as well as a new way of approaching teaching.