Improving Oral Communication Skills of Students in Food Science Courses

ABSTRACT: Communication activities about food evaluation were incorporated into food preparation courses. Oral reports replaced quizzes and an oral presentation replaced the final exam. A rubric was developed to help students evaluate ingredient functions, procedures, techniques, temperatures, and sensory evaluation. Oral report scores, self-evaluations, course evaluations, final grades, and the instructors' observations were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the communication activities. Students learned professional language and practiced professional behaviors. These types of practice opportunities are critical to students' development and important for the food science profession.     

A View of Oral Communication Activities in Food Science From the Perspective of a Communication Researcher

Food science researchers have pronounced the Institute of Food Technologists Success Skills to be the most important competency mastered by graduates entering the work force. Much of the content and outcomes of the Success Skills pertains to oral communication skills of public speaking and interpersonal and group communication. This qualitative study reports the results of an examination of oral communication activities in the classes of 9 faculty in the food science program at Iowa State Univ. The findings revealed communication activities in the classes that support the Success Skills oral communication mandates; however, the food science faculty did not explicitly teach these skills. Faculty assumed the students would acquire proficiency in oral communication through participation in disciplinary activities that required them to practice the skills. A situated communication framework cautions communication researchers to honor the oral communication traditions in other disciplines. Still, the practice of preparing students to communicate in professional contexts without formal instruction raises 2 questions from the perspective of a communication researcher: first, are students aware of the communication skills they applied in classroom activities? Second, are students able to transfer communication skills to other classes and, more importantly to professional practice, when they graduate, as a result of this approach? The discussion suggests exercises that direct students’ attention to the specific skill sets inherent in the oral communication activities in the Success Skills while enabling faculty to maintain the communication traditions of food science as they prepare students for professional practice.     

科学老师谈食物的营养

小学科学三年级关于“食物的营养”的教学内容,其教学目的是让学生懂得不同的食物含有不同的营养,人体所需要的营养要均衡、要全面。科学教师在教学中,要深入地掌握知识的来胧去脉,才能深入浅出,保证教学目标的顺利达成。     

“食品营养与功能性食品学”实验教学改革与探索

为提高食品营养与功能性食品学实验的教学效果,培养学生独立思考、独立操作、独立设计实验的能力,对目前实验教学中存在的问题进行了分析,并提出了更新优化实验教学内容、增加设计性/研究性实验、综合评定实验成绩三方面的改革措施。此项改革有助于激发学生学习的主动性和探索性,能有效培养和锻炼学生的科研能力与创新意识,对创新型专业人才的培养具有重要意义。     

Encouraging Knowledge Transfer in Food Science and Nutrition Education: Suggestions from Cognitive Research

For several decades, cognitive psychologists have been studying how we learn, and from this work it becomes possible to identify ways to help students learn in the classroom effectively. Importantly, this work does not just inform how to memorize facts, but also how to learn complex material in a way that allows students to apply what they are learning in future situations. The laboratory to classroom model used by many researchers to apply cognitive psychology to real educational situations, such as classroom learning and students’ independent studying, is described first. Then the focus turns to important issues within education, such as students’ ability to transfer knowledge to new situations and understand complex material. Finally, three learning strategies are discussed (concrete examples, elaborative interrogation, and retrieval practice) that instructors can implement to help students to both acquire knowledge and apply it to new situations, integrating examples from food science and nutrition.     

Implementing Experiential Learning Activities in a Large Enrollment Introductory Food Science and Human Nutrition Course

ABSTRACT:  Experiential learning activities are often viewed as impractical, and potentially unfeasible, instructional tools to employ in a large enrollment course. Research has shown, though, that the metacognitive skills that students utilize while participating in experiential learning activities enable them to assess their true level of understanding and mastery of the subject matter. The objectives of this study were to (1) create and implement 2 experiential learning activities in our introductory, large enrollment course and (2) evaluate their cognitive and affective impact on student learning. For the 1st activity, completed in class during the nutrition and health section, the instructional team asked the students to complete a dietary intake assessment. For the 2nd activity, completed via the course website, the instructional team asked the students to complete a food safety survey prior to the commencement of the food microbiology and processing section to assess the students' own personal food safety behaviors. The students were asked to evaluate both the cognitive and affective aspects of the experiential learning activities by completing a reflective questionnaire after participating in each activity. The majority of the students that participated in the experiential learning activities reported that the activities helped them learn the course material (97% for the dietary intake activity and 77% for the food safety activity) and that they liked participating in the activity (85% for the dietary intake activity) or were engaged by the activity (77% for the food safety activity). These results indicate that experiential learning activities can be successfully created for and implemented in large enrollment courses.     

