Introduction
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How can innovative teaching methodologies be applied to food science and technology focused learning experiences to improve student learning outcomes?
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How can food science and technology focused learning experiences encourage students to connect and extend innovation and design frameworks to real-world settings?
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How can the integration of a communication requirement into food science and focused learning experiences develop skills related to oral, written and visual communication?
Literature review
Benefits associated with food-related education programs
Challenges associated with food-related education programs
Recommendations for developing food-related education programs
Summary
Methods
Introduction
Study design
Participants
Data collection
Pre- and post-philosophy of learning statements
Reflection prompts
Data analysis
Results
4.1 Pre- and Post-Philosophy of Learning Statements | |
4.1.1 Learning Perspective: Weaknesses (Pre) vs. Strengths (Post) | - Before participating in the learning experience, students generally reported to primarily assess the ability to complete the learning experience from a deficits perspective with a particular focus on identifying challenges and personal weaknesses. - After completing the learning experience, students generally reported to primarily assess the ability to complete the learning experience from a strengths perspective with a particular focus on learning from past experiences. |
4.1.2 Value of Learning: All Learning is Worth It (Pre) vs. Value of Learning Depends (Post) | - Before participating in the learning experience, students generally reported a whimsical, open-minded and optimistic perspective that all learning was “worth it”. - After completing the learning experience, students generally reported a more realistic approach to learning valuation which aligns to practical and future applications. |
4.1.3 Approach to Similar Learning Experiences: No Difference (Pre) vs. Alternative Way (Post) | - Before participating in the learning experience, students generally reported a “no” or “maybe” perspective on approaching future learning in an alternative way. - After completing the learning experience, students generally responded positively to approaching future learning experiences in an alternative way. |
4.1.4 Commonalities: Limited Difference Between Pre and Post | - Both before and after, students reported on the need to assess time availability and the benefit of chunking out tasks. - Both before and after, students reported on a preferred learning style. However, this learning style varied from one student to the next. |
4.2 Reflection Prompts | |
4.2.1 Workplace Connections | - Throughout the essays, students were able to connect the artifact development and reflection assignment to what they perceive employers are looking for in the workplace. |
4.2.2 Importance of Communication | - Throughout the essays, students were able to demonstrate a newfound recognition around the importance of oral, written and visual communication. |
4.2.3 Communication Technology Skill Development | - Throughout the essays, students were able to explain self-perceived skill development related to written and visual communication technologies. |
Pre- and post- philosophy of learning statements
Learning perspective: weaknesses (pre) vs. strengths (post)
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I typically first take a look at any obstacles that might stand in my way or prevent me from completing it on time.
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I look at the parts that I don’t fully understand and do my best to learn about those different aspects.
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I compare what is required within the task to my strengths and weaknesses. Once I see where my reach falls I attack my weaknesses with respect to accomplish the task and while doing so build on my strengths. I hypothesize that this methodology with eventually eliminate my weaknesses.
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While there are usually barriers with any opportunity, I do my best to overcome these.
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I believe things I do now could be beneficial to my future so I will try to get by these barriers to be able to learn.
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Even if there are barriers present, I try to work with them.
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I tend to look at the learning opportunity and asses what I would be best at first. That being said, I play to my strengths when I can.
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I assess by looking firstly at the things that I am capable of which are applicable to the situation at hand.
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[I assess barriers and motivators based on] my experience on prior activities.
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When faced with a learning opportunity, I assess barriers and motivators based on my past knowledge.
Value of learning: all learning is worth it (pre) vs. value of learning depends (post)
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Any knowledge gained has the potential to be “worth learning”.
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Anything is worth learning.
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It’s always worth learning. Always.
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I believe in being well rounded so all new information can be useful.
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Everything is worth learning.
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In my opinion, almost everything is worth learning, for good or bad.
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In my opinion, learning is always worth it.
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Every piece of information is meaningful, especially in a classroom setting.
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This allowed me to look back on what I had learned and relate it to my current life and future.
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All knowledge is important except for the knowledge you will never use again.
