Guest guest Posted October 29, 2009 Report Share Posted October 29, 2009 Hi, I'm not Gretchen, but I recently completed the Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from e-Cornell. My experience was very positive. The certificate consists of three on-line courses which are scheduled in two week chunks several months apart. During those two weeks you really need to have at least an hour or two a day to focus on the class - many spend more time than that. Of course like anything else, the more you put into it the more you get out of it. There are about 20-25 folks in each class. Over the course of two weeks, you listen to 8 - 10 lectures by Dr. Campbell and other professors, take simple quizzes to verify that you heard the lecture, and complete required written assignments and required interaction with the other participants - the most fun part of the class. The scope of the course is not that exhaustive. If you have read the China Study, you know quite a bit of the didactic material already, but what is very helpful is the interaction with the other participants and the course instructor. The instructor, Rebecca Michaelides, reviews every post and offers insightful questions to help you think more critically about the topics. She also offers live " office hours " online. The variety of participants is amazing - there are doctors, homemakers, cooking instructors, and people exploring plant-based eating for the first time as well as those with years of experience. Another emphasis in the courses is effective communication when trying to spread the word about plant-based nutrition - what works and what doesn't - very informative. My favorite course was the last one, Principles in Practice, because of the diversity of the lecturers and practical topics that you can really use. You have access to the courses and the discussions for about two months after they are finished and you can download transcripts of all the lectures for future reference. The only downside is the cost ($395/course with a discount if you pay for all three ahead), but when people spend that kind of money, they are seriously interested in making the most of it. I could tell that people really put a lot of research and effort into their posts in the discussion boards. I hope that answers most of your questions - if not, just ask Jean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 29, 2009 Report Share Posted October 29, 2009 Jean, This is perfect, thank you for taking the time to share your experience. I have read The China Study and am very interested in this program. I really appreciate the insight you provided. Jacqueline ------- Re: question for Gretchen JMyers1050 Thu, October 29, 2009 1:26 am Hi, I'm not Gretchen, but I recently completed the Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from e-Cornell. My experience was very positive. The certificate consists of three on-line courses which are scheduled in two week chunks several months apart. During those two weeks you really need to have at least an hour or two a day to focus on the class - many spend more time than that. Of course like anything else, the more you put into it the more you get out of it. There are about 20-25 folks in each class. Over the course of two weeks, you listen to 8 - 10 lectures by Dr. Campbell and other professors, take simple quizzes to verify that you heard the lecture, and complete required written assignments and required interaction with the other participants - the most fun part of the class. The scope of the course is not that exhaustive. If you have read the China Study, you know quite a bit of the didactic material already, but what is very helpful is the interaction with the other participants and the course instructor. The instructor, Rebecca Michaelides, reviews every post and offers insightful questions to help you think more critically about the topics. She also offers live " office hours " online. The variety of participants is amazing - there are doctors, homemakers, cooking instructors, and people exploring plant-based eating for the first time as well as those with years of experience. Another emphasis in the courses is effective communication when trying to spread the word about plant-based nutrition - what works and what doesn't - very informative. My favorite course was the last one, Principles in Practice, because of the diversity of the lecturers and practical topics that you can really use. You have access to the courses and the discussions for about two months after they are finished and you can download transcripts of all the lectures for future reference. The only downside is the cost ($395/course with a discount if you pay for all three ahead), but when people spend that kind of money, they are seriously interested in making the most of it. I could tell that people really put a lot of research and effort into their posts in the discussion boards. I hope that answers most of your questions - if not, just ask Jean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 Hi, Gretchen, Congratulations on finishing up! I completed the program in September. I have been a cooking instructor for the Cancer Project for the last four years and continue to teach the Food for Life classes here in Arizona. The E-Cornell certificate program is great background for teaching for The Cancer Project since everything we cook is plant-based as well. If you enjoy cooking and are interested, check out their website at www.cancerproject.org, then click the About Us tab for info about becoming a cooking instructor. There are about 60 of us around the US now - it's terrific program and a great organization to work for. For those on this discussion board who might like to find Food for Life classes in your area, just go to the above website and click on cooking classes. You do not need to have cancer to take the class - anyone interested in cancer prevention is most welcome. I have had several people in my classes who are already vegetarian/vegan but want to get some new recipe ideas and reinforce their commitment to this way of eating. Gretchen - good luck in whatever ways you find to use your knowledge and expertise to help spread the word about plant-based eating Jean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 30, 2009 Report Share Posted October 30, 2009 Thanks for answering for me Jean I was busy trying to finish up the last class tonight since tonight was the deadline. I have enjoyed the program and felt like I did get a lot out of it. Jean, when did you