Adaptive learning in Culinary School
Since culinary school is very hands on and the classes rely on moving students through the curriculum at an accelerated pace in order to finish within the alotted time, how can adaptive learning be implimented here in order to avoid students falling behind?
Matt, I've been thinking about this too. I think it would work in the lecture portion of the lab. I imagine it as part of an International Cuisine course: Online, the students can participate in geography, history, indigenous ingredients and cooking methods. Recipes can be looked at and analyzed. I think it will better prepare the students for the lab portion.
What do you think?
Also, it can be used in ice breakers--short clips from culinary shoes or movies, etc.
I think the use of technology and the internet in the Culinary Arts is here to stay. More and more the students rely on videos and images to search for inspiration and alternate ways of creating food. Also, I notice that they use the resources to divulge their creations, which is substituting the good old portfolio. With Instagram, they are now making their portfolio online and acessible via the Cloud. All these tools and features are very important, and I think that we, as Instructors, need to encourage and tutor them in their utilization.
The culinary arts is so similar to makeup. As a makeup instructor, I too feel that tudents can benefit very well by having some otheir lectures online, which prepares them for the lab portion. Both of these are very hands on disciplines and like the culinary arts, we move them through very quickly.
One of the key features of Adaptive learning is that the student progresses through the material at their own pace. If you need all of the students to be at the same level at the same time, you are not doing adaptive learning—even if you are using computerized materials. The primary remaining hurdle for competency-based education is managing the logistics of large numbers of students all moving through their programs at different rates, with course completion divorced from seat time.
Also, because Skinner wrote about using "teaching machines" everyone thinks that adaptive learning has to be done on computers. This is not so. There is no machine which is as versitile and adaptable as the human brain. One can integrate adaptive learning principles and practices into a face-to-face learning environment. If you go out and watch a skilled track or swimming (or any other individual sport) coach work with a team of atheletes, you will see adaptive learning in practice, without an LMS in sight.
--don
