30B-12 |
The use of problem-based learning in a food product development curriculum |
K. J. RYAN1, R. W. Brewer2, and M. S. Brewer1. (1) Dept. of Food Science & Human Nutrition, Univ. of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign, 1302 W. Pennsylvania Ave., 210 Agricultural BioProcessing Lab, Urbana, IL 61801, (2) College of Medicine, Univ. of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801 Food Science courses often focus on rote memorization and lecture-style didactic technique. This style of teaching may result in poor student utilization of these skills in the application of this information. Integration of academic knowledge with problem-solving skills would serve to advance the food science student in a real world environment. Previous studies with medical education have shown the effectiveness of problem-based learning (PBL) in achieving these results. Our objective was to obtain these results in a Food Product Development course using the principles of PBL. A senior and graduate level course was designed and implemented at the University of Illinois using the PBL style. Students were organized into teams and problems were generated, discussed and solved based primarily on student input. Results indicate that students are more self-motivated using this style of instruction. Questionnaire responses show that students gained an enhanced perception of food science knowledge while becoming more adept at team participation.
Session 30B, Education
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