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R. P. SINGH, Dept. of Biological & Agricultural Engineering, Univ. of California, Davis, 1 Shields Ave., 2042 Bainer Hall, Davis, CA 95616-5294 The use of multimedia tools in teaching has captured the imagination of instructors at all levels of education. Today a student entering college is often well versed in many of the basic computer-based tools employed in teaching/learning such as word processing, spreadsheets and presentation software. The modern class room in a university is rapidly being upgraded to meet the new instructional demands with installation of computer-linked projectors and, more recently, live Internet connections. Students entering many universities are now required to show a proof of computer ownership. The increased power and speed of computers have made it possible to enhance student’s learning in today’s lecture room. With growing recognition of the diversity of ways students learn, the multimedia technologies provide a variety of means to improve the effectiveness of teaching. Within the context of food engineering, a typical lecture contains a description of food processing equipment, mathematical computations involved in the design of the equipment, and use of calculations to illustrate the performance of a process. A student’s mastery of physical principles underlying these processes is a key criterion of success in many lectures. In this regard, a number of recently developed web-based tools are particularly useful. Students, who find it difficult to understand the workings of particular equipment, are able to improve their grasp by viewing an animation of the process. For simple computations such as those involving mass and energy balance, spreadsheet is most useful to conduct what-if analysis. For more complicated food processes such as canning, freezing, or drying, process simulations are useful to develop a more fundamental understanding of the concepts presented in a lecture. These and other web-based contents on topics in food science and engineering are expected to provide new opportunities for instructors to enhance the educational experience of their students.
Session 105, Multiple perspectives on food engineering education
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