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1National Food Service Management Institute

NSFMI’s Online Course System User GuideVISIT WWW.NFSMI.ORG TO VIEW CURRENT AND UP-COMING COURSES

You can now learn online in the convenience of your workplace or any other location with Internet connectivity.

NFSMI offers a variety of online courses to meet theprofessional development needs of child nutrition

professionals and staff. Online courses are categorized into the child nutrition areas of child care, food safety,

school nutrition, and wellness.

National Food Service Management InstituteThe University of Mississippi

An effective solution for school nutrition programs’ professional development needs.


Table of Contents

Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Forward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Features of the Online Course System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Quick Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Course Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 When Should You Work on the Course?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Make a Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Creating an Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 General Account Registration (Non-State Agency) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 State Agency Account Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Logging Into Your Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Registering for a Course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Online Course Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Introduction to the Online Course Menu Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Course Outline Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Help Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Course Documents Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Navigating the Online Course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Title Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Moving Between Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Using Multimedia Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Listening to Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Viewing Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Viewing and Printing a Certifi cate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18NFSMI Help Desk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20


ForwardThank you for using the online course system at the National Food Service Management Institute (NFSMI). Continuing education courses offered online at NFSMI support the professional development and training of child nutrition program personnel at all levels of responsibility. The NFSMI’s online course system supports the research-based competencies, knowledge, and skills needed for excellence in child nutrition program management.

This online course user guide was created to ensure participants receive the maximum benefi t from NFSMI’s online course system. NFSMI’s online courses use the latest Internet technology to make professional development easy and convenient for you. To refl ect the busy lives of many of our users, you can take each course over multiple sessions and computers, ideal for those who need to access courses from work, school, or home.

Features of the Online Course System

• Instructional hours that can be used to apply for continuing education units (CEU) meeting certifi cation and credentialing requirements with the School Nutrition Association and other organizations

• Technical and instructional support available

• No cost to the user employed in child nutrition programs

• System for tracking learner’s progress

• Self-paced, easy to follow lessons

• Automated feedback on lesson activities

• Pre- and post-training assessments that guide the learning experience

• Application of content learned

• Multi-media elements in each lesson


Quick TipsCourse Guidelines

• You will need note paper and a pen or pencil.

• NFSMI recommends a folder or notebook to organize all your course materials.

• Many courses provide a downloadable course workbook containing a checklist and other handouts for the course.

• Use the assignment Check List that is provided in most courses to keep you on track.

• Plan a time of day to work on the course when you are most focused and able to concentrate.

• You may stop at any point during a lesson and then resume the course later by logging back in. The course will take you back to the point where you stopped.

• You will receive a certifi cate upon completion of the course and the course evaluation (See Page 18 of this user guide).

• If you are required to complete this course by your school district, be sure to keep all quizzes, handouts, and a copy of your certifi cate to submit to your manager or director after completing the course.

When Should You Work on the Course?

• Decide what time of day is best for you.

• Your learning will be most effective if you can fi nd uninterrupted blocks of time to work, even if it is only blocks of 10–15 minutes.

Make a Schedule

• Plan a tentative schedule for when you will work on the course. For example, you may plan for every day, 2 days a week, or only on Saturdays.

• Set a realistic goal for when you plan to complete the course. Consider your job, your family activities, and holidays in setting a completion date, but don’t plan a date so far off that you are more likely to procrastinate.


Creating an Account

Step 1. Visit www.nfsmi.org

Step 2. Click on the “My Profi le” button on the top right of the page.


Step 3. Register by clicking on the link “Not yet registered on the NFSMI Web site? Register and create your profi le now.”


General Account Registration (Non-State Agency)

Step 4. Completely fi ll out the Account Registration form to establish an account.

If you are associated with a state agency skip to step 5.

NOTE: A valid e-mail account is required to register. Also, your password must be fi ve characters long and contain a capital letter, lower case letter, number, or symbol.

Click the “Save Profi le” button at the bottom of the page.

State Agency

Click Here toRegister

See Step 5


State Agency Account Registration

Step 5. Use this option to register if you are employed by a state agency such as the Department of Education.

Completely fi ll out the Account Registration form to establish an account.

NOTE: A valid e-mail account is required to register. Also, your password must be fi ve characters long and contain a capital letter, lower case letter, number, or symbol.

Click the “Save Profi le” button at the bottom of the page.

Step 6. Once you have successfully registered, return to the login page by clicking on “My Profi le”.

Login• Use the e-mail address you registered with as your username and • Use the registered password.