Identifying the Learning Styles and Instructional Tool Preferences of Beginning Food Science and Human Nutrition Majors

ABSTRACT: :
Learning styles vary among individuals, and understanding which instructional tools certain learning styles prefer can be utilized to enhance student learning. Students in the introductory Food Science and Human Nutrition course (FSHN 101), taught at the Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, were asked to complete Gregorc's Learning Style Delineator^TM, which identifies dominant learning style(s). In addition, students were asked to complete a survey that asked them to identify which instructional tools used in FSHN 101 they preferred and which they did not. All students, regardless of learning style, preferred the in-class lecture, outlined lecture notes, the WebCT site as a whole, lecture study guide questions, and example exam questions.     

Self- and Peer Assessments of Oral Presentations by First-Year University Students

Forty science students received training for 12 weeks on delivering effective presentations and using a tertiary-level English oral presentation scale comprising three subscales (Verbal Communication, Nonverbal Communication, and Content and Organization) measured by 18 items. For their final project, each student was given 10 to 12 min to present on 1 of the 5 compulsory science books for the module and was rated by the tutor, peers, and himself/herself. Many-facet Rasch measurement, correlation, and analysis of variance were performed to mine the data. The results show that the student raters, tutor, items, and rating scales achieved high psychometric quality, though a small number of assessments exhibited bias. Although all of the biased self-assessments were underestimations of presentation skills, the peer and tutor assessment bias had a mixed pattern. In addition, self-, peer, and tutor assessments had low to medium correlations on the subscales, and a significant difference was found between the assessments. Implications are discussed.     

An Assessment of the Perception of Learning Gains of Freshmen Students in an Introductory Course in Nutrition and Food Science

ABSTRACT: The assessment of learning gains of students in science and other disciplines is becoming a reality following the gradual shift from the traditional style of teaching to a curriculum-based assessment of learning outcomes. The degree to which students perceive to have obtained the outcomes of a course can be measured through an assessment of students' learning gains. This study evaluated the perceived learning gains of freshmen students in an introductory class FSC 110-Introduction to Human Nutrition and Food Science (FSC 110)-over a 4-semester period. Students used the Assessment of Learning Gains Survey Instrument, developed by the Wisconsin Center for Education Research, to assess the level of their perceived learning gains. The data collected indicated that, overall, students favorably perceived their learning gains in the course. Through the instrument, students identified areas of the course that they perceived to have contributed positively to their learning experiences and those they perceived to have not contributed in any meaningful way to their learning experiences. The students' perception of their learning gains could be useful to the instructor because it offers opportunities to revise the course with respect to delivery method, assessment methods and tools, and course resources, and to improve individual support given to students to enhance their learning experience. Such alterations in pedagogy could lead to significant improvements in course quality, which could be archived and transferred to subsequent classes.     

对运动营养食品发展的浅探

运动营养食品是现代运动者必备的食品,为运动者提供充足的能量。运动营养食品在我国的发展前景非常大,运动营养食品在未来的发展中呈现出大众化、标准不断提高、结合中药技术等发展特色。     

英语口语交流中的障碍及应对策略

本文对基础阶段学生在英语口语交流中存在的障碍进行了简要的分析,并针对学生的弱点和难点,提出了有效提高学生口头交际能力的对策。认为只要有针对性、有目的、有步骤地展开教学,正确加以引导,就会使学生不仅掌握正确的英语形式,而且了解英语形式的功能,从而能够灵活自如地运用地道、得体的英语进行交际,达到最佳的交际效果。     

Implementing Student‐Centered Learning Practices in a Large Enrollment,Introductory Food Science and Human Nutrition Course

Informed by the latest research on how people learn, effective teachers address both aspects of the teaching–learning equation—they engage students in the course material by implementing best teaching practices and they prepare students for learning by sharing best learning practices. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of student‐centered learning practices on students’ perceptions of their ability to learn, specifically in a large enrollment, introductory food science and human nutrition course. Featured student‐centered learning practices included required assignments, optional study tools, and supplemental learning resources. A mixed method survey instrument with 5‐point Likert scales and qualitative, open‐ended questions was used to determine students’ (1) use of optional study tools and supplemental learning resources; (2) perceptions as to the quality and impact of required assignments, optional study tools, and supplemental learning resources to enhance their ability to learn; (3) perceptions as to the usefulness of required assignments, optional study tools, and supplemental learning resources to help them perform better in this course; and (4) overall satisfaction, as a learner, in this course. Overall, students identified study guides (developed using Bloom's taxonomy action verbs) (Mean = 4.34), microthemes (Mean = 4.27), and quizzes (Mean = 4.11) as the most beneficial resources to enhance their learning of the course material. Overall, 85% of students said they were extremely or very satisfied as learners in the course and nearly 75% of the students said the student‐centered learning practices should be offered to future FSHN 101 students.     

