Development of a computer-assisted program for undergraduate instruction

Abstract

Table 1 General instructional objectives and selected specific learning outcomes for menu planning Questions were developed for a computer-assisted menu-plan­ ning program called MENU within this framework. MENU pre­ sented a menu-planning problem designed around a day's menu that was high in calories, fat, and carbohydrate but low in cal­ cium, iron, thiamine, and vitamin A. The questions, exercises, and simulation, which are part of tutorial CAl (13-22), were limited to two food factors (nutrient content and sensory attri­ butes) and two human factors (nutrient needs/allowances and food habits) as applied to the specific problem menu. An understanding of the use of knowledge within a discipline is essential in order to select and teach appropriate subject matter. Within nutrition education, little information is available about how knowledge is used by individuals to make food choice deci­ sions for menus, although the body of knowledge needed for such decisions is large and well known to nutrition scientists. In the investigation reported here, menu-planning concepts, teaching and learning theory, and computer-assisted instruction (CAl) were integrated to develop an interactive computer-as­ sisted instructional menu planning program. The program was used to study the manner in which student and expert profes­ sional menu planners use knowledge when evaluating and revis­ ing a problem menu. Research for this study was conducted in the introductory food decision-making course offered by the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Minnesota. Course assign­ ments included use of an interactive computer program to calcu­ late menu nutrient content. DEVELOPMENT OF INSTRUMENTS As a first step in development of the instruments, a conceptual structure for food decision making was designed. According to professional menu planners, food choice decisions incorporate information from a number of disciplines, including nutrition, food science, economics, marketing, sociology, psychology, an­ thropology, physiology, education, and food and meal manage­ ment (1-10). This multidisciplinary approach was reflected in the conceptual structure. The conceptual structure organized five food factors and three human factors from the mentioned disciplines. The food factors were: nutrient content, sensory at­ tributes (color, flavor, texture, shape, temperature), kind of food, cost, and preparation required. The human factors were: nutrient needs/allowances, food habits, and economic status. Bloom's Taxonomy ofEducational Objectives, Cognitive Do­ main (11) and Gronlund's (12) method for preparing instruc­ tional objectives were used with the conceptual structure to develop objectives for a menu planning instructional unit in the introductory food decision-making course. A general instruc­ tional objective fur each of the six major categories of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Cognitive Domain was developed first. Specific learning outcomes, which were repre­ sentative of the learner behavior expected when the objective had been achieved, were defined and listed. The six general objec­ tives and examples of specific learning outcomes for three of the objectives are listed in Table 1. The specific learning outcomes given as examples illustrate how the learner behavior expected for the higher (more complex) taxonomy levels builds on behav­ iors established at the lower levels for nutrient content and sen­ sory attributes of food. Also developed was a content outline that coordinated appropriate subject matter with the instruc­ tional objectives and learning outcomes.