Using scaffold innovation-thinking frameworks to integrate food science and technology into the transdisciplinary engineering design classroom

Abstract

Technology and innovation are essential for students to not only learn and understand the technical skills, but also identify a problem, discover a solution, and communicate the value proposition. In this study, innovation-thinking frameworks were integrated into undergraduate transdisciplinary engineering and technology classrooms with a topic of food science and technology, exploring design within the area of new product development. The qualitative analysis, conducted using NVivo, indicated that the food science and technology focused educational experiences had the potential of transforming student self-reported perspectives related to metacognitive reflection, connecting the topics to the real-world and communicating. The findings offer exciting insights into the benefit of integrating self-regulated learning, visualization, and communication technology into future food-related education programs.

Teaching Engineering and Food: From Traditional Approaches to a Flipped Course on Gastronomic Engineering

“…In this respect, the contents and delivery options of FE material have to match the learning outcomes expected by audiences with different backgrounds and interests. In academia, the quantity and scope of some FE-related programs have expanded to accomodate an interdisciplinary vision that brings in aspects of innovation, sustainability, consumer sciences, and gastronomy [40,41,42]. Besides, employers in the food and restaurant sectors are demanding a formation in "soft skills" that encourages communication abilities, critical thinking, problem-solving capacities, and working in groups [36,23].…”

“…Although most students valued the experience of the term project, some requested clearer instructions of the expectations. The complaint is usual in food science students exposed for the first time to this type of assignments and was improved in 2020 with a detailed rubric for the term project [40,98]. A few comments pointed out that lectures were sometimes redundant, a matter that is a common criticism for flipped class courses [93].…”

Feeding the online: perspectives on food, nutrition and the online higher education

“…However, society is identifying new challenges in terms of the healthiness and sustainability of the different diets (Dernini et al, 2017;Serra-Majem & Medina, 2015) as whole food systems (the recently published and controversial article by Willett et al, 2019, should be a good example).On the other hand, the food field has developed and demands its own methodologies, increasingly seeking interdisciplinarity (de Garine, 2004;McClancy & Macbeth, 2004). As Bosman and Eom (2019) points out in their article published in this collection, the benefit of exploring and designing around the theme of food science and technology exists in the transdisciplinary nature of food which covers the gamut of business viability and economic analysis, customer desirability and consumer behaviours, and technical feasibility and prototyping.…”

“…On lights… Higher education, and particularly postgraduate programmes in Food, Food Science, Nutrition and Health, take a multidisciplinary approach, combining subjects such as nutrition, food science, psychology and, more and more frequently, social and cultural perspectives. Following Bosman and Eom's (2019) review of literature in this collection, different research on food postgraduate virtual programmes showed important teaching-related benefits that have contributed in a significant way to the success of these programmes. In this regard, they show how authors like Cohen (2010) points out after his evaluation of a cross-disciplinary undergraduate course that integrates design and liberal arts intending to improve the sustainability of the school's food system, that the course was effective and helpful in learning about sustainability and urban systems through research, problem-solving, and communication.…”

Exploring the use of Photovoice with Entrepreneurial Design Projects as a High Impact Practice in Engineering Technology Education

“…However, the STEAM approach is primarily applied in preliminary and secondary education [7] [8], and has scarcely been documented in tertiary education. Some practices that are interdisciplinary or even more transdisciplinary in nature, and follow the STEAM approach are referred to as Innovation-thinking frameworks [9]. However, the use of these frameworks in engineering technology programs is not well-documented in literature.…”