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 review of rubric use in higher education

“…Andrade (2005) has argued that rubrics can serve instructional as well as evaluative purposes. Several researchers report such uses and provide evidence that rubrics support teaching and learning (Powell 2001;Osana and Seymour 2004;Reitmeier, Svendsen, and Vrchota 2004;Andrade and Du 2005;Schneider 2006). Rubrics are also being used in programme evaluation (Dunbar, Brooks, and Kubicka-Miller 2006;Knight 2006;Oakleaf 2006).…”

“…Comparison of the project grades attained by students in the two classrooms showed that the mean percentage grade for the section using rubrics was significantly higher than the comparison group of students. Similarly, Reitmeier, Svendsen, and Vrchota (2004) reported a study in which rubrics were used for repeated teacher, self-and peer-assessments of oral communication skills in a food preparation course. The single group, longitudinal study required all the students to self-and peer assess a minimum of four oral presentations over the course of a semester.…”

“…While, student perceptions of rubrics are generally positive and some authors report positive responses to rubric use by instructors (Powell 2001;Reitmeier, Svendsen and Vrchota 2004;Andrade and Du 2005;Schneider 2006), at least two researchers have noted a tendency for instructors to resist using them (Bolton 2006;Parkes 2006). This resistance is probably due, at least in part, to the fact that the 'overwhelming majority' of instructors in higher education have little or no preparation as teachers, and minimal access to new trends in assessment (Hafner andHafner 2003, 1510).…”

Practical assessment on the run – iPads as an effective mobile and paperless tool in physical education and teaching

“…One possible reason for this view, as noted by Hafner and Hafner (2003), is that rubric development requires a significant amount of time and effort on the part of the tutor or instructor. Conflicting results about the effectiveness of rubrics on student performance in studies by Petkov and Petkova (2006), Reitmeier, Svendsen, and Vrchota (2004) and Green and Bowser (2006) also confirm the importance of clarity and appropriateness of language in the development of effective assessment rubrics. In addition, Reddy and Andrade (2010) conclude that:…”

“…An extensive review of literature relating to the use of assessment rubrics in higher education by Reddy and Andrade (2010) identifies the link between rubric use, increased student achievement and improved academic performance. The review highlights research by Powell (2001), Reitmeier, Svendsen, and Vrchota (2004), Andrade and Du (2005) and Schneider (2006) that examined student and instructor perceptions about rubric use. The findings from these studies conclude that students generally respond positively to rubric use.…”