The high-level objective of Introduction to Food Microbiology is to increase awareness and knowledge of food safety and safe food handling procedures as they relate to the principles of food microbiology. The Introduction to Food Microbiology course content emphasizes food safety awareness practices as found within the food service and food processing industries, to make it as practical and relevant for learners as possible.
Background knowledge in food microbiology is identified as one of the eligibility requirements for instructors teaching MarketSafe and FOODSAFE levels 1 and 2 (in addition to possessing a strong familiarity with the food service industry, through being involved in occupations such as chef, public health inspector, etc.). Very few standalone courses are available that satisfy the former condition, and not all FOODSAFE instructors have graduate studies or post-graduate-level specialization in the area of food microbiology.
Learners have 90 days to complete this course.
Cost: $75
Now please continue through the Introduction to Food Microbiology registration.
Overview
Please take note of the steps required to complete the Introduction to Food Microbiology Online course:
Purchase one or more seats.
Pre-registration email will be sent to you. Complete the pre-registration form. Please Note: This email could take an hour or more before you receive it. If you do not receive this email, it is most likely in your email application's junk folder.
Click to preview the Self-Registration Page
After registering, you will receive an email with a username and information for accessing the course.
Our Refund Policy
Refunds must be requested prior to starting the course
A processing fee of $35.00 will be charged
The purchaser will receive a refund of:
$40.00 for Introduction to Food Microbiology
Refund requests will not be accepted after the course has started
All seat sales using their Account are considered final.
Our Extension Policy
If you feel you are going to need an extension in order to complete the course you must contact osbc.online@gov.bc.ca before the course end date* and explain your reasons for needing an extension.
Extensions are rarely awarded, and given only for extenuating circumstances, such as death in the family or hospitalization.
*After your course end date, you will not be able to access the course
Agreement
Please answer the following in order to continue:
Purchase Seats
Please enter the number of seats you would like to purchase. After you have finished purchasing the seats and you receive your self-registration link, you can assign one or more seats.
Introduction to Food Microbiology Frequently Asked Questions
Does my course (seat) expire?
Yes, you have one year to use this course (seat) before it expires.
How can I pay for my seat(s)?
Visa, Master Card or American Express is the preferred method of payment. This will ensure your seat is saved.
What if I have a hotmail, gmail or yahoo account?
These large web-based email providers have spam filters enabled, which may redirect emails from Open School BC (with important access information) into the junk folder. Please ensure you check your junk mail folder if you have not received the expected emails in your inbox after you paid for the Introduction to Food Microbiology course.
Course info:
Is this online course offered in other languages?
The Introduction to Food Microbiology online course is offered in English only. Students taking this online course need to have a proficient command of the English language.
Do I have to be comfortable using online technologies to take this course?
Online learning is not for everyone, this course is completed online and is self-paced so be sure you are comfortable using a computer, the internet, email, discussions, etc. You will need to have regular access to a computer with a reliable high-speed (1 Mbps or better) Internet connection. If you don’t have regular access, make sure you have easy access to a computer in order to complete the course within the 90 days allowed.
Note that customer service is available to assist only during regular business hours (8:30am - 4:30pm), Monday - Friday except on Statutory holidays, Pacific Time Zone.
Do I need a computer to do Introduction to Food Microbiology online?
YES! You must have a personal computer and a high-speed (1 Mbps or better) Internet connection to take Introduction to Food Microbiology online.
How do I log into my course?
Once you have purchased a seat, you will receive an email confirming the purchase and a second email with a self-registration link to fill out. Once completed you will be provided an account and instructions to login to the training portal.
How do I know if my computer will work for this course?
Before you purchase the course, you should check Moodle's browser support (https://docs.moodle.org/dev/Moodle_3.1_release_notes#Browser_support) for the list of supported browsers. Find your browser to confirm that your system will be compatible to take the course.
How long do I have to complete the course?
You will have access to the course immediately after completing the registration process. Users have 90 days to complete the online course and to do the final on-line exam. The 90 days include weekends.
Can I just write the final exam?
No, this course requires you to complete every lesson in sequence beginning with Lesson A before moving on to the next Lesson.
What happens if I try to just write the final exam?
You will get an error message, you will not be able to open the final exam or complete the course and receive certification.
What mark must I achieve on each of the quizzes and the final exam to pass the Introduction to Food Microbiology course?
Activities in the course are there for you to practice, and to help you review for the final exam.
The quizzes are self-correcting; your score will appear at the end of the quiz once you've navigated through every quiz page. Scores for the quizzes are not recorded, and will not affect your final mark for the course.
On the final exam, you must achieve a minimum mark of 70% in order to pass the Introduction to Food Microbiology course.
Do you offer timeline extensions?
Extensions must be requested before your course end date. Extensions are rarely awarded, and given only for extenuating circumstances, such as death in the family or hospitalization.
How do I access the Introduction to Food Microbiology open textbook?
A PDF download of the open textbook is available on the course home page in Moodle. The open textbook includes very similar content to that found in the Introduction to Food Microbiology online course. It is being made freely available in the course so you can refer to this information once the course has been completed.
Final Exam info:
How many questions are on the final exam?
There are 50 questions on the Introduction to Food Microbiology final exam.
What mark must I achieve in the final exam to pass the Introduction to Food Microbiology course?
If you score 70% or higher on the first exam attempt, you pass the course.
If you score between 60% and 69% on the first exam attempt, you have not yet passed the course but are allowed a second exam attempt.
If you score less than or equal to 69% on the second exam attempt, you fail the course.
If you score less than or equal to 59% on the first exam attempt, you fail the course and are not allowed a second exam attempt.
How long will it take to complete the final exam?
The exam will automatically end after 1 hour.
How do I get access to the final exam?
Once you have completed each lesson, including the quizzes, you will have access to the final exam.
Are there additional resources to help prepare for the final exam?
When you register for Introduction to Food Microbiology online, you will be able to download a PDF version of the Introduction to Food Microbiology open textbook. This resource contains all of the information available in the online course, and can be kept as a reference manual. The textbook is not required to complete the course.
How do I get my Introduction to Food Microbiology certificate and how long will take to receive it?
At this time, the FOODSAFE Secretariat is unable to provide official certificates of completion for Introduction to Food Microbiology. However, if you pass the final exam for the course, you will be able to download a temporary certificate in the meantime.
Once available, official certificates of completion will be sent to you via email in a digitized format. For now there is no estimated date for when you will be able to receive an official certificate. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Once you have completed and passed the final exam your regional Health Authority will mail an Introduction to Food Microbiology certificate to you. It takes between four to six weeks. Please ensure the mailing address you at the time of registration is correct as this information is used to send your certificate.