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If it’s something I can do again, and will do again.
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I also tend to evaluate whether something was worth learning based on the amount of time and effort I put into it compared to the learning or experience I gained from it.
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This allowed me to look back on what I had learned and relate it to my current life and future.
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At the end of a project, I think about what information I now know vs what I knew in the beginning of the project. If there isn’t too much new or revealing information at the end of the project that would have drastically influenced it in the beginning, then I would probably refer to it as a job instead of a learning experience.
Approach to similar learning experiences: no difference (pre) vs. alternative way (post)
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Alot of times if it bores me or I pawn [learning] off as not useful, I don’t put in a lot of effort, but could find out later it’s more important than I might have first imagined.
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I would not overload myself. I try to do too many things at once and sleep is often what suffers. I will focus on learning but can only do so much at once.
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If I was to participate in a learning experience again I would approach it the same way.
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Maybe, I’m pretty confident in my learning style.
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I don’t really know. I might try to look for improvements.
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No I wouldn’t. I went it with an open mind and learned as much as I could and believe I benefited greatly from it. I believe going into it with an open mind helped increased how much I learned.
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I think I would try to approach everything the same way. I think being consistent is very important, especially when it comes to learning. Whether it is consistent practice or consistent review.
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I would improve this learning experience by trying to outright incorporate some of my other experiences. I have done many projects and assignments and can apply them to a broad base of topics and competencies. I would also have completed the reflections closer to the time of their assignment.
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I would approach the learning experience in a similar matter, but not the exact way.
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Obviously, I think any human would do it in a different way. You can’t even call it a learning experience if you do the same learning again, then it would just be called an experience. You have to do approach another way or whats the point of the experience in general.
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My approach would be relative per the assignment, however I would have communicated with the instructors much earlier regarding my preferences and needs on certain things.
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I would approach the experience in a more hands on light.
Commonalities: limited difference between pre and post
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I use motivation to understand and complete these tasks, and attempt to do this “within a timely manner” by creating a schedule that works through any necessities that come with the assignment or the completion process.
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This in turn, will allow you to learn the most in the shortest amount of time.
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When faced with a learning opportunity being able to not procrastinate helps a lot.
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I would break down the tasks into smaller chunks and do it step by step and set an overall timeline with all the deadlines so that I can have a better idea of what I’m dealing with and have an upper hand in facing potential road blocks.
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When presented with a new topic I take notes on the most important things said that day. I then go home and read it over a couple of times.
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I learn best by watching as well as doing so if there is a way to learn by either of those methods that is how I will approach the less understood topic.
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I really try to learn the curve of something before I go into it. To me, it’s a lot of talking with others who already went through it.
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I learn through hands on experience and projects to have a better understanding of the subject matter.
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I am a very interactive learner. I like to experience what I learn. To assist in understanding, [I like] explaining and eventually share/teach the content.
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I like to learn through hands-on experience, discussion, and with a focus on interesting topics.
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Also the reflections after each skill helped me go back and reevaluate what I had learned.
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I know my approach to learning is and has always been visual related. I learn quickly and best with colors and designs incorporated in the technical information.
Reflection prompts
Workplace connections
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The ability to comprehensively problem-solve and ask inquisitive and properly-pointed questions is instrumental in every field one can work. Ideally, I will one day wind up working in the field of conflict, so both of these skills will be needed an incredible amount. In such a high-stress environment as conflict (specifically disaster situations), it would be foolish to send someone not a master in both skills.
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If I found a career in animation, I may need to use systems thinking to decide the best way to develop a new movie or television show that would appeal to viewers of the targeted archetype.
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If I make myself a highly proficient systems thinking designer, I could find opportunities in a process, schedule, or hierarchy to save my employer time, money, and/or make it all safer. Those three improvements are achievable without any modifications to an existing product, which compounds the added value.
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If I were to find my future in marketing, I would most likely have to use systems thinking to develop a convincing advertising campaign by presenting why people need things, and how these things would help.