finish the program and what kind of work have you done since finishing? --- On Thu, 10/29/09, Jacqueline Bodnar <jb wrote: Jacqueline Bodnar <jb RE: question for Gretchen Thursday, October 29, 2009, 9:37 AM Jean, This is perfect, thank you for taking the time to share your experience. I have read The China Study and am very interested in this program. I really appreciate the insight you provided. Jacqueline ------- Re: question for Gretchen JMyers1050 (AT) aol (DOT) com Thu, October 29, 2009 1:26 am @gro ups.com Hi, I'm not Gretchen, but I recently completed the Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from e-Cornell. My experience was very positive. The certificate consists of three on-line courses which are scheduled in two week chunks several months apart. During those two weeks you really need to have at least an hour or two a day to focus on the class - many spend more time than that. Of course like anything else, the more you put into it the more you get out of it. There are about 20-25 folks in each class. Over the course of two weeks, you listen to 8 - 10 lectures by Dr. Campbell and other professors, take simple quizzes to verify that you heard the lecture, and complete required written assignments and required interaction with the other participants - the most fun part of the class. The scope of the course is not that exhaustive. If you have read the China Study, you know quite a bit of the didactic material already, but what is very helpful is the interaction with the other participants and the course instructor. The instructor, Rebecca Michaelides, reviews every post and offers insightful questions to help you think more critically about the topics. She also offers live " office hours " online. The variety of participants is amazing - there are doctors, homemakers, cooking instructors, and people exploring plant-based eating for the first time as well as those with years of experience. Another emphasis in the courses is effective communication when trying to spread the word about plant-based nutrition - what works and what doesn't - very informative. My favorite course was the last one, Principles in Practice, because of the diversity of the lecturers and practical topics that you can really use. You have access to the courses and the discussions for about two months after they are finished and you can download transcripts of all the lectures for future reference. The only downside is the cost ($395/course with a discount if you pay for all three ahead), but when people spend that kind of money, they are seriously interested in making the most of it. I could tell that people really put a lot of research and effort into their posts in the discussion boards. I hope that answers most of your questions - if not, just ask Jean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 31, 2009 Report Share Posted October 31, 2009 Hi Joan! I looked into the Food For Life Cooking Instructor program earlier this year but felt rushed to get everything in for the deadline which was in June. And now it looks like they only accept applications once a year...or maybe less often? I really would like to offer these classes since the closest cooking instructor lives in the St. Pete area (about 2 hours from here). Ah well, it's on my vision board for the future For the past two years I have been helping individuals transition to a plant based diet through telephonic coaching. I did my training with Wellcoaches, which was an awesome program and really helped me to understand the psychology behind why people have such a hard time making lifestyle changes and making them stick long term. It also helped me to organize my coaching process in a way that helps people decide what changes they are ready to work on, rather than my old way of telling them what they needed to do, giving them lots of ideas, and then having little or no results working with them. I do a lot of public speaking at local hospital mom's groups and " Lunch and Learns " at various companies. I also teach Plant Based Nutrition classes for kids at a Homeschool Edcuation and Enrichment center in Downtown Orlando called Misty Forest (http://www.mistyforesthomeschool.com). I teach Antonio Demas' curriculum called " Food is Elementary " (http://www.foodstudies.org/Curriculum/index.htm) combined with some of the information from Joel Furhman's book " Disease Proof Your Child " . The kids love the classes, I just wish I could reach more kids! ~Gretchen --- On Thu, 10/29/09, JMyers1050 <JMyers1050 wrote: JMyers1050 <JMyers1050 Re: question for Gretchen Thursday, October 29, 2009, 11:16 PM Hi, Gretchen, Congratulations on finishing up! I completed the program in September. I have been a cooking instructor for the Cancer Project for the last four years and continue to teach the Food for Life classes here in Arizona. The E-Cornell certificate program is great background for teaching for The Cancer Project since everything we cook is plant-based as well. If you enjoy cooking and are interested, check out their website at www.cancerproject. org, then click the About Us tab for info about becoming a cooking instructor. There are about 60 of us around the US now - it's terrific program and a great organization to work for. For those on this discussion board who might like to find Food for Life classes in your area, just go to the above website and click on cooking classes. You do not need to have cancer to take the class - anyone interested in cancer prevention is most welcome. I have had several people in my classes who are already vegetarian/vegan but want to get some new recipe ideas and reinforce their commitment to this way of eating. Gretchen - good luck in whatever ways you find to use your knowledge and expertise to help spread the word about plant-based eating Jean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 9, 2009 Report Share Posted November 9, 2009 Hi, Gretchen, Wow - your background sounds terrific for teaching for the Cancer Project! I hope you will continue the application process as I'm sure you would do a great job! The Wellness training sounds really beneficial, too. My husband, an oncologist, and I are beginning a 12 week plant-based program for people who want to lose weight. We are building it based on our years of experience, but there are probably helpful tips from the coaching curriculum that could be really useful. I may look into that - thanks for sharing Jean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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