Abstract
Many innovative teaching and learning methods are used in higher level education including project-based learning (PBL). Since 2012 a PBL assignment project has been undertaken by master students of the Advanced Molecular Gastronomy module at Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin). The aim is to stimulate student learning and creativity by using Note by Note cooking in a PBL assignment while at the same time complying with the requirements of the annual International Note by Note contest which is held in Paris, France. Direct and indirect assessment methods were used to assign individual grades and to gather student feedback about the module. The direct methods were both formative and summative. The indirect method used was a student feedback questionnaire. Results to date (2012-2019) showed that 92% of learners successfully passed the module. However, further evaluation of individual assessment results revealed that most students achieved higher scores for finding and using resources, asking further questions and developing their own answers than for analysing, synthesising and evaluating information (P≤0.01). Overall students were happy with the module content and said that they learnt about Note by Note cooking, chemical compounds, researching, independent-thinking and perseverance. In future students should carry out a more in-depth analysis, synthesis and evaluation of information.
Highlights
Food science education has undergone a paradigm shift from a delivery of knowledge in a traditional lecture and laboratory system to a more inquiry-based and discovery process (Iwaoka, Britten & Dong, 1996 cited in Shewfelt (2012))
In the United States of America, Thomas (2000) noted that studies conducted on the effectiveness of using Project-based learning (PBL) over three years in a school in Iowa showed that reading gains “ranged from 15% in one school to over 90% in two other schools while the district average remained the same”, and in Boston, eight graders exhibited the second highest scores in the district on the Stanford 9 open ended reading assessment
Attendance was found to be higher in PBL schools (Thomas, 2000)
Summary
Food science education has undergone a paradigm shift from a delivery of knowledge in a traditional lecture and laboratory system to a more inquiry-based and discovery process (Iwaoka, Britten & Dong, 1996 cited in Shewfelt (2012)). Traditional style laboratory practicals often leave little room for creativity or contextualisation, and are usually a verification of a known quantity or a testing of a theory that has been presented in lectures (Mc Donnell, O’Connor & Seery, 2007) Innovations such as the use of journals, team-based learning, simulations, problem-based studies, and other techniques engage students more actively in the learning process (Shewfelt, 2012). The culinary activity called “Note by Note” cooking is an application of molecular gastronomy (MG) and it makes an important contribution to the fight against spoilage, while sparing water, energy, foodstuffs, and taking care of the environment (This, 2017) In this type of cooking, traditional food ingredients are not used to make dishes but pure compounds or mixtures of pure compounds are used (Burke & Danaher, 2016; This, 2014). This paper provides results and discussion on the assessment of individual students and an evaluation of the achievement of the module learning outcomes
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