Development of CAI Presentations for Science Teaching and Overview of Research Findings

Research suggests that information and communication technologies (ICT) used in the form of computer assisted instruction (CAI) may benefit student learning. There is, however, limited research about the application of CAI in non-Western educational contexts. Here I describe the use of CAI in the learning of science in India. Evaluation of student learning by quantitative and qualitative means suggests that CAI has led to enhanced learning for a variety of science topics in this educational setting. I also reflect on issues germane to the Indian context and provide guidelines for the use of CAI in science instruction in countries for which ICT facilities in schools are somewhat compromised.     

Food Science Education and the Cognitive Science of Learning

In this essay, I argue that the traditional view of teaching, that the teacher's responsibility is to present information that students are solely responsible for learning, has been rendered untenable by cognitive science research in learning. The teacher can have a powerful effect on student learning by teaching not only content, but how to study and think about information. Student learning is a shared responsibility between teacher and students, and effective teaching is much more challenging than traditionally believed.     

Using Quality Circles to Enhance Student Involvement and Course Quality in a Large Undergraduate Food Science and Human Nutrition Course

ABSTRACT: Large undergraduate classes are a challenge to manage, to engage, and to assess, yet such formidable classes can flourish when student participation is facilitated. One method of generating authentic student involvement is implementation of quality circles by means of a Student Feedback Committee (SFC), which is a volunteer problem-solving and decision-making group that communicates student-generated input to the teaching team for the purpose of improving the course content, structure, and environment in the present and redesigning it for the future. Our objective was to implement a SFC in a large introductory Food Science and Human Nutrition (FSHN 101) course to enhance student involvement and course quality. Overall, the SFC provided a continuous and dynamic feedback mechanism for the teaching team, a beneficial experience for the SFC members, and an opportunity for class members to confidentially share their input to enhance the quality of the course throughout the semester. This article includes a brief introduction of the use of quality circles in higher education classrooms, as well as our methods of implementation and assessment after using the SFC for 3 semesters (Spring 2003, Fall 2003, and Spring 2004).     

Learning through Teaching: Challenges and Opportunities in Facilitating Student Learning in Food Science and Nutrition by Using the Interteaching Approach

ABSTRACT: Interteaching is a new pedagogical strategy for classroom instruction that demonstrates great effective student learning outcomes in the field of psychology. It is a 20 to 30 min student‐to‐student discussion addressing the main points in a specified body of reading materials. Interteaching includes elements such as reciprocal peer tutoring, cooperative learning, and problem‐based learning. These elements have been well theorized and their effectiveness has been empirically documented. To date, little is known about the effects of interteaching on students' perceived learning outcomes in food science and nutrition. This case study describes how the interteach method was employed in an undergraduate nutrition and food science course with specific examples of the tools used, such as interteach preparation guides, the interteach record form, and the peer assessment form. Based on the continuous feedback provided by the students during the course work, several specific modifications were made from the conventional interteaching methods, including 4‐person interteaching instead of one‐on‐one interteaching, as well as the use of in‐class thought‐provoking “synthesis” questions. At the end of the course, we assessed the students' perceptions of interteaching, as well as the students' perceived learning outcomes. The method generally fostered critical thinking and enhanced their motivation, which led to their perceived learning. On the other hand, some of the students expressed challenges in learning from peers due to their peers' varied preparation levels, as well as tackling complex scientific concepts prior to lectures. Further investigation is needed to develop possible strategies for accommodating the challenges among students with different learning styles.     

营养与食品卫生学的实验教学改革

在营养与食品卫生学实验教学中,通过提高教师素质,开展设计性实验和综合性实验,改进教学方法等方式来提高学生创新思维和实践能力.阐明了开展实验教学改革的背景和必要性,分析了教学改革开展过程中的相关问题,提出了进一步实验教学改革的设想.     

食品营养学双语课的教学实践与改革初探

食品营养学课程作为食品类学科的一门重要的专业基础课,主要研究人体对于营养物质的吸收利用及其代谢的过程。该课程是高校食品专业适应国际化的必然途径,符合创新创业教育理念,将双语模式与营养学专业课程高度结合,旨在为学生今后进一步拓宽食品营养学领域专业课程打下理论基础、积累实践技能。     

口语交际中的跨文化交际因素

在学习第二语言的课堂上,学生通常被要求操练句型、记单词和掌握语法规则。但事实上,文化和跨文化因素的影响在口语交际中至关重要。文章从教学的角度,首先指出了文化和跨文化的定义,形象地说明了语言和文化之间的紧密联系;其次,分析了影响口语交际的一些文化因素———外向型学习方式、语音问题、价值观和信仰;最后,通过分析,文章对如何改进口语教学提出了几点建议。