Intro
This course is designed using the Backward Design approach, starting with clearly defined learning outcomes to ensure all activities align with the ultimate goal of enabling college students to cook effectively. The focus is on the development of useful skills in meal planning, cooking techniques, and nutritional assessment under practical constraints like limited finances and small kitchen equipment.
Desired Learning Outcomes
Students will achieve four core competencies: designing a weekly nutritionally balanced meal plan that considers cost and basic kitchen tools; demonstrating proficiency in five fundamental cooking techniques such as chopping and stir-frying; independently cooking three meals meeting dietary needs; and evaluating meals’ nutritional content and cost-effectiveness to propose improvements.
Assessment Methods
Progress will be measured through practical documentation and performance. Meal plans will be assessed via submitted documents including grocery lists and cost reports. Cooking techniques will be evaluated through live demonstrations and logged recipes. Independent cooking abilities will be tested by making meals and follow-up taste panels and reflective diaries. Nutritional analysis abilities will be measured by written reports comparing meal costs and nutrition facts.
Learning Activities
To achieve the above learning outcomes, our learning activities will include:
- Meal Planning:
- Learning basic nutrition principles and learning about the nutritional value of foods.
- Learning to develop a meal plan, considering budget, time, and equipment constraints.
- Practicing developing personalized meal plans and developing shopping lists.
- Cooking Techniques:
- Learning a variety of basic cooking methods and experimenting with them in the lab.
- Learning the effective and safe use of kitchen equipment.
- Watching demonstration videos, demonstrations, and group practice.
- Recipe Practice:
- Learning how to read and follow recipes.
- Selecting recipes to their taste and nutritional needs, and testing them out.
- Continuously improving and perfecting cooking skills through practice.
- Evaluation and Reflection:
- Creating the ability to calculate the nutritional value and expenditure of meals.
- Reflecting on what happened and what was learned in the cooking experience, and suggesting improvements.
- Taking part in group discussions for sharing experiences and observations.
Prerequisite Knowledge and Skills
Participants need basic literacy to read recipes and instructions. Familiarity with common kitchen tools and ingredients is recommended but not required. Prior cooking experience is optional, as the course builds from foundational skills.
Learning Resources
Materials include an online tutorial website with tutorial videos, downloadable recipes, and meal planners; physical kitchen tools and ingredients for hand practice; cookbooks and nutrition books; and peer knowledge-sharing discussion forums on the internet.