Importance of communication
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[This canvas] allows us to plan ahead and make sure our needs are met before we spend money, time, and other valuable resources. It is a lot simpler to ask your archetype, partners, or boss what they suggest before building a prototype.
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If a relationship system has all the resources and support in the world, but no communication, it will smother and die. As if humans, engineers for that matter, didn’t have enough problems communicating, try to contemplate the ideation of a new technology, that only you have seen or in your mind, and it must be conveyed.
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Even though I have conducted interviews before, I still did have anxiety about the process. It was a little intimidating to me. I think I will always have some anxiety talking to people about my ideas, but I am better-versed in the process, which I thought would make this assignment slightly easier.
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While the information is what’s important, it is also important to have an attractive canvas that is clean and easy to look at.
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One of the most important things I took from this was the discomfort I had to present my ideas. I understand this is a real world skill and that it is very necessary to use in the work world, but I struggled with it. I did not want to present myself that way with false flattery or the promise of something, like money or food, in return for feedback. I learned I would much rather slip my idea into conversation and ask for an honest opinion on it with nothing in return. I will have to develop this skill in the future; it is something I will have to work on.
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Filling out my Business Model Canvas after the interviews, I regained my appreciation for why we do user interviews. I immediately saw where my classmates, teachers and neighbors and I agreed and where our opinions strayed.
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Within this assignment, I do not believe I mastered inquiry, but I do believe it opened my eyes in that asking surface-area questions are not the only action that can be taken when it comes to interviewing a subject. There are always deeper questions to ask.
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Whenever I see a problem with multiple different directions I will layout the details in a input, processing, and output with feedback tree. This will help me scope the problem and make my most informed decision.
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The next time that I need to design something for class I will make sure to include as much user interaction as possible.
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While doing the project, I regretted not asking more through and expansive questions. I should have asked for more elaboration on answers so I had more data and knowledge to work with. Next time I have to talk with someone for a project of assignment, I will be sure to use my time wisely and discuss as much as possible.
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Working in a team allows many different perspectives and viewpoints to come together to solve one complex problem, but in order to be successful you need to be able to listen to feedback and implement the feedback into your solution.
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I learned that I struggled with asking the right questions as I felt my partner did this better than I did. I also observed how they were asking the questions and used that to ask them questions later in the process. That was more productive. In this way, I believe I did improve my ability to be a better design thinker and ask better questions allowing me to get closer to the solution.
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I also learned that the variation in visual interpretation is similar to the multiple variants of quantitative data and, similarly, professional preference and variation have a huge influence in the industry standard.
Communication technology skill development
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After this assignment, I think I did learn how to step up graphics in an assignment and learned how to add just a few small touches that take the assignment up a level.
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While completing the assignment I struggled a bit with the way Powerpoint layouts are used. However, I saw that when I tried to center objects, Powerpoint has the snap in to place vertical and horizontal rulers which was much appreciated.
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I learned a lot of new keyboard shortcuts when making my layouts which was very fun.
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I know that I am not the best person for visual design, at least not with an online platform. I feel as though this assignment helped to increase my level of design in things such as this presentation, and my ability to summarize info to the bare minimum.
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Pdf’s are a good way of saving visual representations because formatting stays consistent across viewing platforms.
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If I really wanted to prove value of myself, I would step out of the comfort zone. I would attempt to utilize a different software that I am not as comfortable with to improve my level of proficiencies when it comes to creating a simple chart.
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I felt that I built my graphics and design skills through some trial and error.
Discussion
How can innovative teaching methodologies be applied to food science and technology focused learning experiences to improve student learning outcomes?
How can food science and technology focused learning experiences encourage students to connect and extend innovation and design frameworks to real-world settings?
How can the integration of a communication requirement into food science and focused learning experiences develop skills related to oral, written and visual communication?
Conclusions
Summary and contributions
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How can innovative teaching methodologies be applied to food science and technology focused learning experiences to improve student learning outcomes?
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How can food science and technology focused learning experiences encourage students to connect and extend innovation and design frameworks to real-world settings?
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How can the integration of a communication requirement into food science and focused learning experiences develop skills related to oral, written and visual communication?