Visit the WIC Learning Online website.

USDA Online Course Teaches WIC Nutrition Educators

By Len Carey, (301) 504 6778, lcarey@nal.usda.gov
November 29, 2004

BELTSVILLE, Md., Nov. 29--The U.S. Department of Agriculture has made available a free web-based training course for registered dietitians and others who work with USDA's Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

The WIC Learning Online course was developed at USDA's National Agricultural Library by the library's WIC Works Resource System, in collaboration with the USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). The online course provides WIC staff with a free, user-friendly and time-efficient method for staff development and continuing education.

The online course has been approved as a self study course by the American Dietetic Association's Commission on Dietetic Registration, meaning that completing the course counts toward the continuing professional education requirements for Registered Dietitians.

The course is composed of 12-modules organized into four lessons. Each module provides a basic introduction and background on the topic, as well as tips for practical application in the clinic setting. Each module requires less than 30 minutes for completion. The course includes an online tutorial, a bookmark feature that allows students to re-enter the course at the same point at which they stopped, and job aids that can be printed for future reference.

The course is publicly available. Anyone can take the course by logging onto the site and creating a unique username and password. A student who successfully completes the assessments at the end of each lesson with a score of 70 percent or better may print a personalized certificate of completion.

The National Agricultural Library in Beltsville, Md., is part of the Agricultural Research Service, a USDA scientific research agency.