Logging Into Your Account

Step 1. Visit www.nfsmi.org

Step 2. Click on the “My Profi le” button on the top right of the page.


Step 3. Login• Use the e-mail address you registered with as your username and • Use the registered password.

NOTE: Type your complete e-mail address: Example: [email protected]. You may click on “Forgot Your Password?” to have your password mailed to you if you have trouble logging in.


Registering for a CourseStep 1. Once you have logged in to NFSMI’s Web site you will see your profi le page.

On the Toolbox, click on “Online Course Catalog” to view a list of NFSMI’s available online courses on these topics: Child Care, Food Safety, Child Nutrition, Special

Needs, Wellness, and Webinar.

Step 2. The course catalog is divided into 6 categories. Clicking on the category name will bring you to a list of courses that fall under that category. Courses with In Progress icons are not yet available.


Step 3. Once you have found a course, click on the “Register Here” link located to the right of the chosen course to register for the online course.

NOTE: Some course descriptions include a link for (more…). By clicking on the (more…) link, you will receive a detailed description of the course.

Step 4. On the Registration Page, choose to register for the course for your own use.

Step 5. Once you have successfully registered, return to your list of registered courses.


Step 6. Click the “My Courses” option in the Toolbox for a list of registered online courses.

• On your list of online courses, you will see the course title, registration date, and completion date of the courses you have registered for. • Click on the course title of the course that you would like to work on.

You are now ready to begin your online course.


Online Course Menu

Introduction to the Online Course Menu Options

The Online Course Menu is located at the top right of each NFSMI online course. The menu includes a link to

• the NFSMI main menu,

• the course outline tool,

• the help tool, and

• the course documents tool.

Course Outline Tool

The Course Outline tool is useful as you complete the course. It allows you to revisit material that you have covered.

• The course outline is divided into lessons. Clicking the to the left of each lesson reveals a list of the screens for that lesson.

• Choose the screen that you would like to revisit.


Help Tool

• The Help tool will reveal a list of computer system requirements for the online course.

• The Help tool also provides a list of frequently asked questions about online course elements.

Course Documents Tool

The Course Documents tool will reveal a list of documents used in the online course.


Navigating the Online Course

ScreenName

CourseName

Title Bar

NOTE: It is helpful to write down this information so you can review the material after the course has been completed.

Moving Between Screens

A navigation button is located at the bottom right of every screen in each NFSMI course.

• The navigation buttons include a print, previous, next, and stop option.

• The stop navigation button completely stops the course and returns you to the main menu.

• The print button produces a PDF fi le of the entire course for you to print or save.


Using Multimedia Elements

Click here to play

Listening to Audio

Audio elements are available throughout the online courses. To activate these elements you will need to be sure

• Adobe Flash is installed. (Visit http://www.adobe.com to download).

• Your computer speakers or headphones are turned to a comfortable volume.

• Player controls for audio must be activated by clicking on the arrow shown below.

Viewing Video

Video elements are available throughout the online courses. To activate these elements you will need to be sure

• Adobe Flash is installed. (Visit http://www.adobe.com to download).

• Your computer speakers or headphones are turned to a comfortable volume.

• Player controls for audio must be activated by clicking on the arrow shown below.


Viewing and Printing a Certifi cate

Step 1. Once the course evaluation has been completed, you may view and print your certifi cate.

• Click on “NFSMI Main Menu” to return to the Main Menu.

Step 2. On the left Toolbox click on “My Certifi cates.”


Step 3. Under “My Course Certifi cates” you will see a list of registered online courses.

• Courses with a Completion Date have been completed and can be printed.• Click on the course title to receive your certifi cate for printing. You may also export

your certifi cate to a PDF and save it to your computer.

NOTE: If you believe you have completed a course and there is no completion date, you

should click on “My Courses” and return to the course. You may have not completed the evaluation. You will need to complete the course evaluation before you can receive a certifi cate with a date and time stamp.


NFSMI Help Desk

The National Food Service Management Institute’s experienced School Meals Specialists are on call to answer questions and provide information or referrals related to serving healthy, safe meals in schools and child care settings.

NFSMI staff is available Monday through Friday during the hours of 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (CST). Call toll free at 800-321-3054 to speak with our staff or e-mail your question to [email protected]. We will respond to your questions as soon as possible.

National Food Service Management InstituteThe University of Mississippi

This project has been funded at least in part with Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service and through an agreement with The University of Mississippi. The contents of this program do not necessarily refl ect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. The University of Mississippi is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/Section 504/ADA/ADEA Employer.